Swiss medical weekly
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Whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) represent a class of clinical complaints which commonly result from rear-end car accidents. An automobile collision can generate major forces which are transferred to the neck by an acceleration-deceleration mechanism (whiplash), resulting in bony or soft-tissue injuries (whiplash injury). Incidence of WAD is estimated to be 0.1 to 3.8/1000/year; WAD cost $29 billion a year in the USA. ⋯ In particular the most important questions (how can patients with acute and chronic disorders be helped best) have no clear answer yet. Furthermore, there are many opinions and prejudices (especially concerning psycho-social factors of WAD) which have no scientific basis. Therefore, an intensive exchange of information between health care professionals, patients and the general public appears to be very important.
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Pica is the collective term for any form of qualitative disorder of eating behaviour. If a patient's deviant appetite is fixated on one special object, there are quite a number of corresponding terms available (e.g. geophagia for eating dirt). ⋯ The author briefly summarizes the medical history of the pica concept and the present state of knowledge concerning aetiology and pathogenesis. The numerous possible complications and various therapeutic approaches are pointed out.