Diagnostic Principles and Applications (PDF)

Which disease should you consider when a young adult has localized bone pain that is dramatically relieved by aspirin? What is sometimes the only physical manifestation of bulimia nervosa? These so-called "old fashioned" historical clues and physical signs are not only part of our medical heritage; their deployment can often spell the difference between prompt clinical diagnosis versus a costly investigative odyssey. Often overlooked with today's emphasis on laboratory testing, a diagnostic pearl such as knowing that a diabetic patient with peripheral neuropathy may actually have metformin-induced vitamin B12 deficiency can be a shortcut to disease recognition.

Diagnostic Principles and Applications presents selected literature-based facts and diagnostic insights to help clinicians provide better-informed clinical assessments, avoid medical misadventures, and prepare for their board examinations. The chapters cover:

• Classic diagnostic pearls
• Red flag symptoms and signs of serious illness
• Bellwether disease indications allowing an occasional early, preemptive diagnosis
• Counterintuitive clinical manifestations of disease
• Curious clues to specific diagnoses

Robert B. Taylor, MD is the author and editor of more than two dozen medical books, including three on the topic of clinical diagnosis, and several hundred published articles. He is a veteran of both rural private practice and chairmanship of a medical school clinical department.