Symptoms Flashcards
What are symptoms
Features that the patient reports
What are signs
Features that are elicited at bedside or discovered on examination (by doctor)
What is medical term for itching
Pruritus
Questions about itching
Wheals (urticaria)? Worse at night? Others affected (scabies)? What provokes it? After a bath = polycythaemia rubra vera Exposure e.g. to animals (atopy)? e.g. fibre glass (irritant eczema)?
Local causes of itching/pruritus
Eczema, atopy, urticaria Scabies Lichen planus Dermatitis herpetiformis Spinal cord tumours (rare)
Systemic causes of itching/pruritus
LUMPIPDDOTH Liver disease (bile salts, eg PBC) Uraemia (e.g. CKD) Malignancy (e.g. lymphoma) Polycythaemia rubra vera Iron deficiency anaemia Pregnancy Drugs Diabetes mellitus Old age Thyroid disease HIV infection
Investigations for systemic cause of itching
FBC ESR glucose LFT U and Es Ferritin TFT
Types of causes of falls/difficulty walking
Intrinsic
Environment - poor lighting, uneven walking surface etc
Intrinsic causes of falls/difficulty walking
Typically: Osteoarthritis or Rheumatoid arthritis
Also:
Fractured neck of femur
CNS disease;Decreased vision;Cognitive impairment;Depression
Postural hypotension;Peripheral neuropathy
Medication;Pain e.g. arthritis
Parkinsonism;Muscle weakness
Incontinence;UTI;Renal impairment
Pneumonia Anaemia Hypothyroidism Hypothermia Alcohol
Cause of fatigue
Depression
Anaemia
Hypothyroidism
Diabetes
Investigations of fatigue
History and examination:
FBC, ESR, U&E, Plasma glucose, TFT (CXR)
Sleep history
What are rigors
Uncontrolled paroxysms of shivering which occur as a patient’s temperature rises rapidly
What is medical term for fever
Pyrexia
