key concepts

Cards (486)

  • Preceding influenza predisposes to Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia
  • HIV is a risk factor for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
  • First line treatment in diabetic neuropathy is with amitriptyline, duloxetine, gabapentin or pregabalin
  • If a first episode of C. difficile doesn't respond to either vancomycin or fidaxomicin then oral vancomycin +/- IV metronidazole should be tried
  • Activated charcoal can be used within 1 hour of a paracetamol overdose, then N-acetylcysteine if indicated by paracetamol levels
  • Ethylene glycol toxicity management - fomepizole. Also ethanol / haemodialysis
  • Bone pain, tenderness and proximal myopathy (→ waddling gait) → osteomalacia
  • Diabetes mellitus - HbA1c of 48 mmol/mol (6.5%) or greater is diagnostic
  • When assessing blood transfusion reaction, hypotension is an ominous sign that suggests a serious reaction necessitating the stopping of the transfusion - it can indicate anaphylaxis, acute haemolytic reaction or transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI).
  • Macrolides e.g. clarithromycin may cause prolongation of the QT interval
  • In the step-down treatment of asthma, aim for a reduction of 25-50% in the dose of inhaled corticosteroids 
  • Negative predictive value = TN / (TN + FN)
  • Adult polycystic kidney disease increases the risk of brain haemorrhage due to ruptured berry aneurysms
  • Cholera can present with diarrhoea and hypoglycaemia
  • IgA deficiency increases the risk of anaphylactic blood transfusion reactions
  • Positive predictive value = TP / (TP + FP)
  • Phenytoin, an antiepileptic drug, is known to cause megaloblastic anaemia
  • Pontine haemorrhage commonly presents with reduced GCS, paralysis and bilateral pin point pupils
  • Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is classically associated with seizures in the morning/following sleep deprivation
  • Sickle cell anaemia and other haemoglobinopathies can give falsely low HbA1c readings due the decreased lifespan of RBCs
  • Ascites - use spironolactone
  • MRI brain with diffusion-weighted imaging is the preferred modality in patients with suspected TIA who require brain imaging
  • Ultrasound is the initial imaging modality of choice for suspected Achilles tendon rupture
  • Campylobacter infection is characterised by a prodrome, abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea
  • Patients who take a staggered paracetamol overdose should receive treatment with acetylcysteine
  • Anti-dsDNA is a highly specific test for SLE
  • In life-threatening C. difficile infection treatment is with ORAL vancomycin and IV metronidazole
  • If a patient cannot complete sentences, they have severe asthma
  • Adductor pollicis is innervated by ulnar nerve and therefore, damage to ulnar nerve results in loss of thumb adduction
  • Cubital tunnel syndrome is caused by compression of the ulnar nerve and can present with tingling/numbness of the 4th and 5th finger
  • Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is typically seen with pyrexia, tachycardia, renal failure, and elevated creatine kinase, in patients who have just commenced treatment. Renal failure may occur secondary to rhabdomyolysis.
  • In patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) testing is recommended to aid diagnosis of liver fibrosis
  • Patients using methotrexate require effective contraception during and for at least 6 months after treatment in men or women
  • Asymptomatic patients with an abnormal HbA1c or fasting glucose must be confirmed with a second abnormal reading before a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is confirmed
  • Supportive therapy is the mainstay of treatment in Cryptosporidium diarrhoea. In a patient with HIV presenting with diarrhoea, Cryptosporidium parvumis the most likely causative organism.
  • Iron defiency anaemia vs. anaemia of chronic disease: TIBC is high in IDA, and low/normal in anaemia of chronic disease
  • Surgery / diabetes: patients on insulin who have good glycaemic control and are undergoing minor procedures, can be managed during by adjustment of their usual insulin regimen.
  • Lip smacking + post-ictal dysphasia are localising features of a temporal lobe seizure
  • Bromocriptine is a treatment for galactorrhoea, which is caused by e.g. Metoclopramide, Chlorpromazine, Haloperidol, Domperidone
  • Lateral epicondylitis: worse on resisted wrist extension/suppination whilst elbow extended