Lip lesions are common. They may be extremely painful and interfere with speech and feeding. There is often a social stigma attached for the patient that leads to embarrassment. In the elderly, carcinoma is a common cause of a lump…
An ulcer is a discontinuity of an epithelial surface. Leg ulcers are common and the site of an ulcer on the leg may provide a clue to its aetiology. Causes Infective ● Syphilis ● TB • (common where TB is…
Swelling of the lower limb may be unilateral or bilateral. Bilateral swellings are usually due to medical conditions such as cardiac, renal or hepatic failure. Unilateral swellings are commonly due to trauma, venous disease or lymphatic disease. Causes Local You’re…
This section deals with causes of pain arising from local lesions within the leg, or referred into the leg. Pain in the leg is a common complaint and the majority of cases are of vascular or orthopaedic origin. Joint problems…
Kidney swellings are common. They may present silently or may be associated with haematuria, urinary tract infections and pyrexia. Causes Congenital ● Polycystic kidney Acquired Infective ● Perinephric abscess ● TB • (common where TB is endemic) You’re Reading a…
Disorders of joints are common problems. They may be acute, as in gout or rheumatic fever, or chronic, as in osteoarthritis. Some acute disorders go on to become chronic, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis. The first part of this section deals with…
Pain or swelling of the jaw results most commonly from dental conditions. In the upper jaw, pain may also result from infection of the paranasal sinuses which is considered under Facial swellings (p. 129). Causes Traumatic Infective ● Dental abscess…
Jaundice is yellow discoloration of the tissues, noticed especially in the skin and sclera ( Figs 27 and 36 ), due to accumulation of bilirubin. Jaundice may be prehepatic (due to haemolysis), hepatic (due to intrinsic liver disease) or cholestatic…
Mechanical obstruction of the bowel may be simple (one-point obstruction) or closed loop (obstruction at two points enclosing a segment of bowel). If the bowel is viable, the obstruction is termed non-strangulating. If the arterial blood supply is compromised, strangulating…
Hypertension is the persistent elevation of blood pressure. An individual is classified as hypertensive when there is a sustained rise in blood pressure to more than 140/90 mmHg. Most patients have essential hypertension with contributory factors such as aging, obesity,…