PLAB 1- Blueprint - GMC
Compiled by
Mohmmed Laique Hussain
Contents
1. Respiratory system
2. Cardiovascular system
3. Digestive system (including head and neck)
4. Neurology
5. Endocrine system
6. Nephrology
7. Infectious diseases
8. Hematology
9. Geriatric medicine
10. Homeostasis (acid base disorders & electrolyte abnormalities)
11. Emergency medicine
12. Dermatology
13. Psychiatry
14. Pediatrics
15. Reproductive medicine (including genitourinary medicine)
16. Ophthalmology
17. ENT
18. Orthopaedics
19. Breast
20. Urology
21. Clinical pharmacology
22. Ethics and professionalism
1. Respiratory system
● Breathlessness
● Concepts
● Respiratory system examination, age related changes, chest
x-ray
● Pneumonia including CURB 65
● Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute respiratory
distress syndrome
● Respiratory failure
● Pulmonary embolism
● Pneumothorax
● Pleural effusion
● Extrinsic allergic alveolitis
● Cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis
● Pulmonary fibrosis
● Industrial dust diseases
● Obstructive sleep apnoea
● Cor pulmonale
● Chest pain
● Pleuritis
● Mesothelioma
● Pneumothorax
● Cough and hemoptysis
● Bronchiectasis
● Cystic fibrosis
● Fungi
● Lung cancer
● Other causes
● Pulmonary embolism
● Tumours
● Upper respiratory tract infections
● Sarcoidosis
● Prenatal diagnosis
● Normal labour and puerperium
● Role of folic acid
● Risks to fetus including smoking, alcohol, food issues
● Wheeze/Stridor
● Asthma – acute and chronic
● Bronchodilators and steroids
2. Cardiovascular system
● Chest pain
● Acute myocardial infarction (MI)
● Acute coronary syndrome (ACS)
● Angina pectoris
● Electrocardiogram (ECG) – normal and abnormal
● Investigations (cardiac catheterisation; echocardiography; nuclear
cardiology; ECG: exercise/ ambulatory)
● Complications of MI (arrhythmias; hypertension)
● Atherosclerosis
● Fatigue
● Chronic heart failure
● Heart murmur
● Any cause
● Hypertension
● Including risk factors
● Palpitations
● Bradycardia
● Narrow complex tachycardia
● Atrial fibrillation and flutter
● Broad complex tachycardia
● Pacemakers
● Peripheral arterial disease
● Aneurysms, ischaemic limb and occlusions
● Peripheral oedema, breathlessness
● Rheumatic fever
● Mitral valve disease
● Aortic valve disease
● Right heart valve disease
● Indications for cardiac surgery
● Infective endocarditis
● Diseases of heart muscle including myocarditis
● Pericardial disease
● Dyspnoea in heart failure
● Peripheral venous problems
● VTE/ DVT including risk factors and varicose veins
3. Digestive system
● Abdominal mass
● Including organomegaly, hernias and ascites
● Abdominal pain
● Perforation
● Obstruction
● Ischaemia
● Aneurysm (see also under Cardiovascular/ Peripheral arterial
disease)
● Inflammatory conditions (including diverticulitis; appendicitis,
pancreatitis)
● Colic: ureteric (see also under Nephrology), Biliary/ gallbladder (see
also under Jaundice)
● Anorexia and weight loss
● Cancer
● Metabolic causes including diabetes (see under Endocrine/
Abnormal blood sugar); thyroid (see under Endocrine/ Thyroid
abnormalities)
● Malabsorption
● Physical causes of anorexia
● Psychological causes of anorexia (see also under Psychiatry/
Eating problems)
● Jaundice
● Pre-hepatic (including haemolysis)
● Hepatic (including drug-induced)
● Post-hepatic (including biliary obstruction)
● Lower GI symptoms
● Faecal incontinence
● Spurious diarrhoea and encopresis
● Cancer
● Ulceration
● Bleeding
● Abnormal anatomy (fissures, piles, prolapse)
● Masses (including polyps)
● Altered bowel habit (constipation, diarrhoea)
● Rectal pain
● Pruritus ani
● Inflammation (including IBD)
● Nutrition
● Over nutrition
● Undernutrition
● Facial pain and swelling
● Cancer
● Sinusitis
● Salivary glands
● Teeth
● Oral cavity
● Lymph nodes (see also under Hematology)
4. Neurology
● Blackouts and faints (funny turns)
● Loss of consciousness of any cause
● Vasovagal syncope
● Cough syncope
● Effort syncope
● Micturition syncope
● Carotid sinus syncope
● Epilepsy
● Stokes Adams attacks
● Hypoglycaemia
● Orthostatic hypotension
● Drop attacks
● Cranial nerve problems
● Any cause including visual field defects
● Multiple sclerosis (MS)
● Space occupying lesions
● Bell’s palsy
● Falls
● Complications including subdural, extradural haemorrhage
● Dizziness
● Vertigo (benign positional vertigo)
● Ménières disease
● Ototoxicity
● Vestibular nerve problems (Acoustic neuroma, vestibular neuronitis,
herpes zoster, brain stem)
● Headache
● Migraine
● Cluster headache
● Glaucoma
● Giant cell arteritis
● Tension headache
● Raised intracranial pressure
● Medication misuse
● Meningitis
● Encephalitis
● Subarachnoid haemorrhage
● Sinusitis
● Movement disorders including tremor and gait problems
● Chorea
● Athetosis
● Hemiballismus
● Tics, myoclonus, dystonia and tardive dyskinesia
● Parkinson’s disease
● Parkinsonism
● Peripheral nerve problems and abnormalities of sensation
● Testing peripheral nerves
● Dermatomes
● Autonomic neuropathy
● Mononeuropathies
● Polyneuropathies
● Bulbar palsy
● Motor Neuron Disease
● Cervical spondylosis
● Neurofibromatosis
● Syringomyelia
● Seizures
● Epilepsy
● Convulsions
● Weakness and fatigue
● Concepts
● Cerebral artery territories
● Upper motor neuron vs lower motor neuron
● Muscle weakness grading
● TIA, stroke, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, nerve entrapments
● Cord compression
● Transverse myelitis
● Carcinomatosis
● Meningitis
● Guillain-barre
● Cord infarction
● Spinal artery thrombosis
● Trauma
● Dissecting aortic aneurysm
● Cauda equina lesions
● Management of paralysed patient
● Leg weakness (spastic paraparesis, flaccid paraparesis,
unilateral foot drop, weak legs with no sensory loss, absent
knee jerks and extensor plantars)
● Recognition of different gait disorders
● Stroke (mimics, risk factors, site of lesion, investigation
management and treatment, rehabilitation, TIA, SAH)
● Myopathy
● Myasthenia gravis
5. Endocrine system
● Abnormal blood sugar
● Type 1 diabetes
● Type 2 diabetes
● Complications (including diabetic retinopathy; neuropathy; arterial
disease)
● Diabetic foot care
● Hypoglycaemia/ hyperglycaemia
● Patient with diabetes undergoing surgery
● Diabetes in pregnancy (see also under Reproductive)
● General Endocrine disorder
● Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN 1 and MEN 2)
● Parathyroid
● Hyperparathyroidism
● Hypoparathyroidism
● Adrenal
● Adrenal gland
● Addisonian crisis
● Addison’s disease
● Hyperaldosteronism
● Pheochromocytoma
● Virilism
● Gynaecomastia (see under Breast)
● Impotence (see under Reproductive/Fertility problems)
● Cushing’s syndrome
● Pituitary
● Hypopituitarism
● Pituitary tumours
● Hyperprolactinaemia
● Hypoprolactinaemia
● Acromegaly
● Thyroid abnormalities
● Hyperthyroidism
● Hypothyroidism
● Cancer
● Thyroid diseases in pregnancy
● Thyroid eye disease
● Goitre
● Nodules
6. Nephrology
● Abnormalities of the urine
● Blood, protein, pH, volumes
● Including haematuria and proteinuria
● Renal calculi
● Renal tract obstruction
● Retroperitoneal fibrosis
● Glomerulonephritis
● Nephrotic syndrome
● Renal vein thrombosis
● Renal problems
● Investigations
● Urinary tract imaging
● Renal biopsy
● Diseases
● Acute renal failure
● Chronic renal failure, renal replacement therapy, renal
transplantation
● Interstitial nephritis
● Nephrotoxins
● Renal vascular disease
● Renal tubular disease
● Inherited kidney diseases
● Renal manifestations of systemic disease
● Urinary excretion
● Oliguria and polyuria including renal failure
● Urate
7. Infectious diseases
● Infection control
● Management of sepsis
● Hospital acquired infection
● MRSA
● Clostridium difficile
● Managing diarrhoea outbreak on ward
● Serious infections
● HIV
● AIDS
● Hepatitis B
● TB
● Travel Medicine and tropical infections
● Malaria
● Bilharzia
● Dengue fever
● Lyme disease
● Toxoplasma
● Rabies
● Yellow fever
● Viral infections
● Exanthemata
● Mumps
● Measles
● Rubella
● Herpes simplex
● Herpes zoster
● Viral meningitis
● Influenza
8. Hematology
● Abnormal blood film
● Peripheral blood film (red cell, white cell and platelets)
● Differential white cell count
● Pancytopenia
● Bone marrow failure
● ESR
● Hyperviscosity syndrome
● Spleen and splenectomy
● Haemolytic anaemia
● Leukaemia
● Myeloma
● Paraproteinemia
● Amyloidosis
● Bruising/Bleeding/Purpura
● Anticoagulants
● Thrombophilia
● Immunosuppressive drugs
● Inherited bleeding disorders
● Intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of clotting
● Generalised enlarged lymph nodes
● Any cause leading to it
● Pallor
● Iron deficiency anaemia
● Refractory anaemia
● Anaemia of chronic disease
● Sideroblastic anaemia
● Macrocytic anaemia (all causes)
● Pernicious anaemia
● Haemolytic anaemia
● Sickle cell anaemia
● Thalassaemia anaemia
● Transfusion (safety & procedures)
● Myeloproliferative disorders
9. Geriatric medicine
● Confusion
● Delirium
● Dementia
● Symptoms of terminal illness
● End of life care
10. Homeostasis (acid base disorders & electrolyte abnormalities)
● Acid-base imbalance and blood gas abnormalities
● pH abnormalities
● Acidosis
● Alkalosis either metabolic or respiratory
● Metabolic and respiratory acidosis or alkalosis
● Kidney function (tubular dysfunction, low GFR, chronic renal
failure)
● Electrolyte abnormalities
● Sodium, potassium, glucose, calcium
● SIADH
● Magnesium
● Zinc
● Selenium
● Any cause including excessive thirst and dehydration
● Fluid compartments including osmolarity and osmolality
11. Emergency medicine
● Collapse
● Subdural, extradural, intracerebral haemorrhage including
subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH)
● Hypertensive encephalopathy
● Epilepsy
● Addisonian crisis
● Anaphylaxis
● Coma
● Drug poisoning
● Hypoglycaemia
● Hyperglycaemia
● Hypoxia
● Hypothermia
● Encephalopathy
● Fever/ Infection
● Pyrexia of unknown origin
● Septicaemia
● Meningitis
● Neutropenic sepsis
● Bacterial viral meningitis
● Pneumonia
● Acute severe asthma
● PE
● Multiple trauma
● Head injury
● Intra-abdominal injury
● Shock
● Paracetamol overdose
● Salicylate overdose
● Acute myocardial infarction (MI)
● Intra abdominal blood loss
● Massive pulmonary embolism
● Burns
12. Dermatology
● Bites and stings
● Insect
● Fish
● Scorpion
● Snake Dog/cat bites
● Human bite
● Scabies
● Lice
● Bullous diseases
● Pemphigus
● Pemphigoid
● Dermatological manifestations of systemic disease
● Endocrine
● Cancer
● Connective tissue
● Extremes of temperature
● Burns
● Frostbite
● Hyperthermia
● Hypothermia
● Hair and nail problems
● Excess hair
● Hair loss
● Nail changes in systemic diseases
● Psoriasis
● Fungal infections of nails
● Itchy and/or scaly rashes
● Eczema
● Dermatoses (psoriasis etc.)
● Reactions (drugs/food)
● Infections
● Viral
● Bacterial
● Fungal
● Lumps
● Nodular lesions
● Skin tumour
● BCC
● Ganglion
● Moles and pigmented lesions
● Benign
● Vitiligo
● Malignant including melanoma
● Ulcers
● Arterial
● Venous
● Neuropathic
● Malignant
13. Psychiatry
● Alcohol and drug misuse and dependence
● Substitution therapy
● Acute intoxication
● Harmful use
● Withdrawal
● Anxiety
● Panic attacks
● Generalised anxiety disorder
● Obsessive compulsive disorder
● Phobias
● Deliberate self-harm
● Overdose
● Poisoning
● Other self harm
● Suicidal risk
● Eating problems
● Anorexia nervosa
● Bulimia nervosa
● Learning and communication problems
● Intellectual disability
● Acquired brain injury
● Medically unexplained physical symptoms
● Psychosomatic disorders
● Somatization disorders
● Mood (affective) problems
● Depressive disorders
● Bipolar disorders
● Suicidal risk
● Confusion
● Delirium
● Dementia
● Encephalopathy
● Personality and behavioural disorders
● Including habit disorders and personality disorders
● Emotionally unstable personality disorder
● Antisocial personality disorder
● Pathological gambling
● Pyromania
● Psychosis
● Schizophrenia
● Schizoaffective disorders
● Delusional disorders
● Legal frameworks
● Mental health act
● Mental capacity act
● DOLS - Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
14. Pediatrics
● Congenital abnormalities
● Ventricular septal defect
● Atrial septal defect
● Patent ductus arteriosus
● Aortic stenosis
● Pulmonary stenosis
● Coarctation of the aorta
● Fallot's tetralogy
● Transposition of the great arteries
● Tricuspid atresia
● Total anomalous pulmonary venous return
● Persistent truncus arteriosus
● Hypoplastic left heart
● Pulmonary atresia
● Ebstein's anomaly
● Polycystic kidneys
● Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
● Chromosomal abnormalities (including Turner's; Down's; Tay
Sachs')
● Inherited conditions (cystic fibrosis; PKU)
● Acquired conditions (including caused by drugs/alcohol)
● Neural tube defects (including spina bifida)
● Developmental abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system
(including talipes)
● Developmental problems / Failure to thrive
● Endocrine problems / Metabolic disorders
● Malabsorption (see also under Digestive)
● Inadequate diet
● Psychological and social problems / Failure to thrive
● Non-accidental injury
● Sexual abuse
● Emotional deprivation
● Bullying
● Manifestations of neglect
15. Reproductive medicine
● Contraception
● Oral contraceptive pill
● Intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs)
● Implants
● Fertility problems
● Both male and female; including normal development in puberty
● Normal pregnancy and care
● Prenatal diagnosis
● Normal labour and puerperium
● Role of folic acid
● Risks to fetus including smoking, alcohol, food issues
● Problems in pregnancy, labour and puerperium
● Including antepartum haemorrhage
● Postpartum haemorrhage
● Miscarriage
● Ectopic pregnancy
● Pre-eclampsia, eclampsia
● Hyperemesis
● Thyroid disease in pregnancy
● Epilepsy
● Anticoagulation
● Prematurity
● Low birth weight
● Irregular vaginal bleeding
● Irregular menstrual bleeding
● Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
● Hormonal
● Menarche
● Menopause
● Other causes
● Cervical problems
● Uterine problems
● Cervical smear/ colposcopy
● Pelvic mass
● Cancer
● Fibroids
● PCO
● Ovarian or tubal mass
● Cysts
● Pelvic pain
● Endometriosis
● PID
● Dyspareunia
● Vulval and vaginal lumps/lesions
● Prolapse
● Urinary incontinence
● Urethral discharge
● Infection (including STI)
● Cancer
● Foreign body
● Vaginal discharge
● Pruritus vulvae
● Normal physiological
● Cancer Infection (including STI)
● Foreign body
● Child sexual abuse (see also under Pediatrics)
16. Ophthalmology
● Eye pain
● Cancer
● Sinusitis (see also under ENT)
● Glaucoma
● Migraine (see also under Neurology/ Headache)
● Foreign body
● Orbital swelling
● Cancer
● Infection (including cellulitis; blepharitis)
● Thyroid disease (see under Endocrine)
● Cysts: congenital and acquired
● Red eye
● Conjunctivitis
● Iritis
● Trauma (including foreign body)
● Scleritis/ episcleritis
● Glaucoma
● Subconjunctival haemorrhage
● Polycythaemia
● Visual impairment
● Tumours (including pituitary)
● Arterial and venous
● Lens (including cataract; dislocation)
● Degenerative
● Hereditary
● Systemic conditions: including connective tissue; diabetes (see also
under Endocrine)
● Drug-induced
● Infections
● Detached retina
● Vitreous haemorrhage (including floaters)
17. ENT
● Earache
● Cancer
● Infection
● Eustachian tube dysfunction
● Hearing problems
● Foreign body (including wax)
● Conductive and nerve deafness
● Hoarseness/Stridor
● Cancer
● Infection (including epiglottitis)
● Voice misuse (including nodules)
● Nerve injury (including palsies)
● Stridor (see also under Thyroid abnormalities/Goitre)
● Nasal symptoms
● Cancer
● Bleeding
● Nasal obstruction (including polyps; allergic rhinitis)
● Infections
● Trauma (including fractures)
● Vertigo
● Ménières disease
● Labyrinthitis
● Cancer
● Cerebellar lesions (see also under Neurology)
● Benign positional Toxins (including alcohol)
18. Orthopaedics
● Back and neck problems
● Connective tissue disorders
● Foot and ankle problems
● Hand and wrist problems
● Hip problems
● Knee problems
● Shoulder/upper limb problems
● Rheumatological problems
● Rheumatoid
● Osteoarthrosis
● Psoriatic Lupus
● Polymyalgia rheumatica
● Gout
● Skeletal problems including fractures
● Disorders of calcium homeostasis (osteoporosis, osteomalacia,
Paget's)
● Infections
● Tumours (benign, malignant, secondaries)
● Fractures of long bones
19. Breast
● Breast lump or pain
● Cancer
● Infection
● Abscess
● Puerperal
● Mastitis
● Benign
● Fibro-adenoma
● Fibro-adenosis
● Fat necrosis
● Cysts
● Nipple
● Discharge
● Inversion
● Paget's
● Request for reduction/augmentation
20. Urology
● Groin/scrotal pain and/or swelling
● Torsion of testis
● Hernias
● Hydrocele
● Tumour
● Orchitis
● Infection
● Urinary tract obstruction
● Calculus
● Tumours (benign and malignant)
● Strictures
● Bladder neck obstruction
● Enuresis
● Abnormalities of the urine
● Haematuria and proteinuria
● Renal calculi
● Renal tract obstruction
● Retroperitoneal fibrosis
● Glomerulonephritis
● Nephrotic syndrome
● Renal vein thrombosis
● Urinary symptoms
● Urinary tract infection
● Calculus
● Tumours (benign and malignant)
● Strictures
● Bladder neck obstruction
● Enuresis
● Prostate cancer
● Prostate
21. Clinical Pharmacology
● Antimicrobial stewardship
● Prescribing safety
22. Ethics and professionalism
● Duties of a doctor
● Good Medical Practice
● Professionalism in action
