Heart failure statistics are daunting:550,000 new cases each year, a 1-yearmortality rate of nearly 20%, and annualdirect and indirect costs that total $24.3billion.1 The diverse etiology of heartfailure and the complex, progressivecourse of the disease can make treatmentdecisions daunting as well.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recentlydetermined that there is insufficient evidence (Table) toeither recommend or discourage the use of vitamin supplementsto prevent cancer or cardiovascular disease.1 The useof supplements for other purposes was not included in theanalysis.
A 56-year-old African American woman complains of malaise, nausea, and vomitingof several weeks’ duration. In addition, urinary output is reduced, and shehas mild dyspnea. She denies abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, and bonepain; however, she has had a mild but persistent backache for several months.
A 53-year-old man complains ofdyspnea and a cough that has progressivelyworsened over the pastweek. He denies recent trauma.
Tortuous, dilated varicosities; multiple smaller caliberabnormal perforating vessels; and chronic brawnyedema of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) were seenon a 70-year-old man’s left leg (A). He reported that theedema and discoloration had worsened over the last15 years. The brawny edema stopped just above theankle, indicating that compression by the patient’s sockcontrolled the signs and symptoms of CVI.
A 54-year-old man with a history of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and coronaryartery disease with angina presents to the physician’s office withchest pain. The pain began 3 hours earlier and is associated with diaphoresisand dyspnea. Examination results are unremarkable, except for diaphoresis.A 12-lead ECG reveals normal sinus rhythm with large R waves and horizontalST-segment depression in leads V1 through V3. The patient is given nitroglycerin,aspirin, heparin, morphine, and a β-blocker for noninfarction acutecardiac ischemia and transferred to the local emergency department (ED).
A 41-year-old woman presents as a new patient, with complaintsof chest pain and palpitations that occur intermittentlyand are not associated with activity, meals, or position.She says these symptoms have been present forsome time, and she expresses frustration that her previousphysician was unable to find their cause or to amelioratethem.
The parents of a 3-year-old girl seekmedical evaluation of the nodules ontheir daughter’s back. The lesionshave been present since birth andhave grown with the child.
A 58-year-old man complains ofintermittent headaches that beganabout 2 months earlier and have recentlyincreased in severity. Theheadaches occur at various times ofthe day and improve slightly whenhe sits. He denies trauma, fever, photophobia,and other neurologicsymptoms. He has 1 alcoholic drinka day and has smoked 1 pack of cigarettesa day for the past 20 years.Medical history is noncontributory.
An 11-year-old boy has had a persistent foot rash since he started to play baseball2 months earlier. The eruption has not responded to over-the-counter antifungalcreams.
The incidence of hypertension, diabetes, certain types ofcancer, and other chronic diseases is disproportionatelyhigher in African Americans than in white Americans. Thestatistics presented in the Table illustrate the magnitudeof this disparity. For other diseases, such as breast cancer,the incidence is lower but mortality is higher in AfricanAmericans.
Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoringis a more accurate predictor of stroke and myocardialinfarction than office BP measurement, according tothe results of the recent Office Versus Ambulatory BloodPressure Study. This prospective trial followed 1963 patientswith treated hypertension for 5 years.
Prolonged exposure to coldtemperatures can have a profoundeffect on the skin.When tissues are exposed toabove-freezing temperatures,localized vasoconstriction and increasedblood viscosity reduce bloodflow and decrease the amount ofoxygen available to tissues. Whentissues are exposed to freezing temperatures,water within those tissueschanges into ice crystals; this resultsin either intracellular or extracellulardamage and tissue necrosis.
A 70-year-old man complains of a sudden, painless loss ofvision in the left eye that occurred several hours earlier. He denies traumaand previous visual disturbances. His history is significant for peripheralvascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
A 60-year-old woman reportsthat she has felt intermittent“fullness” in her face for the past day.This sensation is present when sheis supine on the examination table.She denies shortness of breath, dysphagia,and chest discomfort. Thepatient has a 25 pack-year history ofcigarette smoking.
An 84-year-old woman with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus isbrought to the emergency department (ED) after an episode of nearsyncope.When emergency medical service personnel initially assessed her,blood pressure was 96/60 mm Hg and heart rate was “slow”; however, shehad no symptoms.
A 74-year-old man with a history ofatrial fibrillation presents to hisprimary care physician with dyspneaof 4 days’ duration. The dyspnea developedwhile he was walking as partof his recovery from back surgery forspinal stenosis 1 month earlier. Hebecame progressively short of breathand was unable to carry out his exerciseprogram.
What caused these linear, grouped, pigmented papules on a child's back? These symmetrical hyperpigmented patches on a man's face? Test your diagnostic skills.
A 56-year-old man with insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes is hospitalized foroperative debridement of an ulcer on his left heel. During the preoperativeevaluation, atrial fibrillation (AF)-with a ventricular rate of 130 beats perminute-is detected.
During the past few weeks, a 14-year-old boy has noticed blood on the proximalnail folds of the second and third fingers of his dominant hand. He deniesany pain or pruritus. The patient is otherwise healthy and takes no prescriptionmedications.
A 13-year-old boy complains ofpain in his right hip. The pain began3 days earlier after he was tackledseveral times while playing footballwith his friends. He was able to walkhome. The pain has increased sincethat time. Although the patient is stillable to walk, he now has a limp andfavors his left leg. The patient isotherwise healthy and has no significantmedical history.
An 82-year-old man suddenly became extremely short of breath while helpinghis wife wash dishes. The dyspnea was not accompanied by pain, and it was notrelieved by sitting. He was taken to the emergency department after diaphoresisand cyanosis developed.
A39-year-old man is brought to theemergency department (ED)after his car struck a tree. He experienceda transient loss of consciousnesswith a 3-minute episode of retrogradeamnesia at the scene of the accident,despite wearing a seat belt andshoulder harness. He was disorientedto date and place.
A42-year-old man with a history of hypertension presents to an outpatientclinic with chest pain that began the day before, after he had worked outat his health club. The discomfort increases when he walks and worsenssomewhat with inspiration. No associated symptoms are noted. Results of aphysical examination are normal; no chest wall tenderness is evident. Becausecertain features of the presentation suggest an acute coronary syndrome, a12-lead ECG is obtained, which is shown here.
A 51-year-old man with hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemiapresents with a 1-hour history of substernal chest discomfort anddyspnea. He was given sublingual nitroglycerin in the emergency department,but his symptoms did not resolve.
