CAUSES: ACUTE PANCREATITIS

Questions on Acute Pancreatitis are pretty common on the USMLE / PLAB / AMC etc.

Here's a stupid way to remember the most common causes of acute pancreatitis

"BACTEROID"

B - Biliary Obstruction (Most Common Cause)
A - Alcohol
C - Calcium (Hypercalcemia)
T - Trauma + Triglycerides (Hypretriglyceridemia)
ER - ERCP (as a complication)
O - Others....
I - Infections (e.g. Mumps)
D - Drugs (Azathioprine, Valproate, etc.)

Remembering Clinical Features of CUSHING SYNDROME

CUSH - gives us signs seen

C - Central Obesity + peripheral wasting
U - Unusual brUising
S - Straiae
H - Hypertension + Hyperglycemia
I - Impotence (relate to Amenorrhea in Females)
N - Nothing ;-)
G - Growth retardation


This Mnemonic helps us in remembering the signs that are commonly seen in clinical vignettes pointing to a diagnosis of Cushing's Syndrome...

Remembering Fitz Hugh Curtis Syndrome

Remember the F.H.C. syndrome as Fibrotically-fixed Hepatic Capsule : this happens due to fibrotic adhesions that develop around the liver capsule following Pelvic Inflammatory Disease in women...

This is a rare complication of PID due to Gonococcus or Chlamydia...

And in the process do not forget that FHC originally stood for Fitz Hugh Curtis ..lol

CARDIOMYOPATHY : TYPES AND CAUSES

Cardiomyopathies are disorders primarily affecting the Cardiac Muscle...Lets say disorders which make the cardiac muscle unusually HARD , and we have a mnemonic for the Types of Cardiomyopathy:

H - Hypertrophic
A - Associative
R - Restrictive
D - Dilated

Taking a step further : Causes of Dilated Cardiomyopathy : "DILATE"

D - Drugs like Doxorobucin
I - Inflammation / Infection of the Myocardium (Myocarditis)
L - Labour (Post-Partum Dilation)
A - Alcohol
T - Transmitted Genetically
E - Endocrinopathies (Thyroid, Acromegaly and Pheochromocytoma)

Does this make it simpler to remember a bit ? :-)

Jaundice Syndromes : Mechanism

Gilberts & Criggler-Najjar : Glucoronide Conjugation Defect

(hence jaundice is mainly by unconjugated bile)

*********************

Dubin-Johnson & Rotors : Defective Removal of conjugated bile from hepatic cells

(jaundice mainly by conjugated bile)

Ok - I agree it ain't THAT good a mnemonic ...just trying ;-)