Flushing Christian Nasr DEFINITION Flushing describes episodic attacks of redness of the skin together with a sensation of warmth or burning of the face, neck and, less frequently, the upper…

Multiple Sclerosis Robert J. Fox Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). It usually affects people beginning in their 20s or 30s and…

Atrial Fibrillation Thomas J. Dresing, Robert A. Schweikert DEFINITION Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs when the electrical impulses in the atria degenerate from their usual organized rhythm into a rapid chaotic…

Breast Disorders and Breast Cancer Screening Mark Mayer, Pelin Batur, Halle Moore DEFINITION Evaluation of breast complaints and screening for breast cancer account for a significant part of primary care…

Chronic Kidney Disease Martin E. Lascano, Martin J. Schreiber, Saul Nurko Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important source of long-term morbidity and mortality. It has been estimated that CKD…

Hematuria Richard Fatica, Adele Fowler Blood in the urine can originate at any point along the urinary tract and both gross and microscopic hematuria may represent serious underlying disease. Gross…

Disorders of Platelet Function and Number Rachid Baz, Tarek Mekhail THROMBOCYTOPENIAS Thrombocytopenia is defined as a platelet count of less than 150,000/mm3. With normal platelet function, thrombocytopenia is rarely the…

Immunosuppression for Renal Transplant Patients and Common Medical Problems in Renal Transplantation Naim Issa, William E. Braun Renal transplantation is the best treatment for most patients with end-stage renal disease…

Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Clostridium difficile Ronnie Pimental, Anuja Choure DEFINITION The first report of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) was found in the Bulletin of the Johns Hopkins Hospital of 1893, where…

Principles of Screening Raul J. Seballos Preventive medicine encompasses primary, secondary, and tertiary preventive measures such as screening, counseling, immunization, and prophylaxis. The goal of primary prevention is to prevent…