Histories Flashcards
Chest pain
SOB (orthopnoea, PND, excercise tolerance)
Nausea, vomiting, sweating
Palpitations (regular, irregular)
Syncope (LOC, dizziness, light headed)
Ankle swelling (unilateral/bilateral)
Calf swelling (pain, redness)
Haemoptysis (PE, pneumonia, mitral stenosis, lung cancer, TB)
Modifiable risk factors: smoking, alcohol, hypercholesterolemia, obesity (central), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, sedentary lifestyle, poor compliance with medication, stress.
Non-modifiable risk factors: age, male, family history, previous CVD.
Productive cough
Chest pain (unilateral, worse on deep inspiration)
SOB (acute/intermediate/chronic onset)
Previous breathing problems
PND/orthopnoea
Stridor (inspiratory, upper airway obstruction by foreign body or tumour)
Wheeze (expiratory, obstruction of small airways, cardiac wheeze in pulmonary oedema, ?when: night, cold, exercise, monophonic/polyphonic)
Cough
Sputum
Haemoptysis
Ask about previous respiratory investigations (lung function test, CT scan, allergen testing)
Abdominal pain
SOCRATES
Nausea, vomiting (haematemisis, relationship with food)
Abdominal distension (bowel obstruction, ascites)
Anorexia, weight loss
Dysphagia (solids or liquids?)
Dyspepsia (OTC antacids?)
Diarrhoea (increased frequency? loose consistency?)
Constipation (last bowel movement, flatus)
Blood or mucus PR (mixed with stool, coating stool, on toilet paper, fresh blood, melena)
Urological: frequency, dysuria, haematuria, hesitency, terminal dribbling
Gynaecological: discharge, bleeding, dyspareunia, LMP
Smoking (GI malignancy, Crohn’s, protective in UC), alcohol (pancreatitis), recent travel (enterotoxogenic E.coli)
DDx for umbilical pain
Early appendicitis Intestinal obstruction Acute gastritis Peptic ulcer disease Acute pancreatitis Ruptured abdominal aortic anneurysm Gastroenteritis IBS IBD Constipation Perforated viscus
DDx for RIF pain
GI: appendicitis, diverticulitis, IBD, intestinal obstruction, Meckel’s diverticulitis, perforated viscera, obstructed/incarcerated inguinal or femoral hernia.
Gynaecological: ruptured ovarian cyst, torsion of ovarian cyst, PID, ectopic pregnancy
Urinary: UTI, renal calculi
Other: testicular torsion, musculoskeletal
Diarrhoea
Stool description (volume, consistency, colour, blood, mucus, tarry, floating)
Timing (frequency, nocturnal, duration)
Previous bowel habit
Tenasmus
Medications: ABX (C. difficile), laxatives, cytotoxics, PPIs, NSAIDs
Recent travel: food, activities, vaccinations
Contact: animals, individuals suffering with diarrhoea
Diet: meat, eggs, seafood, dairy, wheat, unusual
PMH: diabetes, IBD, abdo surgery, HIV, organ transplant, malignancy, chemo, radiotherapy, constipation
Occupation: vetinary surgeon, NHS staff symptom-free for 48h before return to work
Family Hx: IBD, coeliac’s disease
Causes of diarrhoea without blood
Enterotoxigenic E.coli (traveller’s diarrhoea)
Malaria (P. falciparium)
Giardiasis
Enterotoxin producing strains of Staph aureus
Cholera
Causes of diarrhoea with blood
Enterohaemorrhagic E.coli
Shingella, salmonella, campylobacter
Clostridium difficile
Schistosomiasis
Extra intestinal manifestations of IBD
Eye: uveitis, iritis, episcleritis
Musculoskeletal: seronegative arthritis*, osteoporosis
Dermatological: erethema nodosum, pyoderma gangrenosum. aphthous mouth ulcers
Other: AI haemolytic anaemia, finger clubbing, growth failure, primary sclerosing cholangitis~, interstitial lung disease (rare)
*More common with Crohn’s
~More common with UC
Headache
- New acute onset? Headache part of chronic/recurrent headache history?
- Exclusion of intracranial haemorrhage (SAH), intracranial infection (meningitis, encephalitis)
SOCRATES
Neurological (LOC, motor/sensory deficit, gait, disturbances in vision, speech, hearing, incontinence)
Meningism (neck stiffness, photophobia, headache)
Infection: Fever, diarrhoea, malaise
Rashes
Scalp tenderness when brushing hair/pain on chewing gum (temporal arteritis)
Nausea and vomiting
Visual disturbance/ aura
Watering of eyes/nasal congestion (cluster headaches)
Wears glasses?
PMH: kidney disease (damage kidney->hypertension->PKD->berry anneurysm-> SAH), TIA/stroke, migrain/tension headache
Subdural haemorrhage features
Recent head injury
Gradual onset headache, constant/fluctuating
Fluctuating levels of conciousness: loss at time of injury, lucid interval, deterioration as haematoma forms
More common in ELDERLY and ALCOHOLICS
Extradural haemorrhage features
Recent head injury
Gradual onset headache, constant/fluctuating
Fluctuating levels of conciousness: loss at time of injury, lucid interval, deterioration as haematoma forms
More common in YOUNG (dura mater less fixed to skull) and ALCOHOLICS
Intracranial haemorrhage features
Sudden onset, severe headache Symptoms of raised ICP (waking up with headache, vomiting without nausea) Focal neurology (corresponds to area of brain damaged)
Subarachnoid haemorrhage features
Sudden onset, severe headache
Meningism (neck stiffness, photophobia, headache)
Drowsiness/ LOC
Focal neurology
Meningitis/encephalitis features
Fever
Rash (non-blanching, meningococcal septicaemia)
Meningism (neck stiffness, photophobia, headache)
Infective symptoms: flu-like, sweating, malaise, joint pain, diarrhoea
Nausea and vomiting
Drowsiness/ LOC
NOTIFY PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITIES OF MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTION (immunisation and prophylaxis for contacts, rifampicin for ‘kissing’ contacts)
Space occupying lesion features
Absence of other clear diagnosis for headache
Old age at onset
Focal neurological symptoms and signs
Headache on walking (more commonly caused by migraine)
Vomiting without nausea
Temporal arteritis features
Usually in patients >60years Frontal or occipital Jaw pain (whilst eating or talking) Scalp tenderness Visual disturbances Malaise and proximal muscle weakness
Cluster headache features
Localised around one eye, associated with anatomical features such as lacrimation and nasal congestion
Occurs for 15 mins- 2 hours for 6-8 weeks, then subsiding for months
Cervical spondylosis features
Headache associated with neck pain
Worsens with neck movements
Migraine features
Chronic or recurrent headache
May have a prodrome or aura (only ~10% of those with migraines will have neurological aura)
Non- specific triggers (cheese, chocolate, stress)
Related to OCP
Photophobia or other visual disturbances such as zigzag lines
Nausea and vomiting
Family Hx
Tension headache features
Band-like dull ache, sometimes with sharp exacerbations
In scalp rather than cranium
Can last throughout the day, worsening in evening
May get tired or dizzy
Intermittent claudication
SOCRATES
Sudden pain: embolic>thrombotic
Radiation: dermal distribution consider nerve compression
Worse when bending/twisting: musculoskeletal pain/ spinal stenosis
Worse at night: in PVD patients hang leg off side of bed to reduce pain, improves circulation with assistance from gravity
Foot ulcers
Feet feel numb or cold? (warm if collateral vessels have developed)
Impotence (phrase sensitively)
Muscle weakness
Angina
Palpitations in context of AF
Malignancy (increased risk of thrombotic disease)
CVS risk factors
Buttock/thigh pain indicates?
Arterio-iliac disease
Calf pain indicates?
Femero-popliteal disease
Acute embolism symptoms
Sudden onset
AF/mural thrombus/post MI
No other symptoms of intermittent claudication
Cold leg (no time for collateral supply formation)
Normal vasc exam in other leg
Ix for intermittent claudication
Doppler, MRA, CTA Urinalysis, BP, ECG Bloods : FBC, U&E, lipid profile, fasting glucose Exercise testing Electrocardiography
Management for intermittent claudication
Risk factor management (stop smoking, weight loss, diet changes)
Exercise (develop collateral circulation)
Careful not to injure leg
Aspirin, statins, ACEi
Treat risk factors: hypertension, diabetes