Dr. Mary Deffner Patterson M.D.

Multiple myeloma may not show any signs during the early stages called smoldering or asymptomatic multiple myeloma. It is only after a blood or urine test that it can be diagnosed. However, as time goes by, a lot of problems and complications associated with multiple myeloma will start to show....

What is Intellectual Disability?Intellectual disability is characterized by the lack of skills or mental ability needed for everyday living. Individuals with intellectual disabilities are able to learn new skills but at a slower pace. The degrees of intellectual disability may vary from mild to...

What is chemotherapy?Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses medicine to kill the cancer cells. The cancer cells are being damaged and killed so that they will not be able to reproduce and spread. It is usually used if there is a risk that cancer will spread or when it has already...

Clinical intuition is difficult to describe. Personally, it is the art of integrating nonverbal information that a patient presents in order to reach a diagnosis, reducing the need for diagnostic testing. This is especially important in children who often react differently to procedures, tests and...

The severity of meningitis varies from one person to another. In common cases, medications can help solve the problem and the person may recover within 1 to 3 weeks. But in cases where there is a risk of the infection spreading to the meninges, hospitalization and other confirmation tests might be...

Caused by bacteria and viruses, meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord known as the meninges. The inflammation is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It can develop as a result of injury,...