J Jaundice Jaundice is not to be confused with xanthochromia, in which the skin turns orange from carotene deposits but the sclerae remain normal in appearance. Carotenemia is often seen…

I Impotence Impotence is now more commonly referred to as erectile dysfunction. Impotence may be due to local end-organ disease, dysfunction of the peripheral nerve pathways, disease of the spinal…

F Face Mass To develop a list of possible causes of a face mass, let us turn to anatomy. The face is composed of skin, subcutaneous tissues, muscle, bone, teeth,…

G Gait Disturbances The anatomic location of the lesion in a gait disturbance depends on the type of disturbance. Spastic gait: In this type of lesion, both feet shuffle along…

E Earache The analysis of earache is much like that of dysuria: It is anatomic, and inflammation accounts for the vast majority of causes. Thus, otitis externa would be like…

D Dandruff The causes of dandruff are similar to the causes of baldness (see page 72), but a brief review will be made here because certain skin conditions should be…

C Cardiac Arrhythmias With few exceptions, the etiologies of cardiac arrhythmias like those of bradycardia can best be recalled using the mnemonic VINDICATE. The exceptions are from one pathophysiologic cause:…

A Abdominal Mass Abdominal Mass, Generalized As the physician examines the abdomen, how can he or she recall all of the causes of a mass or swelling? The physician should…

B Back Mass It is not uncommon for a patient to complain of a lump on his or her back. Most of the time, the lesion is a sebaceous cyst…