DOCTOR, ARE YOU ONLINE?

COVID -19 is new disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel virus that emerged at the end of 2019. It is truly remarkable how the virus spread all over the world creating a devastating effect or non-infectious, to the background . There is no medical conversation or conference without reference to it. While the optimal ways to diagnose and manage this disease are being studied with ‘feverish’ pace, controversies spring up almost daily. This has understandably put the treating physicians in a state of confusion, which is matched only by the complexity of the entire illness. We present here a Casebook of COVID – 19, where actual cases seen at different medical centers are discussed along with brief chapters on various aspects of this disease. They have been contributed by clinicians who have been at some time associated with the editors or with the PD Hinduja Hospital. We do hope this book will be of great interest to the practicing clinicians, microbiologists, hospital administrators and public health professionals.

The human Immunodeficiency Virus has scant respect for any boundaries – anatomical, geographic, economic or those defining medical specialities, So this unique book of illustrative cases will appeal to practitioners in any field of medicine who find themselves grappling with the unending challengers that this diseases poses. As the developed world closes the chapter on opportunistic infections in AIDS and shifts its focus to issues of chronic inflammation and premature ageing; the HIV physician in the developing world must remain cognizant of the ever changing diagnostic, treatment modalities and the myriad clinical, social and financial factors that determine management options and outcomes. It is this agility of clinical thought and practice that is highlighted in this book with an informal case-based approach. The MCQ – based style is not intended to make the discussions objective. It is but a reflections of the actual thought process as it evolves from subtle clues in the history or evaluation and consider possible alternatives at each step. The choice is discussed with the help of standard resources and guidelines with reference to allow the reader a more detailed review. Although some of the options may seem obsolete in 2018, they will strike a chord with the HIV physician who struggled with fewer, more toxic ART regimens in years past.