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Although widely regarded as a raredisorder, hereditary hemochromatosisis the most common genetic disease inCaucasians. In certain populations ofnorthern European descent, 1 of every200 persons is homozygous for thecausative mutation.1

As many as 300,000 sportsrelatedconcussions arediagnosed each year inthe United States.1 Thisfigure underestimatesthe true incidence, however, becausemany concussive injuries are notrecognized by the injured persons,trainers, or physicians. A recentstudy found that 4 of 5 professionalfootball players with concussionwere unaware that they had sufferedthis injury.2

Endobronchial foreign bodies can be life-threatening, but once they are detected, they can usually be removed, leading to prompt resolution of symptoms. Chest radiography and CT scanning can be helpful in some cases, but bronchoscopy is necessary for definitive diagnosis and treatment.

Pressure ulcers occur frequently in elderly, hospice, and spinal cord injury patients. They affect 5% to 10% of patients in all health care facilities and add substantially to health care expenses.

Six months ago, I prescribed allopurinol for a patient with a history of podagra, several tophi in one toe, and an elevated uric acid level.

Abnormal uterine bleeding can be defined as bleeding that deviates from the patient's normal pattern; it may be heavier, more frequent, or abnormal in timing. Bleeding of any kind in a postmenopausal patient should be considered abnormal unless she is receiving hormonal therapy that is associated with regular cyclic withdrawal bleeding.

A 52-year-old man with hypertension and hyperlipidemia presents to the emergency department with a 5-month history of cough and dyspnea.

35-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with palpitations and chest pain. She is aware of her heart beating fast but not irregularly. She notes associated discomfort in the center of her chest.

22-year-old man is hospitalized because of severe hypertension. In addition, he reports exertional retrosternal pressurelike pain, with a severity of 5/10, that lasts for 2 to 3 minutes.

When a young girl provides a urine specimen, have her sit backwards on the toilet after wiping with cleansing cloths.

A problem frequently encountered when you tilt the examination table to measure jugular venous pressure is the tendency of patients to slide down the table when the back is elevated more than 15 degrees.

An 83-year-old man presents to the emergency department after he fell down his basement stairs and was unable to walk.

This otherwise healthy 34-year-old man presented with lower thoracic and right flank pain of 2 weeks' duration. The pain followed a T10 dermatomal pattern. He had no other neurologic deficits or signs of neurofibromatosis.

A number of inflammatory diseases have been associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis. Knoflach and colleagues report findings that support a link between allergic diseases, such as allergic rhinitis and asthma, and atherosclerosis. Their findings came from 2 studies: the Bruneck study, which included 826 men and women aged 40 to 70 years, and the Atherosclerosis Risk Factors in Male Youngsters (ARMY) study, which included 141 male participants aged 17 or 18 years.

A 71-year-old man presented with a 6-week history of decreased vision in his right eye. The patient, who had hypertension and migraine headaches, had successfully recovered from a stroke that occurred 1 year earlier. His medications included aspirin, 81 mg/d, clopidogrel, atenolol, and furosemide. He also took gabapentin, 300 mg hs, for his migraine headaches. He had a remote history of cigarette smoking.

After conservative ring removal methods--eg, lubricants, the string technique--have failed, but before reaching for the ring cutter, try this:

Beware of lost teeth--and the possibility of an aspiratedor impacted tooth!

When you need to obtain an in-officestool sample to test for occult blood,a cotton swab is easy to use and comfortablefor the patient.