The Challenge: Can you solve a medical mystery involving a 43-year-old woman who suddenly falls asleep and can’t be awakened?
The Diagnosis column of The New York Times Magazine regularly asks Well readers to sift through a difficult medical case and solve a diagnostic riddle. This month’s puzzle is a two-part challenge that will require you to really think like a doctor. That’s because, just like the doctors who were involved in this case, you’ll need to consider a wide range of diagnoses and decide what tests should be ordered based on this patient’s presentation.
I’ll give you all the information that was available when the patient first presented to the emergency room. I’ll also give you the history and physical exam obtained by the E.R. physician. After that, it’s up to you to use this information to arrive at a diagnosis you think most likely to have caused this woman’s sudden loss of consciousness.