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​Symptoms and Signs – Differential Diagnosis of Blackouts
Cardiovascular (transient reduction blood flow to the brain)
Arrhythmia: bradycardia (heart block), tachycardia
Outflow obstruction: aortic stenosis, HOCM, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary stenosis
Postural hypotension: hypovolaemia, autonomic neuropathy (e.g. diabetes), antihypertensive medication (e.g. ACE inhibitors)
Ml, aortic dissection, any condition that reduced cardiac output

Neurological
Epilepsy, stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA) (rarely)
Vasovagal (reflex bradycardia)
Prolonged standing esp. in warm surroundings, emotion

Other causes of vagal overactivity: micturition, cough, carotid sinushypersensitivity (e.g. on shaving the neck or head-turning)

Metabolic: hypoglycaemia
Note: there is no clearcut loss of consciousness in 'drop attacks'
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​Symptoms and Signs – Differential Diagnosis of Belching, bloating and flatulence
Aerophagia (habitual swallowing of large amounts of air)
Air entrapment (hepatic or splenic flexure)
Foods containing the carbohydrate raffinose, e.g. beans, cabbage, cauliflower
Increased  Awareness of normal amount of gas
Infection: Giardiasis
Inflammation around the anus (e.g. haemorrhoids) and oesophagus(e.g. oesophagitis)
Intolerance to lactose (and other sugars)
Irritable bowel syndrome
Malabsorption: bacterial overgrowth (small intestine), coeliac disease, biliary disease, pancreatic insufficiency, pancreatic carcinoma
Non-ulcer dyspepsia
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​Symptoms and Signs – Differential Diagnosis of Back pain
Trauma/fractures, strenuous activity
Younger patients (less than 40 year)
Prolapsed disc, ankylosing spondylitis, spondylolisthesis
Older patients (more than 40 year)
Osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis and spinal claudication, osteoporosis, Paget's
disease of bone, herpes zoster
Serious causes
Infection (TB, bacterial osteomyelitis)
Malignancy (metastasis, multiple myeloma)
Cord compression
Vascular/GI/pelvic
Aortic aneurysm, peptic ulcer, pancreatic cancer, renal disease, rectal cancer,
uterine tumours, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, ovarian
cyst
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​Symptoms and Signs – Differential Diagnosis of B12 deficiency
Reduced  Absorption
Reduced Intrinsic factor (pernicious anaemia, gastrectomy)
Terminal ileal surgery/disease (coeliac disease, Crohn's disease, tuberculosis,
bacterial overgrowth, lymphoma, tropical sprue, fish tapeworm)
Drug-induced malabsorption, e.g. metformin
Reduced intake (vegans)
Transcobalmin deficiency (congenital), nitrous oxide (inactivates 812)
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​Symptoms and Signs – Differential Diagnosis of Axis deviation on ECG
Left axis deviation (LAD)
Left anterior hemiblock 
Ml (inferior wall)
Obesity, pregnancy, congenital heart defects (e.g. endocardial cushion defects)
Ventricular tachycardia (left ventricular focus)
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (some types)


Right axis deviation (RAD)
Dextrocardia
Left posterior hemiblock (rare)
Ml (antero-lateral)
Right ventricular hypertrophy (e.g. secondary to COPD), pulmonary embolism
Wolff-Parkinson-White (left-sided accessory pathway)
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​Symptoms and Signs – Differential Diagnosis of Avascular necrosis
Alcohol
Connective tissue diseases (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, SLE)
Cushing's syndrome
Fracture (e.g. scaphoid, neck of femur)
Other: Fabry's disease, Gaucher's disease; Caisson's disease (in deep-sea divers)
Pancreatitis
Pregnancy
Radiotherapy
Sickle cell
Steroids
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Kembara Xtra 

Facts about medicine and its subtopic such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology and surgery.