POPE Differentials Flashcards
“I’m coughing and my side hurts” x 2 days
- Pneumonia
- Acute exacerbation of COPD
- Small cell lung cancer
“I got this itchy rash yesterday”
- Varicella (pneumonia is the adult complication; why the cough is significant)
- Acute eczema
- Scabies
“I’m throwing up and having diarrhea since last night”
- Viral gastroenteritis
- Food poisoning
- Bacterial peritonitis
- Appendicitis
- Hepatitis
“I can’t stop shaking” x 2 days
- Purulent bacterial meningitis
- Asceptic (viral) meningitis
- Encephalitis
- Influenza
- Acute HIV infection
- Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever
- Toxoplasmosis
“My brother made me come in but I can hear just fine”
- Presbycusis
- Cerumen impaction/foreign body
- Otosclerosis
- Depression, dementia
“My throat is killing me” x 3 days
- Strep/scarlet fever
- Mononucleosis
- Meningitis
“I feel like I’m going to throw up when I turn my head” x 4 days
- BPPV
- Labyrinthitis
- Menieres
- Schwannoma
- Cerebellar issue
“I’m all plugged up and I can’t hear” x 2 weeks
- ET disorder
- Otitis media w effusion
- Sinusitis
“This rash is making me crazy” x 2 weeks
- Scabies
- Atopic derm
- Allergic contact dermatitis
- Tinea (incognito corporus)
- Candidiasis
“I can’t get rid of these hives” x 48 hours
- Physical urticaria
- Nonspecific urticaria
- Viral, bacterial, parasitic urticaria
- Drug reaction
- IgE mediated allergic reaction
- Anaphylaxis
- Contact allergy
“My wife made me come to get checked for these rough and scaly spots” x years
- Actinic keratosis
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Seborrheic dermatitis
- Psoriasis
“I’m getting more yellowish bumps on my knees” x 2 weeks
- Eruptive xanthomas, xanthelasma
- Interstitial granuloma annulare
- Sebaceous hyperplasia
- Verrucas planus
- Milia
“My legs hurt, my gums are bleeding, and I keep getting nosebleed” x several days
- ALL
- AML
- Aplastic anemia
- Iron deficiency
- Idiopathic thrombocytic purpura
- Von Willebrands
“My legs and back are killing me!” x 8 hours
- Sickle cell crisis
- Acute infection
- Multiple myeloma
- Spondilitis
“My tongue is burning and my feet won’t stop tingling” x 6 weeks
- B12 deficiency
- Diabetes
- CN 7-8 neuropathy/tumor