30 Sore Throat This chapter defines sore throat as pain in the throat at rest that often worsens with swallowing. The most common causes (70% to 80%) of sore throat…

10 Diarrhea In this chapter, diarrhea is defined as an increase in frequency, fluidity, or volume of bowel movements relative to the usual habit for a person. Acute diarrhea is…

15 Fever This chapter emphasizes fever as the presenting problem rather than fever of unknown origin (FUO). Classically, FUO is a temperature greater than 101° F that occurs on several…

13 Facial Pain Because doctors can usually differentiate headache from other causes of facial pain, the differential diagnosis of headache is discussed in Chapter 17. Typically, by the time patients…

12 Earache Primary otalgia (earache) is ear pain due to a problem in the ear. Referred otalgia is pain in the ear not due to an ear problem. It is…

28 Shortness of Breath Dyspnea, or breathlessness, has been defined as patient awareness of respiratory discomfort, unpleasant sensation of labored breathing, or shortness of breath. Dyspnea can be caused by…

23 Pain in the Foot Foot pain is usually caused by inappropriate footwear, local disease, or an abnormality but occasionally results from referred pain. Therefore, examination of the foot should…

27 Palpitations Palpitations are defined here as sensations of a skipped heartbeat, an irregular heartbeat, a rapid or slow heartbeat, or increased awareness of the heartbeat. A patient’s awareness of…

34 Vision Problems and Other Common Eye Problems Patients may think that discomfort in the eyes or noticeable redness is serious. However, visual symptoms are always more serious than nonvisual…

31 Swelling of the Legs Swelling of one or both legs is a frequent presenting complaint. Common causes are systemic edema states, (heart failure, nephrotic syndrome, and cirrhosis) acute and…