Dermatology
This classic lesion presents as an annular, scaly patch with central clearing and an advancing border, commonly affecting the scalp, body, or feet.
What is tinea corporis?
This condition presents with a sandpaper-like rash, strawberry tongue, and a pastia’s lines, commonly following streptococcal pharyngitis.
Scarlet fever
This condition, caused by excess cortisol, presents with moon facies, truncal obesity, purple striae, and a dorsocervical fat pad.
What is Cushing’s syndrome?
This psychiatric disorder is characterized by episodes of excessive worry and physical symptoms such as restlessness, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances, lasting at least six months.
What is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)?
This condition, characterized by painless lymphadenopathy, fever, night sweats, and weight loss, is associated with Reed-Sternberg cells on biopsy.
What is Hodgkin lymphoma?
This condition, caused by an imbalance of protective and damaging factors in the stomach lining, is commonly associated with Helicobacter pylori infection and NSAID use.
What is peptic ulcer disease?
This chronic respiratory condition is characterized by reversible airway obstruction, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and eosinophilic inflammation, often triggered by allergens or exercise.
What is asthma?
This chest pain syndrome, often occurring in younger patients without significant coronary artery disease, is characterized by sharp, pleuritic pain that improves with sitting up and leaning forward and is commonly associated with a pericardial friction rub on auscultation.
What is acute pericarditis?
This physiologic ovarian cyst, the most common type, develops after ovulation and may cause pelvic pain or delayed menstruation.
What is a corpus luteum cyst?
This autoimmune disorder, characterized by morning stiffness lasting more than one hour, symmetric joint swelling, and joint erosions on X-ray, primarily affects the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints.
What is rheumatoid arthritis?
This cranial nerve palsy presents with ptosis, miosis, and anhidrosis and can be caused by a Pancoast tumor, carotid dissection, or brainstem stroke.
What is Horner’s syndrome?
This bedside test involves rubbing the skin to check for epidermal detachment and is positive in conditions such as pemphigus vulgaris and toxic epidermal necrolysis.
What is the Nikolsky sign?
The Dix-Hallpike maneuver is used to diagnose this common cause of episodic vertigo triggered by head movement.
What is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)?
This lab test is used to differentiate between primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency, with a failure to increase cortisol levels indicating primary disease.
What is the ACTH stimulation test (cosyntropin test)?
A 50-year-old male with long-standing alcohol use disorder is brought to the ER with confusion, ataxia, and ophthalmoplegia. This syndrome results from a deficiency in this vitamin.
What is thiamine (Vitamin B1)?
This coagulation disorder presents with prolonged PTT that corrects with a mixing study, and is caused by a deficiency of Factor VIII or IX.
What is hemophilia (A or B)?
This serum tumor marker is commonly used to monitor disease progression in colorectal cancer, though it is not recommended for screening.
What is carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)?
This test, which measures the ratio of FEV1 to FVC, is used to distinguish between obstructive and restrictive lung diseases.
What is spirometry?
This biomarker, released from the ventricles in response to increased wall stress, is commonly elevated in heart failure and helps differentiate cardiac vs. non-cardiac causes of dyspnea.
What is B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)?
This tumor marker is elevated in epithelial ovarian cancer and is sometimes used for disease monitoring, though it has poor specificity in premenopausal women.
What is CA-125?
This laboratory test, though non-specific, is elevated in inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, giant cell arteritis, and polymyalgia rheumatica, and measures the rate at which red blood cells settle in a tube over one hour.
What is erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)?
This type of headache, often described as a unilateral, pulsating pain with nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia, may be preceded by an aura and is often triggered by stress, certain foods, or hormonal changes.
What is a migraine?
This pruritic rash presents as polygonal, purple, planar, pruritic papules and is associated with Wickham striae and hepatitis C infection.
What is lichen planus?
This condition is the most common cause of sensorineural hearing loss in adults, often beginning in early adulthood, and results from abnormal bone remodeling of the otic capsule, particularly at the stapes footplate.
What is otosclerosis?
A 15-year-old male presents with gynecomastia, small testes, tall stature, and learning difficulties. This condition is caused by an extra X chromosome (47,XXY).
What is Klinefelter syndrome?
This disorder, commonly diagnosed in children, presents with multiple motor and vocal tics for over one year, with symptoms often worsening under stress.
What is Tourette syndrome?
A 70-year-old male presents with fatigue, hypercalcemia, anemia, and recurrent infections. Serum protein electrophoresis reveals a monoclonal spike (M-protein).
What is multiple myeloma?
A 45-year-old woman presents with pruritus, fatigue, and elevated alkaline phosphatase levels. Further testing reveals positive anti-mitochondrial antibodies.
What is primary biliary cholangitis (PBC)?
A patient with a history of smoking presents with progressive dyspnea and dry crackles on lung exam. High-resolution CT shows honeycombing and reticular opacities, suggesting this chronic fibrosing interstitial lung disease.
What is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)?
A 20-year-old athlete collapses suddenly during exercise. ECG shows deep T-wave inversions and echocardiography reveals asymmetric left ventricular hypertrophy. This condition is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes.
What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)?
A 34-year-old woman presents with secondary amenorrhea, galactorrhea, and headaches. Serum prolactin is elevated, and MRI reveals a pituitary mass.
What is a prolactinoma?
A 16-year-old male presents with anterior knee pain that worsens with jumping and running. Exam reveals tenderness over the tibial tuberosity. This overuse injury is common in adolescent athletes.
What is Osgood-Schlatter disease?
This gait abnormality, often described as a wide-based, unsteady, and "drunken" walk, is commonly seen in cerebellar dysfunction due to stroke, multiple sclerosis, or chronic alcohol use.
What is ataxic gait?
This first-line treatment for moderate-to-severe psoriasis targets TNF-alpha or interleukins and requires tuberculosis screening prior to initiation.
What are biologic agents (such as adalimumab or secukinumab)?
This emergency condition, often secondary to sinusitis, presents with proptosis, ophthalmoplegia, fever, and decreased vision, requiring immediate IV antibiotics and surgical drainage if an abscess is present.
What is orbital cellulitis?
This medication, a long-acting somatostatin analog, is used to treat acromegaly by inhibiting growth hormone secretion.
What is octreotide?
This atypical antipsychotic, reserved for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, requires regular monitoring of absolute neutrophil count (ANC) due to the risk of agranulocytosis.
What is clozapine?
This treatment, commonly used in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), involves the removal of plasma and replacement with donor plasma to clear circulating toxins or autoantibodies.
What is plasma exchange (plasmapheresis)?
This somatostatin analog is used to treat esophageal variceal bleeding by reducing splanchnic blood flow and portal hypertension.
What is octreotide?
This anticholinergic bronchodilator, often combined with a beta-agonist, is a mainstay of treatment for COPD exacerbations and is delivered via inhalation.
What is ipratropium (Atrovent)?
This antiplatelet medication, often given in acute coronary syndromes, works by irreversibly inhibiting the P2Y12 receptor on platelets to prevent thrombus formation.
What is clopidogrel (Plavix)?
This selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) is used for breast cancer prevention in high-risk women but increases the risk of venous thromboembolism and endometrial hyperplasia.
What is tamoxifen?
This surgical emergency occurs when there is a sudden increase in pressure within a closed fascial compartment, leading to severe pain, paresthesias, pallor, and pulselessness, and requires immediate fasciotomy to prevent ischemic necrosis.
What is compartment syndrome?
This medication, a dopamine precursor, is the first-line treatment for Parkinson’s disease and is often combined with carbidopa to prevent peripheral conversion.
What is levodopa?
This severe mucocutaneous reaction is most commonly triggered by medications such as sulfonamides, anticonvulsants, and NSAIDs, leading to widespread epidermal necrosis, painful bullae, and involvement of at least one mucous membrane. It is considered part of a spectrum with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).
What is Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)?
This life-threatening soft tissue infection of the submandibular space is often caused by dental infections and can rapidly lead to airway obstruction due to floor of mouth swelling and tongue elevation.
What is Ludwig’s angina?
This life-threatening endocrine emergency is caused by an acute lack of cortisol and aldosterone, often triggered by infection, trauma, or abrupt steroid withdrawal, leading to hypotension, hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, and hypoglycemia.
What is adrenal crisis?
This neurotransmitter is decreased in both Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia but is thought to be increased in psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.
What is dopamine?
This paraneoplastic syndrome is commonly associated with small cell lung cancer and results in hyponatremia due to excessive ADH secretion.
What is syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH)?
This autosomal recessive disorder leads to impaired hepatic copper excretion, resulting in neurologic symptoms, hepatic dysfunction, and Kayser-Fleischer rings on slit-lamp exam.
What is Wilson’s disease?
This genetic disorder, caused by a mutation in the CFTR gene, leads to defective chloride transport, resulting in thick mucus accumulation in the lungs, pancreas, and intestines.
What is cystic fibrosis?
This congenital heart defect, commonly associated with Turner syndrome, presents with upper extremity hypertension, rib notching on X-ray, and a delayed femoral pulse relative to the radial pulse.
What is coarctation of the aorta?
This placental abnormality, caused by defective trophoblast invasion of the myometrium, leads to abnormally adherent placental tissue, increasing the risk of severe postpartum hemorrhage and often requiring hysterectomy.
What is placenta accreta?
This seronegative spondyloarthropathy, strongly associated with HLA-B27, presents with uveitis, sacroiliitis, and ascending aortitis, and is characterized by progressive fusion of the spine leading to a "bamboo spine" appearance on X-ray.
What is ankylosing spondylitis?
This rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder is caused by prion accumulation, leading to spongiform encephalopathy, myoclonus, and periodic sharp waves on EEG.
What is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?