Infection

Which of these scenarios is familiarto you? •A local pharmacist calls to say thatyour patient wants another refill for thecombination analgesic containing aspirin,caffeine, and butalbital that youprescribed last week. Pharmacy recordsindicate that this patient has received250 tablets of this medication inthe last 34 days.

A 38-year-old woman presents with a pruritic, tender rash on the trunk and extremitiesthat has not changed over the past few days. She has taken fluvastatinand sertraline for 1 year and a popular, over-the-counter weight-loss product for1 or 2 weeks. The patient denies using any other medications. She has had norecent illnesses.

A 53-year-old man complains ofdyspnea and a cough that has progressivelyworsened over the pastweek. He denies recent trauma.

Q:How can I best demonstrate to my patients who smoke theaccelerated decline in pulmonary function that occurs in smokersover time, in hopes of motivating them to quit smoking?

For 2 days, a 45-year-old woman has had a painful rash on her left upper chest,upper back, neck, shoulder, and upper arm; she has also had pain around herleft ear. She describes the pain as burning, needlelike, and so severe that it hasprevented sleep; it is unrelieved by topical emollients. The rash was precededby 24 hours of a similar burning pain in the same area. No neurologic deficitsare associated with the rash. She has no history of rashes; no pain or rashesoccur elsewhere on her body.

For about 3 to 4 months, a 53-year-old man has had gradually worsening footdiscomfort. He describes the discomfort as a burning sensation accompaniedby numbness and tingling. Initially, these symptoms were present only in hisfeet, but for several weeks they have involved both ankles as well. Althoughthe discomfort is always present, it is occasionally aggravated by the bed coversor by heavy woollen socks. The patient has no skin lesions, motor symptoms,or other abnormalities of his legs or feet.

A 29-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department after a caraccident. She complains of head pain and has a contusion over the posterioraspect of the right temporal bone and right occipital bone; a small amount ofblood flows from the right external auditory canal. She has only a vague recollectionof the accident. Past medical history-although difficult to ascertain-seems noncontributory.

An 18-month-old girl presents with a mass in the lateralupper right orbital area (lateral brow). The lesion can bepalpated beneath the eyelid just inside the lateral aspect ofthe orbital rim. The lesion does not appear to interferewith the girl’s vision. The extraocular movements all appearnormal and, grossly, the child appears to visualizenormally with her right eye. CT reveals a well-circumscribed,cystic mass without bony involvement or deep intracranialextension.

For 3 weeks, a 52-year-old woman has had right-sided, intermittent, dullabdominal pain and jaundice; these symptoms have worsened in the past fewdays. The pain radiates to the back, worsens with movement, is somewhatrelieved in certain positions, and is unrelated to eating or defecation. Duringthe past 3 weeks, she has also noticed darkening of her urine, a profound decreasein appetite, and an increase in fatigue; she has lost considerable weightbut is unsure of the exact amount. She has had no nausea, vomiting, or melenaor other change in her bowel movements.

The patient is a 4-year-old boy who hasbeen coughing persistently for the past 2months. The mother reports that aboutthe time the coughing began, the childhad a “cold” with nasal congestion andfever. These symptoms resolved, but acough ensued. The mother tried usingover-the-counter medications, includingcough suppressants, but the cough hasnot abated. It occurs during the day andat night. It is disrupting the child’s sleep,and the teachers at his day-care centerare concerned that he may be infectingother children.

A 24-year-old African American man presents for a routine eye examination. Theocular findings are unremarkable; however, well-circumscribed areas of whitenedskin are noted on his forehead and hands (A and B). The patient reportsthat the patchy loss of pigment has been progressing over a number of years.

Child abuse is common. Each year in thiscountry, nearly 3 million children are reportedto Child Protective Services. Approximately50% of reports are for neglect, 30% forphysical abuse, and 20% for sexual abuse.Retrospective studies suggest that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 8boys are sexually abused before age 18.1

A 47-year-old woman is bothered by the numerous small, smooth, darkbrown papules that have developed on her face and neck during the pastdecade. She asks if the asymptomatic lesions can be removed.

A 55-year-old woman has had a lump under her right jaw for thepast 24 hours. She has difficulty in swallowing because of neck discomfort, andher voice is raspy. Both of these symptoms have progressed rapidly during thepast 12 hours. The patient has no difficulty in breathing, sore throat, or historyof recent illness. Her temperature is 38.5°C (101.5°F).

An 11-year-old boy has had a persistent foot rash since he started to play baseball2 months earlier. The eruption has not responded to over-the-counter antifungalcreams.

A 64-year-old woman presentsto the emergency department withworsening crampy abdominal painthat began the night before. Afterthe pain started, she had a bowelmovement containing a significantamount of blood; since then she hashad episodes of diarrhea. She hadbeen previously healthy, denies traumaand fever, and knows no one withsimilar symptoms. She reports norecent enema, endoscopy, or otherabdominal procedure.

A 36-year-old womanhas had a rash on her hands and feetfor the past week. She denies recentillness, pruritus, fever, chills, sorethroat, and abdominal discomfort.She is currently in a monogamousrelationship with her fiancé.

A 54-year-old Hispanic housewife presents to the emergencydepartment with a 3-week history of moderatelysevere, progressive, generalized, pulsating headache.The headache, which is partially relieved by propoxyphenenapsylate, is associated with weakness, vomiting of recentonset, and intermittent bilateral blurred vision. The symptomsbegan after an incident in which the patient’s sonwas stabbed.

In recent years, 2 large randomized,controlled studies have documentedthe efficacy of the anticonvulsantgabapentin in the management ofpainful diabetic neuropathy (PDN)1and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).2Although vastly different in origin,these 2 neuropathies have exhibitedsome similarities in their response totherapeutic agents of various classes.The discovery that yet another typeof pharmaceutical is useful in treatingpain from either PDN or PHN hasraised questions about the similaritiesand differences in the managementof these 2 painful neuropathicsyndromes.

For 3 days, a 60-year-old woman hashad a tender rash on her forehead. Thelesions erupted 2 days after she sustainedminor trauma to the left side ofthe forehead (Figure 1); no scratchesor bleeding were associated with theinjury. She noted a burning sensationand mild tenderness at the site shortlybefore the lesions arose.

Prolonged exposure to coldtemperatures can have a profoundeffect on the skin.When tissues are exposed toabove-freezing temperatures,localized vasoconstriction and increasedblood viscosity reduce bloodflow and decrease the amount ofoxygen available to tissues. Whentissues are exposed to freezing temperatures,water within those tissueschanges into ice crystals; this resultsin either intracellular or extracellulardamage and tissue necrosis.

Rifampin is associated with numerousclinically significantdrug interactions.1-4 New interactionswith rifampin-aswell as rifabutin-continue tobe reported in studies and clinical observations.Here we present highlightsof our recent update on the interactionsthat are most relevant toprimary care practice.5

My patient is a 7-year-old girl with multiple plantar warts on both feet.

A 3-year-old boy is brought to the office by his mother. Theprevious evening, she had noticed a single large red spot on the back of histhigh. This morning, his whole body was covered with a similar rash, andhe had a temperature of 38.8°C (102°F). The mother administered 1 doseof acetaminophen at home for the fever; the rash was asymptomatic.

A 60-year-old woman reportsthat she has felt intermittent“fullness” in her face for the past day.This sensation is present when sheis supine on the examination table.She denies shortness of breath, dysphagia,and chest discomfort. Thepatient has a 25 pack-year history ofcigarette smoking.

For several months, a 59-year-oldwoman has had numerous asymptomaticlesions on her arms andlegs. During this period, she has notbeen exposed to the sun and hastaken no new medications.

A 67-year-old man with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus presents withleg pain and swelling that began 3 days earlier. Multiple ulcers are noted at thelateral malleolus. His temperature is 38.9°C (102.1°F). Right lower extremitycellulitis is diagnosed, blood samples are taken for culture, and the patient ishospitalized.

A 28-year-old woman complains that her acne has worsened since she startedtaking minocycline for the skin condition 6 weeks earlier. She also uses a norgestimate/ethinyl estradiol oral contraceptive, which has an indication for acnetreatment. Numerous small, pruritic, erythematous follicular papules are presenton the patient’s forehead, cheeks, and nose

A 29-year-old woman presents with a painful erosive dermatitis that has spreadin a perioral distribution during the last 2 days. She complains of a low-gradefever and swollen lymph nodes. The patient has a history of atopy; she isotherwise healthy and takes no medications.

During the past few weeks, a 14-year-old boy has noticed blood on the proximalnail folds of the second and third fingers of his dominant hand. He deniesany pain or pruritus. The patient is otherwise healthy and takes no prescriptionmedications.