โAlopeciaโ means โhair lossโ in Latin & medical-speak; when it occurs, patients often come to see us.ย Itโs usually not serious, sometimes it is, and itโs invariably distressing.ย Even if the loss is minimal, people are afraid theyโll go bald.ย The list of possibilities is full of obscure ones that only a dermatologist can diagnose,Continue reading “Hair Loss (Alopecia) — Full Text”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Hair Loss
See link for Some Pictures of Conditions Causing Hair Loss FIRST — We examine the head to answer two main questions: Isย there skin disease of the scalp, or not? Is hair being lost Diffusely (all over), or Focally (just one or a few spots) Causes of Hair Loss xxxxxNo Scalp Disease Noted โข Telogen Effluviumย Continue reading “Hair Loss”
Passing Out / Amnesia — Full Text
What do we when a patient comes to us saying they โpassed out,โ usually sometime recently? Or the “lost time,” a period which they can’t recall anything? Today they look perfectly well, act completely normally.ย We perform a good physical exam, focusing on the heart and the neurologic system (for the brain), but if theyโreContinue reading “Passing Out / Amnesia — Full Text”
Passing Out / Amnesia
This topic addresses a patient who says they โpassed out,โ or had amnesia for a period of time, usually somewhat recently, but now they feel and look completely fine. Exam is normal. We have possible causes to sort through (see table below). For patients with Memory Loss, see that topic. For the E.R. diagnostic work-upContinue reading “Passing Out / Amnesia”
Palpitations
Defined as sensation of heart pounding or fluttering, oftentimes rapidly but not necessarily ………………..Causes ** Anxiety (including Panic Attack) — most common cause ** Heart Arrhythmia (abnormal rhythm) Not Serious — Common Serious — Uncommon See link for explanations ** Medical Conditions (uncommon causes) Hyperthyroidism Anemia Pheochromocytoma Low Blood Glucose (only if on insulin orContinue reading “Palpitations”
Myelodysplasia
A rare form of “pre-cancer” of the bone marrow, interfering with its ability to produce blood cells.ย Sometimes it produces defective cells, sometimes it just doesn’t produce enough.ย This can leave a patient at risk of infection, cause Anemia, or bruising; the danger is if it turns into Leukemia.ย Myelodysplasia is almost always a diseaseContinue reading “Myelodysplasia”
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is pronounced โTIN-ih-tuss,โ not โtin-EYE-tisโ since thereโs no โ-itisโ on the end, which would mean inflammation or infection.ย It means โringing in the earsโ (from Latin), but can be any type of noise or clicking; itโs a symptom, not a disease.ย It amuses me no end when a patient tells how they sought careContinue reading “Tinnitus”
Chronic Pelvic Pain
Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) is defined (somewhat arbitrarily) as pain in a womanโs pelvic area for at least 3-6 months, that isnโt cyclical.ย The latter means that it isnโt clearly related to menstrual periods; it may come and go, but not in a regular pattern.ย CPP is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that no otherContinue reading “Chronic Pelvic Pain”
Musculoskeletal Pain — Full Text
This topic discusses pain in one arm or leg. It could be from an injury, or start on its own. Here we donโt describe specific body parts (knee, forearm, etc.), but rather illustrate how we can identify the body structure involved (e.g. bone, tendon, etc.), wherever it might be. For generalized pain all over, seeContinue reading “Musculoskeletal Pain — Full Text”
Musculoskeletal Pain
Pain in one arm or leg, from an injury, or start on its own. Here we donโt describe specific body parts (knee, forearm, etc.), but rather illustrate how we can identify the body structure involved (e.g. bone, tendon, etc.), wherever it might be. For generalized pain all over, see separate topic Body Aches. For BackContinue reading “Musculoskeletal Pain”