A 32-year-old man presents to the local General Practice out-of-hours service after experiencing a seizure earlier. He has a history of epilepsy since childhood. While waiting to be seen, he has another seizure, which has lasted for more than five minutes.
What is the most suitable initial pharmacological treatment option for this patient? Choose ONE answer only.
A 65-year-old woman complains of tingling in her right hand that sometimes disturbs her sleep at night. She usually shakes her hand to alleviate the symptoms, which disappear entirely. She has a history of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and breast cancer.
During the examination, there is no evidence of deformity or wasting, and she has good strength throughout her hand. The symptoms are reproduced by performing forced wrist flexion.
What is the best initial course of action?
A 55-year-old man visits his GP with complaints of numbness and tingling in his left hand. He is a right-handed construction site manager and denies any history of trauma. This is the first time he has experienced such symptoms.
The patient reports that the numbness and tingling wake him up at night and are primarily felt in his 4th and 5th fingers. Upon examination, there are no observable neurological deficits, but Tinel’s sign is positive.
The GP suggests a splint and refers the patient to physiotherapy.
What is the most probable diagnosis?
A 76-year-old male with prostate cancer visits his doctor complaining of lower back pain accompanied by shooting pains down both legs to the knee. During the examination, the doctor observes decreased tone in the lower limbs and is unable to elicit ankle and knee reflexes.
What is the probable location of the lesion?
A 67-year-old woman complains of a sensation of a shadow obstructing a portion of her left eye. She has been experiencing occasional headaches on the same side and reports discomfort in her jaw while eating.
During the assessment, the fundoscopy and eye examination reveal no abnormalities. However, there is slight tenderness on the left side of her head.
What condition is the most probable diagnosis?
An 80-year-old man comes to the clinic after slipping on ice and falling backwards, hitting his head on the curb and landing on his right arm. He has a medical history of atrial fibrillation and takes bisoprolol and warfarin, with a recent INR of 2.2. There are no visible injuries to his arm or scalp. What is the best course of action for his head injury?
A 27-year-old woman on antiepileptic medication presents with nausea, diarrhoea, drowsiness, weight gain and thinning of hair.
Select the medication that is most likely to cause these symptoms.
A 36-year-old woman has been having occasional pins and needles in her right hand for the last month. During your neurological assessment, you try to elicit the triceps reflex by positioning her arm across her chest and tapping the triceps tendon with a reflex hammer. What nerve (and its corresponding nerve root) are you evaluating?
A 38-year-old woman comes to the General Practitioner for an urgent appointment. She has a diffuse headache, which she describes as severe. The headache is acute, having developed within the last three hours. She lost consciousness for a brief period. There is no significant past medical history.
What is the most likely diagnosis?
A 65-year-old man is taking co-careldopa for Parkinson’s disease.
Select from the list the single correct statement about this drug.