“Sometimes it takes a great deal of investigations before the correct diagnosis is made. In this case the authors describe a rare cause of cough due to a parasite in a recent traveller. They point out that the travel and the rapid onset of cough were key factors pointing to an infective / parasitic cause.” […]
Latest articles
Everyone is “swine flu” case reports mad!
It is great to see that the whole world is discussing case reports! Led by the World Health Organisation we are constantly being kept up to date with a growing case series of swine influenza. http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html The BBC news this morning reported that they are awaiting the outcome of tests on relatives and friends of […]
Internet diagnosis of digitalis toxicity
As electronic connectivity improves so the opportunity of correct and timely diagnosis is made possible. In this example the authors describe how a web-connection helped identify digitalis toxicity and the diagnosis was made whilst the patient was still at home. Internet diagnosis of digitalis toxicity […]
Case series: Alzheimers treatment with CPHPC
A case series of 5 people with Alzheimers disease given CPHPC for 3 months which led to depletion of Serum Amyloid P component (SAP) in the blood and brain1 is reported widely in the news. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090413180706.htm It is good that CPHPC, a small molecule developed in conjunction with Roche and now owned by Pentraxin, is […]
Fundoplication: cases vs. RCT
The Health Technology Assessment Programme published its findings on laparoscopic fundoplication for chronic gastroeaophageal reflux disease in September 20081. “The results showed that surgical treatment was more effective than long-term drug therapy, especially in patients with the most troublesome symptoms, certainly up to one year after the procedure. A surgical policy is, however, more costly […]
Scurvy induced by obsessive–compulsive disorder
This case highlights how old diseases may present in new ways. Fad diets or grossly abnormal diets due to behavioural and psychological illness may induce nutritional deficiencies and these can be a challenge for the clinician. Scurvy induced by obsessive–compulsive disorder […]
Crohn disease in Nepal: true rarity or gross underdiagnosis?
The authors describe an unusual case of Crohn’s disease in Nepal. Unusual on two accounts – Crohn’s disease appears to be virtually unknown in Nepal and this case presented with bowel perforation. Exploring both these factors, this case report makes for very interesting reading and reminds us that we only see what we look for. […]
Dental anxiety and eating disorder
An upsetting case of a young girl from Cornwall who died of dehydration and starvation due to an eating disorder has been reported in the news. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7893485.stm She developed symptoms after her ‘milk teeth’ became loose. They were removed under general anaesthesia but she then refused to eat. The coroner has returned a ‘narrative verdict’ […]
Unnatural selection
The first UK baby selected as an embryo to be free of the breast cancer 1, early onset (BRCA1) gene, has been born at University College London. Although this has made the BBC news it is not a new therapy just a medical first for this condition in this country. Embryo selection for single gene […]
Dangerous sandwiches identified by The Lancet
Some conditions seem to be recurring themes for case reports. To stop the danger of sandwiches being missed perhaps we should change how we teach medical students to take the history of someone who complains of fainting. Even though swallow syncope is mentioned in many textbooks and has a wealth of case reports and reviews, […]