May 2011

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HYPERTENSION

Although hypertension is extremely common, it is painless and usually symptom-free. Hypertension does occasionally give subtle warning signs. You might, for example, experience troublesome headaches. These are usually located in the back of the head and upper neck and are most acute in the morning, when blood pressure is relatively low. Vision problems, dizziness, fatigue, [...]

CANCER: EPIDEMIOLOGY – HOW CONCLUSIVE

The central difficulty in interpreting the results of epidemiological studies lies in distinguishing whether a link that appears to exist between a risk factor and a cancer is truly a causal one. For everybody except epidemiologists, this problem requires Quite a lot of explanation. The studies may show that a particular group within the population [...]

BILIARY INFECTIONS: DIAGNOSIS OF ACUTE CALCULOUS CHOLECYSTITIS

The differential diagnosis of acute calculous cholecystitis is quite broad, but the condition should be suspected on the basis of clinical history and examination findings. Laboratory data may further suggest the diagnosis but are nonspecific. Leukocytosis with bandemia is typically present. The serum bilirubin level is elevated in 45% of patients, and 25% to 40% [...]