Recurrent Hypoglycaemia and Seizures in an HIV-Patient

A young male patient recently diagnosed with HIV presented to us with a septic tibia. He developed recurrent seizures and hypoglycaemia. Terminally he developed a clinical picture of Addison's crisis and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Addison's crisis must always be borne in mind in patients with HIV who are subjected to stressful conditions like surgery

Is the two week rule of any benefit to patients with oral cancer?

In the UK the government introduced the 'two week rule' for head and neck cancer in December 2000, which sought to guarantee that any patient with suspected cancer would be seen by a specialist within 2 weeks of being referred. Our aim was to find out whether referral under the 'two week rule' resulted in patients being given an appointment and starting treatment faster than those who had been referred urgently directly to a consultant surgeon. A retrospective review of case notes of all patients diagnosed with oral cancer over a six-month period showed that only 3 of 22 were referred under the 'two week rule'. A total of 48 referrals under the 'two week rule' were recorded during the same period. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of time waiting for an outpatient appointment and time spent waiting for treatment.