Category Archives: Uncategorized

Why are infants less likely to have Clostridium difficile infection? Adult clinicians are quite familiar with Clostridium (or Clostridioides) difficile infection (CDI). But this infection is remarkably rare in infants. The explanation is both fascinating and has important implications. Beginning at the beginning, Clostridium difficile was first isolated in 1935 by two microbiologists, Elizabeth O’Continue reading “Episode 74 – DIFFerent Babies”

What caused Beethoven’s hearing loss? In Episode 54, A Lincoln Theory, we discussed an original theory about Abraham Lincoln’s health and whether he might have had Loeys-Dietz syndrome. The health of another famous historical figure, composer Ludwig van Beethoven, has been in the news lately. In this episode, we investigate what may have caused Beethoven’sContinue reading “Episode 72 – Bringing Up Beethoven”

Why does it take weeks for the radiographic evidence of pneumonia to clear? Early in medical training, many of us are told that it takes weeks for the radiographic infiltrate to resolve after a bout of pneumonia. This is the sort of statement many accept without question. But it is worth wondering what is inContinue reading “Episode 71 – Slow to Resolve”

Why does an upper GIB increase the BUN/Cr ratio? The idea that something other than kidney injury might lead to elevations in BUN was first identified in 1912 in infants with cholera. The entity was called extrarenal azotemia. In retrospect, these were likely instances of prerenal azotemia, but the clinicians could not identify renal abnormalitiesContinue reading “Episode 70 – Blood meal”

How does alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency affect the liver? Pulmonologists frequently test for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in patients with emphysema, especially those with early onset emphysema, emphysema associated with lighter smoking histories, or those with lower lobe-predominant bronchiectasis. The mechanism by which having alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency might predispose to emphysema is clear. But it was lessContinue reading “Episode 69 – Including Liver Disease”