Infectious Disease

Here we provide a list of questions with links that can help you respond to patients who may be asking you about H1N1 virus infection (swine flu). Topics include travel restrictions and recommendations for persons with chronic disorders.

An 88-year-old man who had left hip repair after a fracture a few months earlier is now admitted to behavioral hospital because of implacable refusal to take medications, and because of poor food intake and ongoing refusal of rehabilitation. Ambulated with a walker before fracture but now barely ventures out of wheelchair even with rolling walker and therapist guidance.

In the United States, an estimated 5 million people have heart failure and about 550,000 new cases occur each year.1 The incidence is rising as more patients survive what were once fatal myocardial infarctions (MIs). Coronary artery disease (CAD) and hypertension are the most common causes of heart failure. The less frequent causes include diabetes; viral infections; valvular heart disease; drugs (eg, doxorubicin); and postpartum, alcoholic, and familial cardiomyopathies.2,3

About 50% of pregnanciesin the United States areunplanned.

For 1 month, a 54-year-old woman has had an intensely pruritic eruption on her abdomen, arms, and anterior thighs. She has long-standing hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus, which are treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/diuretic and an oral hypoglycemic agent.

This worsening rash developed after a 40-year-old man was treated with amoxicillin for an upper respiratory tract infection. When the rash started, the amoxicillin was discontinued and azithromycin was prescribed; however, the rash has persisted. The patient has no history of allergies or rashes. He takes no other medications.

Multiple sclerosis patients treated with natalizumab risk reactivation of latent herpes virus infections.

Researchers have identified 2 gene variations that are resistant to interferon ß therapy. This finding could lead to a biomarker for determining when IFN-ß is appropriate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Syphilis took Europe by storm at the end of the 15th century in what was to become a sweeping epidemic. Before 1495, it was unknown or perhaps was attributed to other disease processes, such as leprosy.

The mother of this 6-year-old girl brings her to your office for evaluation of an itchy rash that started on her left cheek at the end of December. Another physician prescribed cephalexin for presumed impetigo; the rash abated but did not completely clear. During the past 2 to 3 weeks, new lesions have appeared on the child's neck, arms, and trunk.

About 50% of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned.1 Thus, an awareness of which medications are safe and which are contraindicated in pregnancy is essential for good primary care-even in practices that do not include obstetrics.

A 50-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with severe dizziness, weakness, and dyspnea of 1 week’s duration. Ten days earlier, an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) was diagnosed; over-the-counter cough syrup and acetaminophen were prescribed. However, the patient’s condition has steadily deteriorated since then. In addition, her urine has darkened over the past few days.

A 76-year-old man is seen because of redness below the right eye. Has long-standing “lazy eye” on the left, which is chronically deviated outward. Has lived in nursing home for some years due to self-care deficit from memory loss. No recent eye surgery, conjunctivitis, sinus infection, or periocular trauma.

Numerous infections that are generally caused by Staphylococcus aureus also may be caused by Streptococcus species and vice versa.

For 2 to 3 weeks, a 64-year-old woman has had a worsening eruption around her neck and inner thighs. She says it is tender rather than itchy. She has never had a similar eruption, and she denies any exposure history.

For 6 months, a 54-year-old woman has had a chronically pruritic and tender eruption that is confined to her arms. She has been treated with ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, mupirocin, and topical corticosteroids. About 2 years earlier, she underwent spinal fusion. She takes unknown pain medications, omeprazole, buspirone, propranolol, and estrogen.

THE CASE: A 7-year-old boy has had left ankle pain for 2 days. Neither he nor his mother can recall any recent trauma to the joint. He is usually very active, but he has been unable to bear weight on the left foot and has been resting in bed. His mother reports that he had some tactile fevers, which were transiently relieved with ibuprofen, and that he has been eating and drinking normally. Despite the application of ice and elevation, the ankle has become red and swollen.

A 51-year-old man is admitted to the hospital with painful ulcers on both lower extremities, severe anemia, and a 45-kg (100-lb) weight loss over the past year. Pain from the ulcers prevents him from walking. The ulcers developed about 5 years earlier, as a result of his wearing high boots for work; they began as small sores and grew over time.

An 83-year-old man examined on admission for end-of-life care due to profound dementia. His wife states that his penis has not changed in appearance, but knows that he always had concerns about it. To her knowledge he never had trouble voiding. Patient too impaired to discuss any topic coherently. Wife considers it unlikely he would have disclosed any symptom of this type to her.

A 30-year-old man with a 15 packyear smoking history presented for a follow-up evaluation of an asymptomatic whitish lesion on the tongue of 4 months’ duration. The lesion had not responded to oral therapy with either nystatin or fluconazole. The patient was distressed about the lesion’s appearance and his inability to remove it with a toothbrush.

In a patient receiving antifungal therapy for onychomycosis, it can be difficult to tell how much change has occurred in a treated nail from one visit to the next. To make it easier to monitor treatment progress, I notch the nail at the most proximal point affected by the fungal infection when antifungal therapy is initiated. Keeping track of the notch can help you determine whether the infection is receding.

This lesion appeared on the left outer thigh of a 28-year-old man after he took amoxicillin. The antibiotic had been prescribed for an upper respiratory tract infection with fever. Two years earlier, a lesion had appeared in the same anatomical region after ingestion of amoxicillin. A skin biopsy of the current lesion confirmed the diagnosis.

Diffuse abdominal pain with nausea, vomiting, and constipation developed in a 69-year-old man with poorly differentiated mesothelioma several days after he was hospitalized for left-sided intractable pleuritic chest pain that warranted opiates.

When a prescription is written for warfarin, all the risks of therapy are usually appreciated. The same may be said for other potentially problematic drugs, including lithium and phenytoin. Is the same circumspect reflection exercised during the all-too-common practice of prescribing antibiotics for trivial illnesses, such as viral upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs)?

For several months, a 45-year-old woman had ocular irritation, tearing, blurred vision, and swelling of the eyelids in both eyes. During that time, she had been treated for allergic conjunctivitis and blepharitis by several physicians, including an ophthalmologist. Her medical history included lupus and seasonal allergies, for which she was taking hydroxychloroquine and loratadine.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)-histologically defined as stromal and epithelial hyperplasia beginning in the periurethral transitional zone of the prostate-affects up to 80% of 80-year-old men.[1,2] With progressive prostatic enlargement, bladder outlet obstruction can result. Although the exact mechanism is unknown, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) can signal progressive BPH.

Using the Patient Health Questionnaire– 9 (PHQ-9) makes office visits for depression (both initial and follow- up) go faster and more smoothly.

The edges of some toenails curve inward and grow into the side of the toe, resulting in infection and the need for office surgery.

The patient is severely ill. Temperature is 39°C (102.2°F). Shortly after admission, she requires intubation with ventilatory support. Hypotension, acrocyanosis, and an ecchymotic rash consistent with purpura fulminans (A) rapidly develop.

This 14-year-old girl who is being treated for acne presents for a follow-up visit. Acne has cleared on her chest and face, except for the forehead. She tried tretinoin, clindamycin/benzoyl peroxide, and a sulfur/sulfacetamide compound with limited results. Her menses are regular, and she does not have excessive facial or body hair.