Symptoms Of Unknown Origin

For years after graduating from medical school, Dr. Clifton K. Meador assumed that symptoms of the body, when obviously not imaginary, indicate a disease of the body--something to be treated with drugs, surgery, or other traditional means. But, over several decades, as he saw patients with clear symptoms but no discernable disease, he concluded that his own assumptions were too narrow and, indeed, that the underlying basis for much of clinical medicine was severely limited. Recounting a series of fascinating case studies, Meador shows in this book how he came to reject a strict adherence to the prevailing biomolecular model of disease and its separation of mind and body. He studied other theories and approaches--George Engel's biopsychosocial model of disease, Michael Balint's study of physicians as pharmacological agents--and adjusted his practice accordingly to treat what he called "nondisease." He had to retool, learn new and more in-depth interviewing and listening techniques, and undergo what Balint termed a "slight but significant change in personality." In chapters like "The Woman Who Believed She Was a Man" and "The Diarrhea of Agnes," Meador reveals both the considerable harm that can result from wrong diagnoses of nonexistent diseases and the methods he developed to help patients with chronic symptoms not defined by a medical disease. Throughout the book, he recommends subsequent studies to test his observations, and he urges full application of the scientific method to the doctor-patient relationship, pointing out that few objective studies of these all-important interactions have ever been done.

A doctor's fascinating encounters with "nondisease" and how physicians can recognize and treat patients with symptoms that might at first appear imaginary.

about the book Assisting clinicians in the differential diagnosis of the wide range of disorders responsible for fever of unknown origin (FUO), this source stands as the only recent and comprehensive differential diagnosis of these conditions. This guide providing a clear overview of diagnostic approaches and offers expert recommendations t

The definitive manual of pediatric medicine - completely updated with 75 new chapters and e-book access.

Patients don’t present with a disease; they present with symptoms. Using a practical, symptom-based organization, Nelson Pediatric Symptom-Based Diagnosis: Common Diseases and their Mimics, 2nd Edition, offers authoritative guidance on differential diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders in children and adolescents, and covers the symptoms you’re likely to see in practice, their mimics, and uncommon disorders. Drs. Robert M. Kliegman, Heather Toth, Brett J. Bordini, and Donald Basel walk you through what to consider and how to proceed when faced with common symptoms such as cough, fever, headache, autistic-like behaviors, chronic pain, chest pain, gait disturbances, and much more. Begins with a presenting symptom and leads you through differential diagnosis and a concise review of treatment recommendations. Contains more than a dozen new topics including Disease Mimics: An Approach to Undiagnosed Diseases, Autistic-like Behaviors, Shock, Hypertension, Neurocognitive and Developmental Regression, Chronic Pain, Hypertonicity, Movement Disorders, Hypermobility, and more. Features a new focus on symptoms of rarer diseases that are mimics of more common diseases. Offers a user-friendly approach to Altered Mental Status such as coma and other CNS disorders, with numerous clinically useful tables and figures to guide clinical decision making in various care settings. Uses a highly templated format for easy reference and quick answers to clinical questions, with the same consistent presentation in each chapter: History, Physical Examination, Diagnosis (including laboratory tests), Imaging, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Includes numerous full-color illustrations, algorithms, tables, and "red flags" to aid differential diagnosis. Serves as an ideal companion to Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 21st Edition. Content in this book is referenced and linked electronically to the larger text, providing easy access to full background and evidence-based treatment and management content when you own both references.

With an ageing population, there is little doubt that the majority of hospital-based consultants and their teams will care for older patients and the many complications this presents. This book provides an evidence-based guide for both trainees and consultants in geriatric medicine and those interested in geriatric medicine. Designed in line with the core Royal College curriculum, it provides a comprehensive and relevant guide to the issues seen in everyday geriatric medicine practice across the world. Presented in an easy-to-use double page spread format, highly bulleted and concise, Oxford Desk Reference: Geriatric Medicine is ideal for quick referral for both trainees and consultants. Contributions from the leading figures in geriatric medicine throughout the world make this book indispensable for all those working in the field, and for all those who have to deal with older patients.

The second edition of this superbly illustrated book equips practitioners with all the information that they will require in order to perform echocardiography appropriately and to interpret findings correctly. After clear exposition of fundamentals of the examination technique via both the transthoracic and the transesophageal approach, the functional anatomy of all normal and pathologic thoracic structures as observed on echocardiography is presented in detail. A wide range of basic and advanced applications of echocardiography in the emergency, perioperative, and intensive care settings are then described. A final supplementary section considers further applications of ultrasound in the ICU, such as in patients with respiratory failure, trauma, or venous thrombosis. This edition has been extensively revised and updated and includes entirely new chapters on various techniques and applications. It will be a tremendous aid to current best practice for all intensivists, emergency physicians, and anesthesiologists who intend to use echocardiography and ultrasound for diagnosis and guidance of optimal management in the critically ill.

Holland-Frei Cancer Medicine, Ninth Edition, offers a balanced view of the most current knowledge of cancer science and clinical oncology practice. This all-new edition is the consummate reference source for medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, internists, surgical oncologists, and others who treat cancer patients. A translational perspective throughout, integrating cancer biology with cancer management providing an in depth understanding of the disease An emphasis on multidisciplinary, research-driven patient care to improve outcomes and optimal use of all appropriate therapies Cutting-edge coverage of personalized cancer care, including molecular diagnostics and therapeutics Concise, readable, clinically relevant text with algorithms, guidelines and insight into the use of both conventional and novel drugs Includes free access to the Wiley Digital Edition providing search across the book, the full reference list with web links, illustrations and photographs, and post-publication updates