Abstract

Doody Rating :5 stars : The contents of this book are focused on commonly encountered symptoms, with their differential diagnosis in a concise form, which will lead to a working diagnosis and investigations. The emphasis is on the axiom, ‘common diseases present commonly, and its converse, uncommon diseases present uncommonly’. However, pointers to ‘red flags’, i.e. uncommon manifestations of common diseases should alert the physician of serious diseases not to be missed. No attempt has been made to discuss etiology or pathology of illness, or the complexities of practice management. The frequency with which a disease is encountered by physician will depend upon its prevalence in the region from which their patients are drawn and also their specialty; therefore, regional variations in the incidence of diseases or methodology, or guidelines for investigations and diagnosis are not discussed, which can be accessed from other relevant sources. The book assumes much basic knowledge and the information it contains must be supplemented by further reading. Cover a spectrum of symptoms, with emphasis on practical features of diagnosis, based on recent evidence-based guidelines. The contents of the book are intended for medical students, internists, and house-officers during their daily office or hospital practice, and also to physicians to boost their diagnostic skills during busy practice day, and preparation for ‘rounds’ and clinical teaching.