| Abstrakt: |
Lyme disease* Patients with Lyme disease usually present with erythema migrans (EM), but the absence of EM does not rule out the disease. Lyme disease should be suspected in cases of summer flu or in neurologic or arthritislike presentations in areas where Lyme disease is endemic.* Because serologic tests are insensitive in the first weeks of infection, antibiotic treatment should be initiated in patients with EM. The diagnosis should be confirmed later using ELISA and Western blot tests.* Except when objective neurologic abnormalities and high-degree AV block are present, Lyme disease can usually be treated successfully with oral antibiotics.* Be supportive of patients with post-Lyme disease chronic symptoms, but educate them that prolonged courses of antibiotics have shown no benefit in controlled trials.West Nile virus Infection* The best diagnostic tip-off for West Nile virus disease is your knowledge that the virus is circulating in your area.* Infection with West Nile virus should be in the differential diagnosis of patients who present with flaccid paralysis.Avian flu *Physicians should hone their skills in recognizing, managing, and preventing ordinary human influenza. if a pandemic should occur, those are the skills most needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
