An Unusually Severe Ear Infection
A 76-year old woman presents has severe otalgia in her left ear that has been gradually worsening over the past few weeks. She describes the pain as being ‘unrelenting’ and she has been unable to sleep for several nights. Her family have noticed that the left side of...
Interpreting Diagnostic Tests
What are diagnostic tests? A diagnostic test can be defined as ‘any kind of medical test performed to aid in the diagnosis or detection of disease, injury or any other medical condition’. Typically with any diagnostic test some of those at risk will be missed (false...
A Strange Rash After Swimming the English Channel
A 58-year-old woman presents to a walk-in clinic with a severe rash on her arms, legs and torso. The previous day she had swum the English Channel in 12 hours. When you examine her, you can see well-demarcated welts all over the affected areas with surrounding...
