Advising the Patient: Case Studies on Telogen Effluvium and Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia
August 1978
in “
Dicp-The annals of pharmacotherapy
”
TLDR Crash diets can cause temporary hair loss, and professional medical advice can prevent serious health issues.
In the document from 1978, two separate cases are discussed. The first case illustrates the relationship between telogen effluvium, a form of temporary hair loss, and crash diets. A patient experienced hair shedding for about two months after discontinuing a crash diet, which ceased once they adopted a normocaloric diet. This case highlights the potential adverse effects of liquid protein diets and the lack of medical supervision during such diets. In the second case, a 60-year-old man was advised by a pharmacist not to perform carotid sinus massage on himself to stop an attack of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia, a type of heart rhythm disorder. The patient heeded this advice and sought medical attention during a subsequent attack, where proper medical intervention restored normal heart rhythm. This intervention likely prevented a cardiac arrest, demonstrating the importance of professional medical advice and intervention.