12 Renal Disorders
Definition Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously known as acute renal failure (ARF), is characterized by a rapid decline in kidney function that limits its ability to maintain homeostasis and eliminate…
3 Cardiovascular Disorders
CHEST PAIN CHEST PAIN: ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROMES Definition Chest pain accounts for over 6 million annual emergency department visits and 3 million hospital admissions in the United States. The differential…
10 Hereditary and Genetic Diseases
OVERVIEW MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS: TYPES OF GENETIC TESTING Diagnostic genetic testing: Confirmatory test for symptomatic individuals. Presymptomatic genetic testing: Carried out in people without symptoms for estimating the risk of developing…
4 Central Nervous System Disorders
DISORDERS OF COGNITION AND DEMENTIA INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY Definition Intellectual disability (ID) is defined by the DSM-IV1 as significant subaverage intellectual function, significant limitations in adaptive functioning, and onset before 18…
7 Genitourinary System Disorders
NEOPLASTIC DISEASES BLADDER CANCER Definition Cancer arising in the urinary bladder is a carcinoma of urothelial (transitional cell) origin in the United States and Europe (90% of cases). Less frequently,…
11 Infectious Diseases
INFECTIOUS DISEASES CAUSED BY BACTERIAL PATHOGENS Bacterial pathogens may be classified by criteria such as Gram stain characteristics (gram-positive or gram-negative), shape (cocci, bacilli, coccobacilli, curved bacilli, spiral bacteria), growth…
2 Autoimmune Diseases
Genetic susceptibility, mostly due to linkage to particular HLA molecules Environmental triggers (e.g., drugs, chemicals) Infectious agents (e.g., Mycoplasma pneumoniae, HIV) Loss of regulatory T cells Defects in cytokine production…
8 Gynecologic and Obstetric Disorders
GYNECOLOGIC DISORDERS CANCER OF THE BREAST Definition Cancer of the breast is a malignancy arising from the breast epithelium (carcinoma) and/or stroma (sarcoma). Clinical Presentation Breast cancer is the most…
6 Endocrine Diseases
Stimulatory tests should be performed if hypofunction is suspected and suppression tests if hyperfunction is suspected. Suppression tests suppress normal glands but not autonomous secretion. Patient preparation is particularly important…
14 Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
EMERGENCY TOXICOLOGY Purpose The majority of poisoned patients enter the health care system in the emergency department. Treatment is often based on exposure history and signs and symptoms of poisoning…
