Clinical medicine (London, England)
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A 19-year-old male with a history of idiopathic panuveitis, currently taking methotrexate and infliximab, presented to our institution with 6 weeks of cough, dyspnoea and fevers. He had failed outpatient antimicrobial therapy. ⋯ Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed with a transbronchial lung biopsy because of the diagnostic uncertainty of the patient's presentation. Pathology revealed non-budding yeasts, consistent with Pneumocystis Serological and urine studies were positive for both Histoplasma and Blastomyces The diagnosis of Histoplasma pneumonia was made because of the presentation being inconsistent with Pneumocystis pneumonia, and serology, urine and pathology testing being more consistent with Histoplasma The patient was treated with oral itraconazole and was doing well at follow-up 12 weeks after hospitalisation.
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Delirium describes a sudden onset change in mental status of fluctuating course. This is a state of altered consciousness characterised chiefly by inattention or lack of arousal, but can also include new impairment of language, perception and behaviour. ⋯ Stressors include direct insults to the brain, insults peripheral to the brain or external changes in the environment of an individual. Delirium is varied in its presentation, and can be categorised by the psychomotor profile as: hyperactive type (overly vigilant, agitated, often wandersome), hypoactive type (sedate or withdrawn) or mixed types.
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This article reviews our current understanding and modern treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a disabling condition resulting in devastating social and economic impacts. As MS can affect any part of the central nervous system, the presentation is often diverse; however, there are key features that can be useful in the clinic. ⋯ Although the underlying aetiology of MS is still not known, we summarise those with most evidence of association. Finally, we aim to present treatment strategies for managing the acute relapse, disease-modifying therapies and MS symptoms. This review highlights that progressive MS is an area where there is currently a paucity of available disease-modifying treatments and this will be a major focus for future development.