This concise handbook follows the practical approach of its parent book, General Practice, with coverage of common conditions and some new emergency guidelines. The Companion Handbook is a vital reference for your everyday travels. The fourth edition of the Companion Handbook reflects the new conditions covered in General Practice, Fourth Edition, and is updated throughout for increased relevancy to today?s general practitioner and student. Description This edition of General Practice Companion Handbook reflects conditions covered in the fourth edition of General Practice. Updated throughout, it is even more topical and relevant for today?s general practitioner. Clear and down-to-earth, this book is a practical guide to general practice and presents common medical conditions in an accessible alphabetical format. The systematic approach, combined with Professor Murtagh's clear writing style, means this companion manual is a unique reference that can be used by general practitioners, students, nurses and all workers in non-specialist health disciplines. In this edition, Professor Murtagh adopts a more evidence-based approach while maintaining the problem-based structure that is core to the manual?s appeal. Table of Contents Preface About the author Laboratory reference values Normal values: diagnostic guidelines Abbreviations used in this text Introduction: ABC of general practice A diagnostic perspective A Abdominal pain Acne Acute allergic reactions Adolescent health Alcohol problems Alopecia areata Androgenetic alopecia Amnesia Anaemia Angina pectoris Anorectal disorders Antibiotic prescribing Anxiety Aphthous ulcers Arm and hand pain Arthritis Asthma B Back pain Bad news Balanitis Bed sores Belching Bell's (facial nerve) palsy Benzodiazepine problems Bereavement and coping with loss Biological terrorism Bites and stings Bladder dysfunction Blepharitis Body odour Boils Breast lumps Breast pain Breath-holding attacks Bronchiolitis Bronchitis Bruising and bleeding Bruxism Burning feet syndrome Burns C Cancer Cannabis Cardiopulmonary resuscitation 'Cellulite' Cellulitis Cervical cancer and Pap smears Chest pain Chilblains Child abuse Childhood: common infectious diseases Children: special observations Children's behaviour disorders Children: developmental disorders Children's emergencies Children's skin and hair disorders Chloasma Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Cold sores Common cold (acute coryza) Communication and consulting skills Concussion Conjunctivitis Constipation Contact dermatitis Cough Counselling skills Court appearance 'Cracked' and dry lips 'Cracked' hands and fingers 'Cracked' heels Cramps Croup Crying baby D Dandruff Deafness and hearing loss Depression Dermatitis/eczema Diabetes mellitus Diarrhoea Difficult, demanding and angry patients Diplopia Disturbed patients Diverticular disorder Dizziness Domestic violence Dry eyes Dry hair Dry mouth Dry skin Dyslipidaemia Dysmenorrhoea (primary) Dysparunia Dyspepsia (indigestion) Dysphagia Dyspnoea Dystonia Dysuria and frequency E Ear pain Ear exostoses ('surfers' ear) Ectropion Encopresis Endocarditis Endometriosis Entropion Enuresis (bed-wetting) Epilepsy Epistaxis Erectile dysfunction Erysipelas Eye: dry Eye pain and redness Eyelashes Eyelid 'twitching' or 'jumping' Eyes: flash burns F Facial pain Fever and chills Fibroids Fibromyalgia syndrome Flatus: excessive Folliculitis Foot odour (smelly and sweaty feet) Foot pain (podalgia) Freckles and lentigines (sun spots) Frostbite G Gambling Ganglion Gastroenteritis Gastroparesis Genetic disorders Genital herpes Genital warts Geographical tongue Gingivitis Glandular fever Globus hystericus Gout Granuloma annularae Growing Pains Grover's disease H Haematemesis and melaena Haematuria Haemochromatosis Haemorrhoids Hair disorders Halitosis Hangover Hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis) Head banging or rocking in toddlers Headache Heartburn (dyspepsia) Heart failure Heel pain Herpes simplex Hepatitis Herpes zoster (shingles) Hiccoughs (hiccups) Hip pain Hirsutism (hirsuties) >Hives (papular urticaria) Hoarseness Human immunodeficiency virus infection Hypertension Hyperventilation I Immunisation Impetigo Impotence Incontinence of urine Infantile colic Infertility Influenza Ingrowing toenails Injectable contraceptives Insect stings Insomnia Intertrigo Irritable bowel syndrome J Jaundice Jet lag Jitters Jock itch K Kawasaki's disorder (mucocutaneous lymph node) Keloid or hypertrophic scar Keratoacanthoma Keratoses Keratosis pilaris Kidney disease Knee pain L Laryngitis Lead poisoning Leg pain Lice infestation Lichen planus M Melanoma Melasma (chloasma) Meniere's syndrome Menopause syndrome Menorrhagia Men's health: an overview Migraine attack Milker's nodules Molluscum contagiosum 'Monkey muscle' tear Morning sicknesss Mouth soreness Mouth ulcers Multiple sclerosis Myocardial infarction Myoclonic jerks (periodic limb movement disorder) N Nail disorders Nappy rash Narcotic dependence Neck pain Needlesticks and sharps injuries Nightmares (dream anxiety) Nasal disorders Nasal fractures Nasal polyps Nasal vestibulitis Nutrition advice O Obesity Obsessive-compulsive disorder Obstetric care Oily hair Opioid (heroin) overdosage Oral contraception Orf Osteoporosis Otitis externa Otitis media P Paget's disease (osteitis deformans) Pain and its management Palliative care Palpitations Panic attack Parkinson's disease Paronychia Pelvic inflammatory disease (females) Pelvic pain Perioral dermatitis Peripheral neuropathy Personality disorders Perspiration: excessive (hyperhidrosis) Phimosis Photoageing/wrinkles Pityriasis rosea Pityriasis versicolor (tinea versicolor) Plantar warts Pneumonia Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis Premenstrual tension syndrome Prickly heat (miliaria/heat rash) Prostate disorders Pruritus (generalised) Pruritus ani Pruritus vulvae Psoriasis R Rectal bleeding Restless legs (Ekbom's syndrome) Reye's syndrome and aspirin Rhinitis Ringworm Rosacea Ross River infection S Scabies Scrotal pain Seborrhoeic dermatitis Sexually transmitted infections Shingles Shoulder pain Sinusitis Skin cancer Skin eruptions Sleep disorders Smoking/nicotine Snapping or clicking hip Snoring Sore throat Spinal dysfunction Sprained ankle Stinging fish Stitch in side Stroke and TIAs Stuttering Stye in eye Subconjunctival haemorrhage Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and ALTE Sunburn Sweating (excessive) Syphilis T Tampon toxic shock syndrome Tearduct (nasolacrimal duct) blockage in child Teething Temporomandibular joint dysfunction Tennis elbow Tension headache Testicular tumours Tetanus Thrush (candidiasis) of mouth Thumb sucking Thyroid disorders Tick bites Tics Tinea infections Tinnitus Tiredness/fatigue Tongue disorders Torticollis (acute wry neck) Travel medicine and tropical infections Travel sickness Tremor Tropical ear U Umbilical discharge Umbilical granuloma in infants Undescended testes Unemployment Urethritis Urinary tract infection Urticaria (hives) V Vaginal discharge Venous ulcers Visual loss Vitiligo Vomiting Vulvar disorders W Warfarin oral anticoagulation Warts Weight loss Whiplash Whole person approach to management Worms (helminths) Wrinkles Writer's cramp Z Zoonoses