Q&A: Diagnosis of Progressive Weakness

Many patients who complain of weakness are not objectively weak when muscle strength is formally tested. A careful history and physical examination will permit the distinction between lassitude, motor impairment due to pain or joint dysfunction, and true weakness.

Q&A: Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Interpretation

Tests that can be used to screen for type 2 diabetes are measurement of fasting plasma glucose, a glycated hemoglobin (A1C or HbA1C), and a two-hour plasma glucose during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). However, because of its inconvenience, OGTT is not commonly used for screening, except in pregnant women.

Q&A: Complications Of Coronary Angioplasty

Complications seen during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) include those related to cardiac catheterization and diagnostic coronary angiography, and those that occur as a consequence of the specific equipment (eg, wires) required for the intervention or the intervention itself (eg, distal embolization leading to myocardial ischemia).

Q&A: Pathophysiology Of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinsonism is a clinical syndrome presenting with any combination of bradykinesia, rest tremor, rigidity, and postural instability. The most common form of parkinsonism is Parkinson disease (PD), a chronic, progressive disorder caused by degenerative loss of dopaminergic neurons in the brain and characterized clinically by asymmetric parkinsonism and a clear, dramatic, and sustained benefit from dopaminergic therapy.