At a Glance Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory process of the pancreas with multiple etiologies (two of the most common are gallstone related and excessive alcohol abuse). A combination of the patient’s medical/social history combined with a clinical presentation of an acute onset of severe epigastria, nausea, and vomiting place acute pancreatitis high in the…
Differential Diagnosis Splenomegaly with platelet sequestration Increased platelet destruction by an immune mechanism; can occur as a result of: Continue Reading Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) Idiopathic or immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) Drug (other than heparin)-induced thrombocytopenia Post-transfusion purpura (PTP) Increased platelet destruction by non-immune mechanisms, as caused by: DIC Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura…
Differential Diagnosis Most cases of leukopenia are associated with a low number of granulocytes. Decreased production of granulocytes may be caused by marrow failure, infiltration of the marrow by leukemic cells or metastatic cancer cells, suppression of granulocyte production by certain drugs, and vitamin B12 or folate deficiency. There may be an accelerated removal of…
Differential Diagnosis Type I diabetes is an absolute deficiency of insulin secretion. Type II diabetes represents various degrees of insulin resistance. Continue Reading Gestational diabetes may be from unrecognized type I diabetes or subclinical and incipient type II diabetes. Diabetes may result from heterogeneous causes, such as exocrine pancreatic disease, toxins to islet cells, or…
