Articles related to DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

A physician associate in an understaffed emergency department diagnosed a patient’s severe back pain as sciatica after a CT scan read as normal. Five days later, a different clinician identified a perirectal abscess that had already progressed to require multiple surgeries.

A man in his early 30s presenting with post-viral chest pain and bilateral forearm numbness posed a diagnostic challenge when automated ECG interpretation missed findings later consistent with acute pericarditis, including diffuse concave-upward ST elevation, PR depression, and a positive Spodick sign.

A 14-year-old athlete presenting with exertional dyspnea and partial albuterol response prompted a structured biopsychosocial workup that revealed anxiety disorder rather than exercise-induced asthma as the primary driver.

A middle-aged woman with a four-year bipolar disorder diagnosis continued deteriorating despite psychiatric treatment until clinical reassessment pointed toward anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, an autoimmune condition whose psychiatric prodrome frequently delays correct diagnosis.

A quiz-format clinical vignette from Consultant360 walked through imaging selection and analgesia decisions in a 47-year-old woman presenting with acute right upper quadrant pain, using the case to reinforce diagnostic sequencing in the acute abdomen.

A narrative review and accompanying expert commentary outlined diagnostic features distinguishing substance-induced psychosis from primary psychotic disorders amid rising cannabis and stimulant exposure.