Latest Articles
- Sudden hair loss associated with trachyonychia
A 30-year-old woman has been having episodes of sudden hair loss in well-demarcated areas of her scalp for the past 6 months. What is the most likely diagnosis?
- Identifying serious causes of back pain: Cancer, infection, fracture
Most patients with back pain have a benign condition, but tumors, infections, and fractures must be considered during an initial evaluation because overlooking them can have serious consequences.
Congenital long QT syndrome: Considerations for primary care physiciansWe now know more about the genetic basis of different types of long QT syndrome and their clinical implications. In one type, patients can die suddenly during exercise, in another, during inactivity, and in a third, when startled, such as by an alarm clock. The right therapy can dramatically reduce the risk.
- A drug, a concept, and a clinical trial on trial
The ENHANCE trial, evaluating the addition of a second hypocholesterolemic drug (ezetimibe) to a statin using two surrogate end points in a relatively small number of patients, hit the national news when the two surrogates didn’t match up.
Blood smear analysis in babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, relapsing fever, malaria, and Chagas diseaseBlood smear analysis should be performed in patients with persistent or recurring fever, those who have traveled to the developing world, or those who have a history of tick exposure, especially if accompanied by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, or hepatosplenomegaly.
- Dyspnea, arthralgias, and muscle weakness
A computed tomographic scan shows ground-glass opacities in the lower lobes of both lungs. What is the most likely cause of this patient’s symptoms and radiographic findings?