Diff dx

Question 1

Anamnestic signs:

Answer 1

They indicate the past existence of a certain disease or
medical condition (e.g., skin scars may be evidence of severe acne in the past).

Question 2

Pathognomonic signs:

Answer 2

They indicate with certainty a particular disease is
present. (e.g., the presence of a certain microbe in a specimen can point to a
specific infection).

Question 3

Diagnostic specific signs:

Answer 3

They can help clinicians to identify and diagnose a disease
(e.g., high levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood of a male
patient may be a sign of prostate cancer).

Question 4

Prognostic signs:

Answer 4

They can predict the future outcome for patients and how
severe the disease will probably be (e.g., characteristic of some tumours can
predict cancer survival rate).

Question 5

Symptom examples

Answer 5

Anxiety, Pain, Fatigue, Hallucinations, Nausea, Visual disturbances, Photophobia, Low mood, Difficulty sleeping (self reported w/o sleep study), Tinnitus

Question 6

Remitting symptoms:

Answer 6

They improve or resolve completely. For example, symptoms of an eye infection (e.g., pain, blurred vision) can be present for few days and then resolve completely

Question 7

Relapsing symptoms:

Answer 7

They happened in the past, resolved, and then returned. For example, a patient had recovered completely from symptoms of depression and then experienced a relapse after a few years.

Question 8

Chronic symptoms:
*

Answer 8

They are ongoing, long-lasting or recurrent (e.g., symptoms of chronic medical conditions, such as COPD and chronic pain).

Question 9

Example case of anemia -identify signs and symptoms:

Answer 9

Symptoms: Dyspnoea, Fatigue, Headache, Cognitive dysfunction, Restless leg syndrome; Signs: Pallor, Atrophic glossitis, Dry and rough skin, Dry and damaged hair, Diffuse and moderate alopecia

Question 10

Acute conditions:

Answer 10

sudden onset of signs/symptoms, short-term (usually lasts less than 6 months), they resolve eventually (e.g., acute infections, acute kidney injury (AKI)) .

• Acute medical conditions may become chronic over the time. For example, acute pain after an accident can turn in to chronic neuropathic pain.

Question 11

Chronic conditions:

Answer 11

usually slow onset of signs/symptoms, they can worsen over time, long-lasting (usually over 6 months) and persistent (e.g., CKD, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic heart failure)

Question 12

*Aspects of a mental state exam:

Answer 12

• Appearance- e.g., level of consciousness, general impression, eye contact, face expression,
  dress
• Behaviour- e.g., odd or slow movements, attitude to examination, speech, choreoathetosis
• Mood and affect-e.g., type, intensity, changes
• Capacity
• Cognitive assessment- e.g., attention and concentration, memory, orientation to date and
  place
• Insight
• Delusions
• Risks- e.g., self-harm and Suicidal thoughts/plans
• Hallucinations

Question 13

SITDOWNSIR

Answer 13

S Site or location of a sign/symptom
I Intensity or severity
T Type or nature
D Duration
O Onset
W With (other symptoms)
N Annoyed or aggravated by
S Spread or radiation
I Incidence or frequency
R Relieved by