A person has a runny nose, sneezing, and itchy, watery eyes every spring when pollen counts rise.
Seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever).
A student has a persistent cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath that worsen with exercise and improve with an inhaler.
Asthma
After a head injury, a person has a headache, confusion, dizziness, and difficulty remembering what happened.
Concussion
A person develops sudden facial drooping, arm weakness, and difficulty speaking. The symptoms began 20 minutes ago.
Stroke
Someone has a sore throat, fever, swollen tonsils, and no cough. A throat swab detects group A Streptococcus.
Strep Throat
Someone experiences repeated episodes of intense fear with a racing heart, trembling, sweating, and a feeling that something terrible is happening.
Panic Disorder
A person has episodes of spinning sensations triggered by turning their head in bed. Each episode lasts less than a minute.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
A person has chronic cough, sputum production, and progressive breathlessness after decades of smoking.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
A person feels shaky, sweaty, dizzy, and confused after skipping meals. Their blood glucose is very low.
Hypoglycemia
A person has abdominal pain that begins near the belly button and moves to the lower right side, accompanied by nausea and fever.
Appendicitis
Someone has a swollen, painful big toe that becomes intensely tender overnight. Tests reveal urate crystal deposits in the joint.
Gout
A person has intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance of reminders, and hypervigilance that persist after experiencing a traumatic event.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Someone has frequent heartburn and a burning sensation in their chest after eating, especially when lying down.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Someone experiences persistent sadness, loss of interest, low energy, and sleep changes for several weeks, affecting daily functioning.
Major depressive disorder
A person has recurrent unwanted intrusive thoughts and feels compelled to perform repetitive actions to reduce their distress.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
A person develops excessive thirst and urination, dehydration, abdominal pain, vomiting, and deep, rapid breathing. Their blood shows high glucose and ketones.
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
A person has excessive thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss due to insufficient insulin production.
Diabetes mellitus
A person has fatigue, cold intolerance, constipation, and weight gain. Blood tests show elevated TSH and low free T4.
Hypothyroidism
A person develops tremor at rest, slowed movements, muscle rigidity, and a shuffling gait.
Parkinson's disease
A person has progressive memory loss, difficulty with familiar tasks, and worsening problems with language and reasoning that interfere with independent living.
Alzheimer's disease