Most facial ulcers are serious. Malignant facial ulcers are common in patients who work outdoors and are exposed to ultraviolet light. Lesions of the lips have been dealt with elsewhere (p. 293) and will not be included here. Causes Traumatic…
Facial swelling is a common presenting complaint. It may be generalised or localised. Many cases are due to trauma or infection, but it may be a sign of systemic disease. Causes Traumatic ● Insect bites ● Facial fractures Infective ●…
Most patients are able to distinguish between pain arising from the cranium, which is termed headache, and that of the face, which is covered here under the heading of facial pain. Causes Local Sinus ● Sinusitis ● Carcinoma Ear ●…
Erectile dysfunction is failure in the adult male to sustain an adequate erection. Erectile dysfunction leads to and can be caused by psychological problems, often with relationship breakdown. Psychological causes of impotence are common, but the most common organic disease…
Most eye disorders tend to present as ‘red eye’. It is the most common ophthalmic complaint encountered by general practitioners. Causes Eyelids ● Stye (hordeolum internum/externum) ( Fig. 17 ) ● Xanthelasma ● Blepharitis ● Meibomian cyst (chalazion) ● Entropion…
Ear disorders are common in general, with earache being a frequent complaint. It may represent ear disease or referred pain from the oral cavity or pharynx. Causes of deafness are dealt with on p. 86, with many differentials overlapping. Causes…
Dyspnoea is the subjective awareness of breathing discomfort. Causes Sudden (seconds to minutes) ● Pneumothorax ( Fig. 15 ) ● Chest trauma ● Aspiration ● Pulmonary oedema ● Pulmonary embolism ● Anaphylaxis Acute (hours to days) ● Asthma ● Respiratory…
Dysphagia means difficulty in swallowing and should be distinguished from pain on swallowing. Dysphagia may be associated with ingestion of solids or liquids, or both. Pain on swallowing is odynophagia, which in itself does not interfere with the act of…
Spatial disorientation may be expressed by the patient as dizziness, vertigo or feeling ‘light-headed’. True vertigo, however, is not experienced as a sensation of movement but as tilting or sloping of the environment, often characterised as the room spinning around…
Diarrhoea is an increased frequency of abnormally loose motions. The diagnosis of diarrhoea must be related to the patient’s normal bowel habit. Causes Intestinal Infective enteritis Non-specific, bacterial ● Campylobacter spp • (rare in tropical Africa) ● Salmonella spp •…