{"id":2208,"date":"2019-12-25T20:15:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-25T20:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/?p=2208"},"modified":"2025-10-08T16:51:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T00:51:02","slug":"if-santa-claus-were-your-patient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient","title":{"rendered":"If Santa Claus Were Your Patient"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In This Article<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Rosacea\" >Rosacea<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Obesity\" >Obesity<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Metabolic_Syndrome\" >Metabolic Syndrome<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Christmas_disease\" >Christmas disease<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Sciatica\" >Sciatica<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Chronic_Bronchitis\" >Chronic Bronchitis<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Dorsomedial_Hypothalamic_Nucleus_Lesion\" >Dorsomedial Hypothalamic Nucleus Lesion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Holiday_Heart_Syndrome\" >Holiday Heart Syndrome<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Nutmeg_Liver_or_Cirrhosis\" >Nutmeg Liver, or Cirrhosis<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Cardiomegaly\" >Cardiomegaly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#The_Osmosis_Diagnosis\" >The Osmosis Diagnosis<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#But_wait%E2%80%A6whats_the_answer\" >But wait&#8230;what&#8217;s the answer?!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#Key_Takeaways\" >Key Takeaways<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\/#References\" >References<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Osmosis\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/osmosismed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram feed<\/a>\u00a0often includes references to popular culture, from <em>Star Wars<\/em> to <em>RuPaul&#8217;s Drag Race<\/em>. Our decision to do this is based on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-328X\/15\/6\/731\">cognitive psychology studies<\/a>\u00a0that have shown such references, or &#8220;anchors,&#8221; improve memory and retention.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the spirit of the holidays, we found a surprising number of Christmas references in medicine, ranging from<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Hemophilia:_Year_of_the_Zebra\">Hemophilia B<\/a> <\/strong>(also known as <strong>Christmas disease<\/strong>) to <strong>Christmas tree cataracts<\/strong> that are pathognomonic for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Myotonic_dystrophy\"><strong>myotonic dystrophy<\/strong><\/a>. In this post, though, we wanted to reference the big man himself, <strong>Santa Claus<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/osmosis-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Santa-Anatomy-front1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a>Imagine if <strong>St. Nick<\/strong> walked into your consultation room and asked to be your patient, &#8220;because you&#8217;re such a good little medical student.&#8221; Where would you begin? With a (long) past <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/11-tips-for-taking-a-patient-history\">medical history<\/a><\/strong>? A <strong>family history<\/strong> including Santa&#8217;s brother, Fred? A hat-to-toe <strong>physical exam<\/strong>? We&#8217;re sure you&#8217;ll figure it out, but to get you started we wanted to quiz you with an Osmosis-like question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Which of the following conditions is Santa Claus most likely to have?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>a. Rosacea<\/em><br><em>b. Christmas disease<\/em><br><em>c. Holiday Heart syndrome<\/em><br><em>d. Nutmeg liver<\/em><br><em>e. Cardiomegaly<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before we share the &#8220;answer&#8221; to this question, we wanted to share some <strong>research <\/strong>we did on Santa&#8217;s health because he&#8217;s getting up there in age. Some sources claim he is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/2024\/12\/09\/how-old-is-santa-claus\/76499582007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more than\u00a0500 years old<\/a>, but the man himself\u00a0dodged the question\u00a0by saying he\u2019s \u201colder than the Easter Bunny, but younger than the Tooth Fairy.\u201d Here are some of the concerns we would have if we were Santa\u2019s personal clinicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rosacea\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Rosacea\">Rosacea<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Santa\u2019s characteristically <strong>rosy cheeks<\/strong> may indicate a long-standing problem with rosacea, and potentially the associated condition of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMicm1208058\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>rhinophyma<\/strong><\/a>. Though not known to be contagious, these potential disorders may have been zoonotically spread to Santa from his reindeer,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/345\/bmj.e8311\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Rudolph<\/strong><\/a>, who has been known to suffer from <strong>red nose syndrome<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Obesity\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/home\/search?topic=Biostatistics%20and%20Epidemiology&amp;show=concepts\">Obesity<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the absence of exact figures, we found estimates that Santa weighs anywhere from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/wiki.answers.com\/Q\/How_much_does_Santa_Claus_weigh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">220 lbs<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a01,380 lbs\u00a0and is somewhere between\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/wiki.answers.com\/Q\/How_tall_is_Santa_Claus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4\u2032 3\u2033<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a06\u2032 7\u2033\u00a0tall, which gives him a BMI between\u00a024.8\u00a0(just below overweight) and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/studyfinds.org\/santa-claus-morbidly-obese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">373<\/a>, making him a potential candidate for liposuction and bariatric surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Metabolic_Syndrome\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Non-alcoholic_fatty_liver_disease\">Metabolic Syndrome<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a potential problem because everyone knows Santa has a weakness for sugar- and fat-rich foods. Say only 1% of the 75 million homes he visits each place one glass of milk and one cookie for him: that\u2019s <strong>750,000 cookies<\/strong> and <strong>46,875 gallons of milk<\/strong>. Even if that milk was fat-free, he\u2019ll still have a massive tummy ache on December 25th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Christmas_disease\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Hemophilia\">Christmas disease<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also known as <strong>Hemophilia B,<\/strong> this is a <strong>blood-clotting<\/strong> problem named after its first diagnosed patient, <strong>Stephen Christmas<\/strong>, and described in the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2022306\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1952 Christmas issue<\/a>\u00a0of the British Medical Journal. Okay, but we aren\u2019t actually worried that Santa has this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sciatica\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Sciatica\">Sciatica<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Santa has spent hundreds of years lugging <strong>heavy sacks of toys<\/strong> to millions of houses. We hope he has good insurance because that is a bad combination for developing <strong>lumbar spine problems<\/strong>, which may lead to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Sciatica\">sciatica<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chronic_Bronchitis\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Chronic_bronchitis\">Chronic Bronchitis<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We hope that all of the \u201cHo-Ho-Hoing\u201d is intentional and not a manifestation of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Obstructive_lung_diseases:_Pathology_review\">chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)<\/a><\/strong>. Prolonged exposure to chimney stacks and the resulting soot may have led to COPD-like symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dorsomedial_Hypothalamic_Nucleus_Lesion\"><\/span>Dorsomedial Hypothalamic Nucleus Lesion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The DMH nucleus is responsible for the emotion of <strong>rage<\/strong>. Since Santa has no rage, he may have a <strong>minor lesion<\/strong> in that nucleus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Holiday_Heart_Syndrome\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Atrial_fibrillation\">Holiday Heart Syndrome<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is an irregular heartbeat, such as <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Atrial_fibrillation\">atrial fibrillation<\/a><\/strong>, that can occur in otherwise healthy individuals. We\u2019ll need to strap a <strong>holter (portable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/ECG_basics\">ECG<\/a>)<\/strong> on him to know for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nutmeg_Liver_or_Cirrhosis\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Cirrhosis\">Nutmeg Liver, or Cirrhosis<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These <strong>liver issues<\/strong> may pop up because of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Body_fluid_compartments\">fluid congestion<\/a><\/strong> or too much \u201ceggnog for adults,\u201d respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cardiomegaly\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/learn\/Clinical_Reasoning:_Heart_Failure\">Cardiomegaly<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everyone knows Santa has a <strong>big heart<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Osmosis_Diagnosis\"><\/span>The Osmosis Diagnosis<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fortunately, after a\u00a0<strong>detailed examination<\/strong>\u00a0of Santa\u2019s <strong>anatomy<\/strong>, our fears were resolved. We were glad to find out that Santa <strong>regularly exercises<\/strong> to improve his hand grip (squeezing tennis balls) and leg strength (squats, deadlifts, and kettlebell classes) so that he can carry the over 700 million toys he delivers each year. In addition, he \u201cmaintains a <strong>healthy diet<\/strong> (for most of the year), and regularly gets his <strong>cholesterol <\/strong>levels checked by his doctor in the North Pole,\u201d and also \u201cmakes sure to have a diet rich in <strong>fiber<\/strong> and <strong>Omega 3<\/strong> oil supplements and a <strong>daily multivitamin<\/strong> in order to maintain his health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It seems to us that beneath his portly exterior, Santa is actually pretty healthy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"826\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/12\/Mo_santa.png?w=940\" alt=\"Santa Mo wishing everyone Happy Holidays!\" class=\"wp-image-8464\" style=\"width:283px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/12\/Mo_santa.png 940w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/12\/Mo_santa.png?resize=300,264 300w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/12\/Mo_santa.png?resize=768,675 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>We hope that this coming year brings health, joy, and prosperity to you, our Osmosis learners. Happy Holidays!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"But_wait%E2%80%A6whats_the_answer\"><\/span>But wait&#8230;what&#8217;s the answer?!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Answer: E.<\/strong> Like we said, everyone knows that Santa has a <strong>big heart<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Key Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Santa\u2019s rosy cheeks could hint at rosacea but may be just his signature look.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>His love of sweets raises concerns about metabolic syndrome risks.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Long years of heavy lifting might contribute to sciatica.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Holiday heart syndrome is a possible condition due to seasonal stressors.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Most fittingly, Santa is known for having a big heart\u2014<em>cardiomegaly<\/em>!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"References\"><\/span>References<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-328X\/15\/6\/731\">https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-328X\/15\/6\/731<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/2024\/12\/09\/how-old-is-santa-claus\/76499582007\/\">https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/2024\/12\/09\/how-old-is-santa-claus\/76499582007\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMicm1208058\">https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMicm1208058<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/345\/bmj.e8311\">https:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/345\/bmj.e8311<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC2022306\/\">https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC2022306\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/09\/Blog_Display_Ads_MD1_2023.png?w=700\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5904\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/09\/Blog_Display_Ads_MD1_2023.png 700w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/09\/Blog_Display_Ads_MD1_2023.png?resize=300,107 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Try Osmosis from Elsevier today! Access your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/create\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free trial<\/a>\u00a0and find out why millions of current and future clinicians and caregivers love learning with us.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What medical conditions might Santa Claus have? From rosacea to cardiomegaly, explore the playful diagnosis behind the jolly old elf\u2019s health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":2209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,10,16],"tags":[1793,1799,1798,1796,1797,1792,1800,1794,1791,1795],"class_list":["post-2208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medicine","category-clinical-skills","category-do","tag-cardiomegaly","tag-christmas-disease","tag-chronic-bronchitis","tag-holiday-heart-syndrome","tag-holiday-medicine","tag-medical-humor","tag-medical-trivia","tag-metabolic-syndrome","tag-santa-claus-health","tag-sciatica"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>If Santa Claus Were Your Patient - Osmosis Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/if-santa-claus-were-your-patient\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"If Santa Claus Were Your Patient - Osmosis Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What medical conditions might Santa Claus have? 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Can you identify the underlying mechanism behind this high-yield clinical scenario?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Allopathic Medicine (MD)&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Allopathic Medicine (MD)","link":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/category\/medicine"},"img":{"alt_text":"USMLE Step 1 Question of the Day: Vortioxetine interaction","src":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/USMLE-Step-1-Question-of-the-Day-Vortioxetine-interaction.png","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/USMLE-Step-1-Question-of-the-Day-Vortioxetine-interaction.png 1x, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/USMLE-Step-1-Question-of-the-Day-Vortioxetine-interaction.png 1.5x, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/USMLE-Step-1-Question-of-the-Day-Vortioxetine-interaction.png 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":808,"url":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/usmle-step-1-question-of-the-day-neuroleptic-malignant-syndrome","url_meta":{"origin":2208,"position":5},"title":"USMLE\u00ae Step 1 Question of the Day: Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome","author":"Marina Horiates Kerekes, MD &amp; Team","date":"October 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Explore a USMLE\u00ae Step 1 clinical case on serotonin syndrome and discover why myoclonus distinguishes it from similar conditions like neuroleptic malignant syndrome.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Allopathic Medicine (MD)&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Allopathic Medicine (MD)","link":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/category\/medicine"},"img":{"alt_text":"USMLE Step 1 Question of the Day Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome","src":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/neuroleptic-malignant-syndrome.webp","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/neuroleptic-malignant-syndrome.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/neuroleptic-malignant-syndrome.webp 1.5x, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/neuroleptic-malignant-syndrome.webp 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2208"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8465,"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2208\/revisions\/8465"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}