Psychiatry
16 Psychiatry Delirium (see also p. 153) Delirium is the most commonly misdiagnosed psychiatric disorder in the general hospital and many cases go undetected. Yet it is the most common…
GENERAL & FAMILY MEDICINE
Infectious Diseases
1 Infectious Diseases Pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) Pyrexia of unknown origin (sometimes called fever of unknown origin, FUO) is best defined as a fever persisting for more than 2…
Sexually Transmitted Infections
2 Sexually Transmitted Infections HIV/AIDS Case history A 35-year-old European man is newly diagnosed HIV positive. He was tested because he had been feeling generally unwell over a 6-month period…
Skin disease
17 Skin disease Skin disease is common. Surveys in Europe suggest that approximately 1 in 7–10 of all visits to a primary care physician is for a skin problem. Consultations…
Neurological disease
16 Neurological disease The brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves constitute an organ responsible for perception of the environment, a person’s behaviour within it, and the maintenance of the body’s…
Respiratory disease
9 Respiratory disease Respiratory symptoms are the most common cause of presentation to the family practitioner. Asthma occurs in more than 10% of British adults, and bronchial carcinoma is the…
Cardiovascular disease
8 Cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in the Western world, with most deaths arising from ischaemic heart disease. Although the incidence of ischaemic heart disease…
Liver and biliary tract disease
13 Liver and biliary tract disease The liver is the largest organ in the body and performs many important functions (Fig. 13.1). Cirrhosis caused more than 25 000 deaths in the…
Musculoskeletal disorders
15 Musculoskeletal disorders Disorders of the musculoskeletal (MSK) system are extremely common, accounting for up to a quarter of new consultations in general practice. They are the single most frequent…
