PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Fred A Lopez

Publications and source records attributed to Fred A Lopez.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Clinical case of the month. 3-year-old boy presenting with a hand rash. Juvenile dermatomyositis.

Of the diseases within the spectrum of the juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is the most common. As the name implies, JDM affects the muscles and skin most commonly, but can involve other organ systems as well. Dermatologic manifestations often precede other signs and symptoms by months or even years and frequently are the primary reason the patient seeks medical attention. In the case presented here, a 3-year-old boy initially developed a hand rash that brought him to his primary care physician. By the time muscle weakness had developed, the patient had already been evaluated for dermatomyositis and therapy had been initiated. An understanding of these early clinical findings will enable physicians to make a timely diagnosis and commence therapy promptly in order to prevent life-threatening sequelae of the disease.

Child, Preschool↗

Fever and headache in an intravenous drug user.

Zygomycosis refers to diseases caused by filamentous fungi from the class Zygomycetes. These organisms are ubiquitous in nature and can be found in soil as well as in decaying organic matter such as fruit and bread. Risk factors for zygomycosis include uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, hematologic malignancies, corticosteroid therapy, deferoxamine therapy, intravenous drug use, and malnutrition. Clinical manifestations include rhino-orbital-cerebral, pulmonary, cutaneous, disseminated, gastric, and isolated cerebral disease. Isolated involvement of the central nervous system is rare and is most often associated with intravenous drug use. This case report describes isolated cerebral zygomycosis in an intravenous drug user.

Adult↗

A middle-aged woman with an anterior mediastinal mass and respiratory failure.

The discovery of an anterior mediastinal mass presents a challenge to the physician. In addition to distinguishing between benign and malignant conditions, it is important to recognize the potential for associated paraneoplastic phenomena. We present a case of a malignant thymoma associated with myasthenia gravis.

Female↗