No Anorexia: Appendicitis questionable. Vomiting before Pain: Appendicitis questionable. Pregnancy: Symptoms unreliable.   Differential Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis Gastrointestinal Abdominal pain, cause unknown Cholecystitis Crohn’s disease Diverticulitis Duodenal ulcer Gastroenteritis Intestinal obstruction Intussusception Meckel’s diverticulitis Mesenteric lymphadenitis Necrotizing enterocolitis Neoplasm (carcinoid, carcinoma, lymphoma) Omental torsion Pancreatitis Perforated viscus Volvulus Gynecologic Ectopic pregnancy Endometriosis Ovarian torsion […]

Read More

Next time you need to quickly think of possible causes of your patient’s microcytic anemia, use “TAILS”.   Causes of Microcytic Anemia (MCV < 80) Hereditary disorders Defects of globin synthesis Thalassemia syndromes Thalassemic hemoglobinopathies Defects of iron metabolism Iron refractory iron deficiency anemia Divalent metal transporter mutations Atransferrinemia Sideroblastic anemia   Acquired disorders Iron […]

Read More