Medical science, drawn into focus.

Pertussis

Author Megan Miner Armando Faigl Overview Pertussis, also known as “whooping cough”, is a contagious, acute respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. In babies, the infection can sometimes lead to pneumonia and occasionally brain damage and can even be life threatening. Older children and adults can get whooping cough and can spread it…

Breast Cancer

"A 35 Year old women presents with a 1cm hard lump in the upper quadrant of her right breast. She first noticed this when she was in the shower three months ago. She is worried that the lump might be malignant" Overview Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. It accounts for…

Spondylarthropathy

Overview  The spondyloarthropathies are a diverse group of inflammatory arthritides that share certain genetic predisposing factors and clinical features. Their most characteristic feature is inflammatory back pain. Enthesitis, another characteristic feature, involves inflammation at sites where tendons, ligaments, or joint capsules attach to bone. Features of Spondylarthropathy Sacroiliac and spinal (axial involvement) Enthesitis at long attachments…

Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Overview Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, also known as AAA, is a permanent dilation of the abdominal aorta with a diameter of >1.5 times of the expected diameter. The adopted diameter that indicates AAA is 3cm or more. AAA is strongly associated with smoking and increasing age. Most of these aneurysms are fusiform and originate below the…

Sickle Cell Anaemia

Overview Sickle cell anaemia is an autosomal recessive disorder causing production of abnormal ß-globin chains. A single amino acid is substituted in the ß-globin chain (Glu to Val at position 6). This results in the production of HbS (haemoglobin Sickle) rather than HbA. The common variants of sickle cell disease are: Sickle cell anaemia (SS…

Carotid Artery Disease

Overview Carotid artery disease refers to atherosclerotic narrowing of the carotid artery lumen. It is associated with approximately 10-15% of all ischaemic strokes. Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a principal cause of long-term disability in much of the industrialised world. The degree of internal carotid artery stenosis is the most important…

DiGeorge Syndrome

Overview DiGeorge syndrome (22q11.2 deletion syndrome) is a congenital immunodeficiency and multisystem disorder caused by a microdeletion on chromosome 22. It leads to defective development of the third and fourth pharyngeal pouches, resulting in thymic hypoplasia/aplasia, hypocalcaemia due to parathyroid hypoplasia, and congenital heart defects. Prevalence is estimated at 1 in 4000 live births. Clinical…

Full resource library