The difficult-to-control asthma can be defined as that which is inadequately or poorly controlled despite an appropriate therapeutic strategy that is adjusted to clinical severity.
Continue reading “Diagnostic Criteria for Difficult-to-Control Asthma”
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) recommend diabetes screening beginning at 45 years of age; the ADA advises earlier screening in patients with risk factors.
Continue reading “American Diabetes Association Recommendations for the Screening of Asymptomatic Persons for Diabetes”
Alopecia areata is manifested as the loss of hair in well-circumscribed patches of normal-appearing skin, most commonly on the scalp and in the region of the beard. The onset is typically rapid, and the disease can progress to the point where all the hair is lost on the scalp (alopecia areata totalis) or even on the whole body (alopecia areata universalis).
Continue reading “Diagnostic Criteria for Alopecia Areata”
Aortic valve stenosis is usually defined by restricted systolic opening of the valve leaflets, with a mean transvalvular pressure gradient of at least 10 mm Hg.
Continue reading “Indications for Aortic Valve Replacement (AVR) in Aortic Stenosis (AS)”
Cierny and Mader classified osteomyelitis based on the affected portion of the bone, the physiologic status of the host and the local environment. This classification lends itself to the treatment and prognosis of osteomyelitis; stage 1 (medullary osteomyelitis) can usually be treated with antibiotics alone, while stages 2, 3 and 4 (superficial, localized and diffuse osteomyelitis) usually require aggressive debridement, antimicrobial therapy and subsequent orthopedic reconstruction.
Continue reading “Cierny-Mader Staging System for Long Bone Osteomyelitis”
The Diabetic Sensorimotor Polyneuropathy (DSPN) is a symmetrical, length-dependent sensorimotor polyneuropathy attributable to metabolic and microvessel alterations as a result of chronic hyperglycemia exposure (diabetes) and cardiovascular risk covariates.
Continue reading “Diagnostic Criteria for Diabetic Sensorimotor Polyneuropathy (DSPN)”
As defined by the American Thyroid Association’s task force on the management of thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer, a thyroid nodule is a discrete lesion within the thyroid gland that is radiologically distinct from the surrounding thyroid parenchyma.
Continue reading “Management Guidelines for Patients with Thyroid Nodules”
The purpose of the grading system is simply to assess the degree of a patient’s “sickness” or “physical state” prior to selecting the anesthetic or prior to performing surgery.
Continue reading “ASA Physical Status Classification”
The Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS) was designed to measure the level of patient activity and medical care requirements. It is a general measure of patient independence and has been widely used as a general assessment of patient with cancer.
Continue reading “Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) Scale”
The finding of hypercalcemia on routine biochemical testing or in the evaluation of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis is typically the initial clue to the diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism. The total serum calcium level, which combines both the free and albumin-bound components of circulating calcium, should be adjusted for the level of albumin. Measurement of ionized calcium may be useful in selected cases, such as in patients with hyperalbuminemia, thrombocytosis, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, and myeloma; these patients may have elevated levels of total serum calcium, but normal levels of ionized serum calcium (artifactual hypercalcemia).
Continue reading “Guidelines for the Treatment of Asymptomatic Primary Hyperparathyroidism”
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