A 72-year-old woman who had fallen and injured the left side of her chest came to the emergency department complaining of pain in that area. She was physically stable and not short of breath. A soft systolic murmur was heard over the left precordium; the lungs were clear. A posteroanterior chest film showed no rib fracture but it did show an enlarged heart and a large, calcified ventricular aneurysm.
A 65-year-old man presented with bluish toes and petechiae on his toes and feet 3 days after having undergone renal angiography. Bilateral pitting pedal edema was noted, and laboratory tests revealed proteinuria, eosinophilia, and an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of 65 mm/h.
An 80-year-old man with a history of congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and thoracic and abdominal aneurysms was taken to the emergency department because of mental status changes, back pain, and ecchymotic areas over his body. The ecchymoses started on his back 5 days before admission and spread to his abdomen.
Tan-pink acneiform lesions on the face of a 15-year-old girl had not responded to topical acne therapy. A 1 × 0.5-cm, elevated subcutaneous nodule was noted on the right lateral knee. The lesions on her face and knee had been present for 11 years. The family history was noncontributory.
A 97-year-old woman with a history of hypertension and a paraesophageal hiatal hernia presented with abdominal distention and shortness of breath. Three days earlier, she had fallen and sustained a hairline pelvic fracture; she was evaluated in the emergency department and given narcotics for the pain. Subsequently, the patient's abdomen became increasingly distended, and she had no bowel movement for 3 days.
An 82-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with severe dilated cardiomyopathy. The condition was alcohol-induced and had been diagnosed about 12 years earlier. The patient was taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and diuretics.
With a 1-year history of episodic wheezing, a 62-year-old woman (a smoker for the past 30 years) was being treated for bronchial asthma, but bronchodilator therapy did not control her symptoms. She was hospitalized with worsening dyspnea and a 4.5-kg (10-lb) weight loss over the past 3 months. There was no hemoptysis.
These orange-to-brown macules with red puncta, or cayenne pepper spots, are typical of Schamberg's disease (progressive pigmented purpuric dermatosis). The cause of this disorder is unknown, but it may be related to a cellular immune reaction or drug reaction.
An 82-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease and atrial fibrillation was referred for evaluation of a lesion present for an undetermined period. It was initially noted 1 week earlier, at his first office visit with a geriatrician.
Cirrhosis and ascites developed in a 52-year-old man with a history of chronic hepatitis C and ethanol abuse. He was hospitalized because of bleeding esophageal varices, which were successfully treated with elastic band ligation.
A 72-year-old man with a history of rheumatic heart disease presented with pulmonary congestion and syncope. Results of the cardiac examination suggested mitral stenosis and atrial fibrillation with a controlled ventricular response. Two-dimensional echocardi-ography revealed a large, free-floating ball thrombus (T) in the dilated left atrium and demonstrated rheumatic and severely stenotic mitral valve leaflets.
These collections of dilated vessels deep in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue are present at birth. They usually present as bluish or reddish lesions that are cystic, firm, and compressible. About 60% to 80% of cavernous hemangiomas undergo spontaneous involution, often with central clearing and fibrosis.
During a routine physical examination of a healthy 7-year-old African-American boy, this striking-and puzzling-hyperpigmentation was noted on his palms.
A 73-year-old man who had a history of long-standing essential hypertension, congestive heart failure, mild renal insufficiency, atrial fibrillation, and a mitral valve replacement presented with refractory hypertension. His medications included labetalol, irbesartan, and furosemide.
An 8-year-old boy was brought to his pediatrician for well-child care. On physical examination, an irregularly irregular heart rate was detected.
Dyspnea, orthopnea, and weight loss sent a 40-year-old woman for medical consultation. Fifteen years earlier, the patient had been nephrectomized because of left kidney lithiasis. There was no history of other symptoms or diseases.
For 2 months, a 31-year-old woman had had dyspnea and dull, continuous retrosternal pain. She was admitted to the hospital, and a helical CT scan of the thorax identified a saddle pulmonary embolism. An ultrasonogram revealed deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the left leg. Intravenous heparin was given; the patient was discharged, and warfarin was prescribed.
A 65-year-old woman with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the colon was undergoing chemotherapy following a colectomy and a hepatic wedge resection. The physical examination and laboratory data were unremarkable.
A 22-year-old man complained of progressive shortness of breath and abdominal distention. Three years before, he had completed chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease and had since been in remission. Recently, he had been treated for tonsillitis with oral antibiotics.
A 76-year-old woman had a 40-year history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). She had repeatedly refused treatment with disease-modifying drugs, including methotrexate. Nodules began to develop 15 years after the initial diagnosis; they recurred after surgical removal.
A 63-year-old African American man presented with orthopnea and pedal edema that had worsened during the past 4 months. Macroglossia was noted.
Tai Chi (also known as T'ai Chi Chuan, Taijiquan) is a form of mind-body exercise that has its roots in ancient Chinese martial arts. Throughout Asia, it is often practiced for preventive health, especially among the elderly. In recent years, Tai Chi has become popular in the West among all age groups and has been studied as a therapy for various medical conditions.
A 67-year-old woman was referred for evaluation of exertional dyspnea, with multiple episodes of fever, cough, and pneumonia. She had a long history of cough with sputum and had been admitted several times for exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia. She received maintenance therapy with an ipratropium and albuterol combination, fluticasone, and salmeterol, but she continued to experience exertional dyspnea, with an average of 5 or 6 exacerbations and 2 hospital admissions a year.
56-year-old woman presents for evaluation of several syncopal episodes that occurred during the past 2 weeks. These episodes were associated with various activities--eating while seated, walking slowly, and standing upright--and rendered her briefly unconscious.
A 55-year-old man complains of fatigue. Although he sleeps 8 hours every night, he has to push himself to perform his usual daily activities. He has also experienced loss of libido and episodic impotence, which he ascribes to the fatigue.
