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Verified against First Aid 2024, Robbins Basic Pathology, Guyton & Hall Physiology, Abbas Basic Immunology, and Brenner Pharmacology.

Heme/Onc

ITP vs TTP vs HUS vs DIC

Coags + schistocytes + kidneys, in order.

Hemophilia A vs B vs vWD

Deep vs mucocutaneous bleeding.

Iron deficiency vs ACD vs Thalassemia

Ferritin tells the story.

AML vs ALL vs CML vs CLL

Acute vs chronic + smear cell.

Hodgkin vs Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Reed-Sternberg present or absent.

Anemia — Microcytic / Normocytic / Macrocytic

First split on every anemia.

Intrinsic hemolytic anemias

HS / G6PD / PNH / Sickle.

MPNs — PV, ET, PMF, CML

Four myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Renal

Bartter vs Gitelman vs Liddle

Hypokalemic alkalosis triplet.

Nephritic vs Nephrotic syndromes

RBC casts vs >3.5 g/day proteinuria.

RTA Type 1 vs 2 vs 4

K⁺ direction decides the type.

AKI — Prerenal vs Intrinsic vs Postrenal

BUN:Cr, FENa, urine sediment.

Endo

No insulin vs trickle of insulin.

Conn vs Cushing vs Pheo

Aldo vs cortisol vs catecholamines.

Sheehan vs Simmonds vs Empty Sella

Three causes of hypopituitarism.

Hashimoto vs Graves vs De Quervain

Three thyroiditis patterns.

Type 1 vs Type 2 Diabetes

No insulin vs insulin resistance.

Hyper- vs Hypoparathyroidism

Five parathyroid patterns.

MEN 1 vs 2A vs 2B

Tumor portfolio by gene.

Cardio

AS vs HOCM (murmur manoeuvres)

Valsalva makes one louder, one softer.

Restrictive vs Constrictive CMP

Tissue Doppler decides.

Heart Failure — HFrEF vs HFpEF

Ejection fraction splits them.

Cardiac Murmurs by Location & Timing

Cheat sheet for every Step 1 murmur.

ACS — STEMI vs NSTEMI vs UA

ECG + troponin.

Neuro

UMN vs LMN signs

Tone, reflexes, Babinski, fasciculations.

Wernicke vs Korsakoff

Acute reversible vs chronic confabulating.

MS vs NMO vs ADEM

AQP4 antibody + lesion length.

Stroke Syndromes by Vessel

MCA / ACA / PCA / Wallenberg / AICA.

Dementia — AD / Vascular / FTD / DLB / NPH

Five dementias, five first deficits.

Parkinson / Essential tremor / Huntington / Wilson

Rest vs action tremor + extras.

Rheum / Immuno

GPA vs Goodpasture vs EGPA

Three pulmonary-renal antibodies.

SLE vs Drug-induced lupus vs MCTD

dsDNA / histone / U1-RNP.

Hypersensitivity Types I–IV

IgE, antibody-on-cell, complex, T cell.

DiGeorge / Bruton / CVID / Hyper-IgM / SCID

Five primary immunodeficiencies.

CGD / Chédiak / Job / LAD

Four phagocyte disorders.

Genetics

Prader-Willi vs Angelman

Imprinting at 15q11–q13.

Trisomy 13 vs 18 vs 21

Patau / Edwards / Down.

NF1 vs NF2 vs TSC vs VHL

Four neurocutaneous syndromes.

Biochem

PKU / MSUD / Homocystinuria / Alkaptonuria

Smell, urine colour, lens direction.

Marfan vs Homocystinuria vs EDS

Lens direction + thrombosis.

Glycogen Storage Diseases

Von Gierke / Pompe / Cori / McArdle.

Lysosomal Storage Diseases

Tay-Sachs / Gaucher / Fabry / Hurler / Hunter.

Vitamin Deficiencies

Water- vs fat-soluble.

Pathology

Coag / liq / case / fat / fibrinoid.

Apoptosis vs Necrosis

Planned vs unplanned cell death.

Oncogenes vs Tumor Suppressors

Accelerator stuck vs brake gone.

Micro

Hepatitis A vs B vs C vs D vs E

Vowels fecal-oral; consonants chronic.

Eight viruses, eight latency sites.

Salmonella vs Shigella

Motility, H₂S, reservoir.

Endotoxin vs Exotoxin

LPS vs secreted protein.

Exotoxin Syndromes

Cholera, diphtheria, tetanus, botulism.

HIV stages + opportunistic infections

CD4 count predicts the OI.

Tuberculosis — Primary / Latent / Secondary / Miliary

Stages by host immunity.

Dimorphic Fungi

Histo / Blasto / Cocci / Paracocci.

Plasmodium species

Five malaria species.

Pharm / Tox

Anion gap MUDPILES

Eight causes of unmeasured-anion acidosis.

Non-anion-gap HARDUP

GI loss vs kidney loss of HCO₃⁻.

Antibiotic Mechanism Classes

Five bacterial targets.

Antiarrhythmics — Vaughan-Williams

Class I / II / III / IV.

Diuretics by Nephron Site

Site predicts ion losses.

Behavioral

Defense Mechanisms

Mature / Neurotic / Immature.

Personality Disorders — Clusters A/B/C

Weird, wild, worried.

Mood Disorders — MDD / Dysthymia / Bipolar I & II

Has there been mania?

GI

Crohn vs Ulcerative Colitis

Transmural skip vs continuous mucosal.

OB / Gyn

OB Bleeding — Ectopic / Molar / Abruption / Previa

Trimester + painful vs painless.

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