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Is there a history of ingestion or use of a foul substance? Such a history may suggest that the cause is onions, garlic, alcohol, tobacco, paraldehyde, mercury, or other substances.
Are there ... DIAGNOSTIC WORKUP
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Is there coma or disturbances of consciousness? The presence of coma or disturbances of consciousness should suggest alcoholism, diabetic acidosis, uremia, and hepatic coma.
Is the odor sweet? The presence of a ... DIAGNOSTIC WORKUP
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Is it acute or chronic? Acute loss of smell would certainly suggest an acute upper respiratory infection (URI). It would also suggest recent exposure to toxic fumes or recent head injury. If the anosmia or unusual odor is intermittent, then ... DIAGNOSTIC WORKUP
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Halitosis, or bad breath, may be acute or chronic, depending on the underlying cause. It may indicate the need for improved dental hygiene or may be a symptom of an underlying infection or chronic disease. Oral causes constitute about 90% of the etiologies of... Differential Diagnosis ... Workup and Diagnosis ... Treatment
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Decreased breath sounds represent either decreased flow of air through the airway or decreased transmission of sound across the chest wall. Lung pathology is a common etiology; however, physical causes such as obesity can be a less obvious etiology. A careful history and... Differential Diagnosis ... Workup and Diagnosis ... Treatment
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Halitosis is a relatively infrequent pediatric chief complaint; however, it frequently emerges as part of the HPI. Acute causes are usually upper respiratory infections (such as stomatitis, tonsillitis, or sinusitis), whereas chronic halitosis... Differential Diagnosis ... Workup and Diagnosis ... Treatment
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... What are the various causes of bad breath and how can they be recalled with ease? The best method is to visualize the respiratory and upper GI tree, because this is where the substances (mucus or sputum and vomitus or regurgitant material) that produce
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... Nurses frequently become distressed and summon the intern during the night about these signs. Cheyne–Stokes respirations are a frequent source of bewilderment because they may occur at times with no direct evidence of damage to the nervous system. It would be interesting to discuss
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ANOSMIA OR UNUSUAL ODOR
Anatomy is an excellent method of recalling the possible causes of anosmia and unusual odors.
Nasal passages: Focusing on the nasal passages one can recall upper respiratory infections,
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... Fecal breath odor typically accompanies fecal vomiting associated with a long-standing intestinal obstruction or gastrojejunocolic fistula. It represents an important late diagnostic clue to a potentially life-threatening GI disorder because complete... Emergency interventions ... History and physical examination
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... Fruity breath odor results from respiratory elimination of excess acetone. This sign characteristically occurs with ketoacidosis — a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment to prevent severe dehydration, irreversible coma, and death.
... Emergency interventions ... History and physical examination
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... The odor of ammonia on the breath — described as urinous or “fishy” breath — typically occurs in end-stage chronic renal failure. This sign improves slightly after hemodialysis and persists throughout the course of the disorder, but isn't of great
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... Fetor hepaticus — a distinctive musty, sweet breath odor — characterizes hepatic encephalopathy, a life-threatening complication of severe liver disease. The odor results from the damaged liver’s inability to metabolize and detoxify mercaptans produced by bacterial... Emergency interventions ... History and physical examination ... Medical causes ... Special considerations ... Pediatric pointers ... Geriatric pointers
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... Fecal breath odor typically accompanies fecal vomiting associated with a long-standing intestinal obstruction or gastrojejunocolic fistula. It represents an important late diagnostic clue to a potentially life-threatening GI disorder because complete obstruction of any part of the... Emergency interventions ... History and physical examination ... Medical causes ... Special considerations ... Pediatric pointers ... Geriatric pointers ... Patient counseling
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... Fruity breath odor results from respiratory elimination of excess acetone. This sign characteristically occurs in ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment to prevent severe dehydration, irreversible coma,... Emergency interventions ... History and physical examination ... Medical causes ... Other causes ... Special considerations ... Pediatric pointers ... Patient counseling
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... Halitosis describes any breath odor that’s unpleasant, disagreeable, or offensive. This common sign is usually easy to detect, but an embarrassed patient may take measures to hide it. The patient may be unaware that he has halitosis, even though he may... History and physical examination ... Medical causes ... Other causes ... Special considerations ... Pediatric pointers ... Geriatric pointers ... Patient counseling
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... The odor of ammonia on the breath—described as urinous or “fishy” breath—typically occurs in end-stage chronic renal failure. This sign improves slightly after hemodialysis and persists throughout the course of the disorder, but it isn’t of great... History and physical examination ... Medical causes ... Special considerations ... Pediatric pointers ... Patient counseling
... READ EXCERPTS »
... Fetor hepaticus—a distinctive musty, sweet breath odor—characterizes hepatic encephalopathy, a life-threatening complication of severe liver disease. The odor results from the damaged liver’s inability to metabolize and detoxify mercaptans produced by... Emergency interventions ... History and physical examination ... Medical causes ... Special considerations ... Pediatric pointers ... Geriatric pointers ... Patient counseling
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... Mark Douglas Andrews
Halitosis (fetor oris) is a common problem, usually thought to be merely a social handicap related to poor oral hygiene or disease of the oral cavity. However, it can represent a marker for a more serious systemic illness that requires... Approach ... History ... Physical examination ... Testing ... Diagnostic assessment
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... Robert M. Theal
Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, accounts for 3.7% of all visits to medical clinics (1).
Approach The initial history, physical examination, and chest x-ray (CXR) study are diagnostic in 66% to 92%... History ... Physical examination ... Testing ... Diagnostic assessment ... Pictures
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... Differential Overview
❑ Tachypnea
❑ Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
❑ Sleep apnea
❑ Cheyne-Stokes
❑ Kussmaul
&... Clinical Findings
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... Fecal breath odor typically accompanies fecal vomiting associated with a long-standing intestinal obstruction or gastrojejunocolic fistula. It represents an important late diagnostic clue to a potentially life-threatening GI disorder because complete... Assessment ... History ... Physical examination ... Pediatric pointers ... Geriatric pointers ... Medical causes ... Nursing considerations ... Patient teaching
... READ EXCERPTS »
... Fruity breath odor results from respiratory elimination of excess acetone. This sign characteristically occurs with ketoacidosis — a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment to prevent severe dehydration, irreversible coma, and death. ... Assessment ... History ... Physical examination ... Pediatric pointers ... Geriatric pointers ... Medical causes ... Other causes ... Nursing considerations ... Patient teaching
... READ EXCERPTS »
... Fecal breath odor typically accompanies fecal vomiting associated with a long-standing intestinal obstruction or gastrojejunocolic fistula. It represents an important late diagnostic clue to a potentially life-threatening GI disorder because complete obstruction of... History ... Physical assessment ... Medical causes ... Special considerations ... Pediatric pointers ... Geriatric pointers ... Patient counseling ... Pictures
... READ EXCERPTS »
... Fruity breath odor results from respiratory elimination of excess acetone. This sign characteristically occurs with ketoacidosis — a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment to prevent severe dehydration,... History ... Physical assessment ... Medical causes ... Other causes ... Special considerations ... Pediatric pointers ... Geriatric pointers ... Patient counseling ... Pictures
... READ EXCERPTS »
... Halitosis describes any breath odor that’s unpleasant, disagreeable, or offensive. Certain types of halitosis characterize specific disorders — for example, a fruity breath odor typifies ketoacidosis. (See also specific breath odor types.) Other types of halitosis include putrid,... History ... Physical assessment ... Medical causes ... Other causes ... Special considerations ... Pediatric pointers ... Geriatric pointers ... Patient counseling ... Pictures
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... Fecal breath odor typically accompanies fecal vomiting associated with a long-standing intestinal obstruction or gastrojejunocolic fistula. It represents an important late diagnostic clue to a potentially life-threatening GI disorder because complete obstruction of... History and physical examination ... Medical causes ... Nursing considerations ... Patient teaching
... READ EXCERPTS »
... Fruity breath odor results from respiratory elimination of excess acetone. This sign characteristically occurs with ketoacidosis—a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment to prevent severe dehydration, irreversible coma, and death.
... History and physical examination ... Medical causes ... Other causes ... Nursing considerations ... Patient teaching
... READ EXCERPTS »
... The odor of ammonia on the breath—described as urinous or “fishy” breath—typically occurs in end-stage chronic renal failure. This sign improves slightly after hemodialysis and persists throughout the course of the disorder, but isn't of great concern.
... History and physical examination ... Medical causes ... Nursing considerations ... Patient teaching
... READ EXCERPTS »
... Fetor hepaticus—a distinctive musty, sweet breath odor—characterizes hepatic encephalopathy, a life-threatening complication of severe liver disease. The odor results from the damaged liver's inability to metabolize and detoxify mercaptans produced by bacterial... History and physical examination ... Medical causes ... Nursing considerations ... Patient teaching
... READ EXCERPTS »
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Nurses frequently become distressed and summon the intern during the
night about these signs. Cheyne–Stokes respirations are a frequent source
of bewilderment because they may occur at times with no direct evidence of ... Pictures
... READ EXCERPTS »
...
What are the various causes of bad breath and how can they be recalled
with ease? The best method is to visualize the respiratory and upper
gastrointestinal (GI.5pt) tree, because this is where the substances (mucus,
sputum, and... Pictures
... READ EXCERPTS »
...
Anatomy is an excellent method of recalling the possible causes of
anosmia and unusual odors.
Nasal passages. Focusing on the nasal passages, one can recall
upper ... Pictures
... READ EXCERPTS »
Sneezing in the sitting room? Coughing in the kitchen? Many common allergens occur primarily indoors and can make your life miserable. Join our panel...
Lung Cancer, the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the US, will be diagnosed in over 169,000 people this year. Avoiding tobacco...
Stenting is a common procedure used to keep clogged arteries open. To ensure long-term success additional treatments are necessary after surgery....
Listen to asthma specialist Dr. Nancy Ostrom discuss the use of inhaled steroids in children with asthma.