1/4. Ill patient with unknown or hidden pregnancy.Many pregnancies are inadvertently interrupted because diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that are potentially teratogenic are unwittingly instituted. To prevent this ever-present possibility, it is essential that the family physician as well as the hospital's admitting physician know for certain whether a patient in her childbearing years is pregnant. The simple direct question "Are you pregnant?" unfortunately does not always elicit a reliable answer. The patient may not know that she is pregnant, a common occurrence in early pregnancy, or for any of a number of reasons she may choose to conceal her pregnancy. A pregnancy test thus becomes an important diagnostic tool in the armamentarium of every conscientious physician. It should be given routinely to all women of childbearing age before instituting extensive diagnostic x-ray studies, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy that may be contraindicated in pregnancy. Because most contraindicated procedures are performed in a hospital, it is suggested that a pregnancy test on urine be made mandatory on a woman's admission to a hospital.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/4. Symptoms associated with menstruation.Symptoms associated with menstruation during the teenage and young adult years may represent a spectrum of possibilities varying from a relatively benign deviation from normal to a serious life-threatening disease. Nevertheless, even for the young woman found to be without serious disease, menstrual problems have special meaning associated with the fear of being different from peers, concern about being less than complete or wholesome, and anxiety regarding future functioning as a normal woman. The physician must be aware of the adolescent's sensitivity in this area. Her apprehension should influence the manner in which the various abnormalities of menstruation are evaluated and managed. The physician must understand and appreciate the potential for profound emotional effects and psychological implications of menstrual conditions. The manner in which we care for the adolescent with menstrual symptoms will determine to a significant degree how successfully the patient will cope with abnormalities of menstruation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.66666666666667keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/4. Unexplained menorrhagia and hematuria: a case report of Munchausen's syndrome by proxy.Unexplained menorrhagia and hematuria occurred in a 13-year-old female with a mild inherited platelet disorder who had never experienced prior bleeding as a result of this disorder. An intensive search revealed that this patient was receiving coumadin that was given by the mother. In addition, the mother drew large volumes of blood from the patient under the pretense of following a physician's orders. The mother also falsified the laboratory data to erase from her daughter's file a laboratory result documenting warfarin in the blood.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/4. Severe juvenile vaginal bleeding due to Glanzmann's thrombasthenia: case report and review of the literature.Glanzmann's thrombasthenia is a rare inherited hematological disorder defined by deficiency or abnormality of the glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa complex. Presenting symptoms are hemorrhagic events, mainly epistaxis, purpura, or menorrhagia. We describe the clinical course and management of a 14-year-old girl with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia and severe menorrhagia. Following treatment with 20 U of packed red blood cells, 37 U of platelets, 7 U of fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, intravenous estrogens, and methylergotrine maleate with no improvement, the uterine cavity was packed for 48 hr. This unusual procedure halted the bleeding and avoided the necessity for a hysterectomy. When treating acute menorrhagia in patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia, the physician should be familiar with the characteristics and all treatment modalities for this disorder.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |