Comprehensive Clinical Medicine Review

A set of flashcards covering major clinical topics including Cardiology, Endocrinology, Pulmonology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Infectious Disease, Neurology, and Obstetrics/Pediatrics based on the comprehensive medical review notes.

Primary hypertension

The most common cause of hypertension, accounting for $90–95\%$ of cases, also known as essential or idiopathic hypertension.

Secondary hypertension in young women

Most commonly caused by fibromuscular dysplasia.

Hypertension definition (ACC/AHA 2017)

$\ge130/80\,mmHg$ on two separate occasions.

Thiazide diuretics mechanism

Inhibition of $Na^{+}/Cl^{-}$ reabsorption in the distal convoluted tubule, leading to increased $Na^{+}$ and water excretion.

ACE inhibitors adverse effects

Major side effects include cough and angioedema due to the accumulation of bradykinin.

Hypertensive emergency

$BP >180/120\,mmHg$ with evidence of end-organ damage such as encephalopathy, MI, or AKI.

Cardiac troponin I/T

The gold-standard diagnostic test for myocardial infarction, which rises in $3–6\,hr$ and peaks at $24\,hr$.

Dressler syndrome

An autoimmune pericarditis that occurs weeks after a myocardial infarction, treated with NSAIDs or colchicine.

Beck’s triad

The clinical presentation of cardiac tamponade consisting of hypotension, JVD, and muffled heart sounds.

Pulsus paradoxus

A drop in systolic BP $>10\,mmHg$ with inspiration, seen in conditions such as cardiac tamponade and asthma.

Metformin

A first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes that decreases hepatic gluconeogenesis and increases insulin sensitivity.

SGLT2 inhibitors

A class of diabetic medications (e.g., empagliflozin) that block glucose reabsorption in the proximal tubule, causing glucosuria.

Whipple’s triad

The clinical diagnostic criteria for insulinoma consisting of hypoglycemia symptoms, low glucose, and relief of symptoms with glucose administration.

Graves’ disease

The most common cause of hyperthyroidism, characterized by the presence of TSH receptor-stimulating antibodies.

Pheochromocytoma

A catecholamine-secreting tumor of the adrenal medulla causing episodic headache, sweating, palpitations, and hypertension.

MEN 1

A syndrome characterized by the triad of Pituitary, Parathyroid, and Pancreatic tumors.

Croup

Laryngotracheobronchitis caused by parainfluenza virus, characterized by a barking cough, inspiratory stridor, and a steeple sign on X-ray.

COPD gold standard diagnosis

Spirometry showing a post-bronchodilator $FEV1/FVC <0.70$.

Light’s criteria

Criteria used to define an exudative pleural effusion: Pleural/serum protein $>0.5$, LDH $>0.6$, or pleural LDH $>2/3$ the upper limit of normal.

Barrett esophagus

Metaplasia of squamous to columnar epithelium in the distal esophagus, which increases the risk of adenocarcinoma.

Achalasia

Failure of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) to relax due to loss of the myenteric plexus, presenting as a 'bird-beak' on barium swallow.

Charcot triad

The clinical signs of ascending cholangitis: fever, RUQ pain, and jaundice.

Prerenal azotemia

A type of acute kidney injury caused by decreased renal perfusion, marked by a $BUN/Cr$ ratio $>20:1$.

Acute tubular necrosis (ATN)

The most common cause of intrinsic AKI, characterized by muddy brown granular casts on urinalysis.

Nephrotic syndrome

A condition defined by proteinuria $>3.5\,g/day$, hypoalbuminemia, edema, and hyperlipidemia.

Goodpasture syndrome

A condition caused by anti-GBM antibodies that results in both lung and kidney damage.

Tertiary syphilis

The final stage of infection by Treponema pallidum, characterized by gummas, aortitis, and tabes dorsalis.

Lyme disease

Infection with Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by the Ixodes tick, classically presenting with an erythema migrans ('bull’s-eye') rash.

Multiple myeloma CRAB features

The mnemonic for clinical findings in multiple myeloma: hyperCalcemia, Renal failure, Anemia, and Bone lesions.

Parkinson disease

A neurodegenerative disorder involving the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, presenting with resting tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia.

Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS)

An autoimmune demyelination of peripheral nerves often following a Campylobacter jejuni infection, characterized by ascending paralysis and areflexia.

APGAR score

A newborn assessment tool measuring Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration at 1 and 5 minutes post-birth.

Pyloric stenosis

Hypertrophy of the pylorus in infants causing projectile nonbilious vomiting and hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis.

Ectopic pregnancy

Implantation of a pregnancy outside the uterus (most commonly in the ampulla of the fallopian tube), presenting with amenorrhea, abdominal pain, and vaginal bleeding.

HELLP syndrome

A severe form of preeclampsia characterized by Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, and Low Platelets.