A 27-years-old Man with Abdominal Pain; Lead Toxicity

Case presentation: A 27-year-old man came to our emergency department with chief complaints of abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, colicky pain in all area of abdomen without any radiation and generalized myalgia. In his background, he had no previous medical problem. In his social history he had worked in an automobile battery-reclaiming factory for 5 years. During his physical examination, his appearance was pale with perioral priority, ill and agitated but not toxic with a blood pressure of 127/85 mmHg and a pulse of 80 beats/min, respiratory rate of 14 breaths/min and oral temperature of 37.3 °C, mild generalized abdominal tenderness without rebound. No obvious signs of sensory and motor neuropathy were found. In the head and neck examination, we found lead-lined teeth. Learning points: The most common cause of chronic metal poisoning is lead. Exposure occurs through inhalation or ingestion. Both inorganic and organic forms of lead that exist naturally produce clinical toxicity. Gastrointestinal manifestations occur more frequently with acute rather than with chronic poisoning, and concurrent hemolysis may cause the colicky abdominal pains. Patients may have complained of a metallic taste and, with long-term exposure, have bluish-gray gingival lead lines. In addition, constitutional symptoms, including arthralgia, generalized weakness, and weight loss raises the possibility of lead toxicity

A 58-year-old Man with Abdominal Pain; Acute Appendicitis due to an Appendicolith

Case presentation: A 58-year-old man presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, nausea and loss of appetite for the last 8 hours. He reported diffuse pain that had been localized to the right lower quadrant (RLQ). Physical examination revealed muscular defense and tenderness in the RLQ. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis confirmed luminal distension with a thickened enhancing wall with an appendicolith. Learning points: Appendicitis may be developed by an appendicolith, a calcified deposit within the appendix. It may be an incidental finding on an abdominal radiograph, ultrasound (US) examination or CT. It appears as echogenic focus and casts an acoustic shadow on US examination and manifests as a calcified mass on plain radiograph or CT. The incidence of appendicolith is higher among patients with a retrocaecal appendix. In our patient, a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made and the patient was immediately transferred to the operating room and an appendectomy was performed

Rapid screening of diabetic polyneuropathy : Selection of accurate symptoms and signs in an outpatient clinical setting

Authors would like to thank Ms. Ameneh Ebrahim Valojerdi for her great help in preparation of this manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Study Guides : Effective Tools to Improve Self-Directed Learning Skills of Medical Students

We would like to thank the participants for contribution in this study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A 58-year-old Man with Abdominal Pain; Acute Appendicitis due to an Appendicolith

Case presentation: A 58-year-old man presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, nausea and loss of appetite for the last 8 hours. He reported diffuse pain that had been localized to the right lower quadrant (RLQ). Physical examination revealed muscular defense and tenderness in the RLQ. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis confirmed luminal distension with a thickened enhancing wall with an appendicolith. Learning points: Appendicitis may be developed by an appendicolith, a calcified deposit within the appendix. It may be an incidental finding on an abdominal radiograph, ultrasound (US) examination or CT. It appears as echogenic focus and casts an acoustic shadow on US examination and manifests as a calcified mass on plain radiograph or CT. The incidence of appendicolith is higher among patients with a retrocaecal appendix. In our patient, a clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made and the patient was immediately transferred to the operating room and an appendectomy was performed

Intestinal Obstruction Caused by Phytobezoars

[West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4):385–386.

Intestinal Obstruction Caused by Phytobezoars

[West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4):385–386.

Intestinal Obstruction Caused by Phytobezoars

[West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4):385–386.

Diabetic distal symmetric polyneuropathy: Role of physical examination in screening

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP) and the role of physical examination for neuropathy diagnosis in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from 2009 to 2010. A total of 107 patients with type 2 diabetes were evaluated using the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI). MNSI consists of two parts: History and physical assessment. History was focused on positive (burning, tingling) and negative (numbness) sensory symptoms, cramps and muscle weakness, foots ulcers or cracks, and prior diagnoses of diabetic neuropathy by a physician. Physical assessment was determined from foot appearance, ulceration, ankle reflexes, vibratory perception and monofilament testing. Results: A total of 72 women and 35 men were participated in this study. The frequency of neuropathy diagnosed based on physical assessment was 78.5%. The mean age was 57.6 (± 10.2) and the mean duration of diabetes was 10.2 (± 7.3) years. Ankle reflexes were not observed in both both foot in 67% of patients. Vibration perception was absent in 25% of patients. Monofilament testing was normal in 86% of patients in both feet.Conclusion: The results showed a key role of physical examination in diagnosis of DSP in diabetic patients. The high frequency of DSP among diabetic patients demonstrated the importance of annual screening, further evaluations, planning and management of patients in diabetic foot clinics. However, considering the results of this study, the sensitivity of monofilament test in screening of DSP is questionable