Can J Emerg Med
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To slow down the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it is important to identify specific symptoms for effective screening. While anosmia/hyposmia and dysgeusia/ageusia have been identified as highly prevalent symptoms, there are wide geographic variations, necessitating the regional evaluation of the prevalence of the symptoms. ⋯ In this Canadian study, smell and taste loss may be key symptoms of COVID-19. This evidence can be helpful in the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19, particularly settings of limited testing capacity.
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1) To characterize mild, moderate, and severe fear of falling in older emergency department (ED) patients for minor injuries, and 2) to assess whether fear of falling could predict falls and returns to the ED within 6 months of the initial ED visit. ⋯ Although a high fear of falling is associated with increased risk of falling within 6 months of a minor injury in older patients, fear of falling considered alone was not shown to be a strong predictor of return to the ED and future falls.
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Case Reports
Just the facts: Risk stratifying nontraumatic back pain for Cauda Equina Syndrome in the emergency department.
A 43-year-old male, with a history of chronic back pain, presents to the emergency department (ED) with acute onset chronic pain. He states he "tweaked something" and has been debilitated by back pain, radiating down both his legs, for 24 hours. ⋯ The patient has a post-void residual of 250 mL, but you are unsure how to interpret this value. As an emergency physician, when should you suspect, and how should you evaluate cauda equina syndrome?