StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Theory of The Differential Diagnosis - Assignment Example

Cite this document
Summary
This paper will discuss the differential diagnosis, further review of the system, final primary diagnosis, diagnostic workup, medications, referrals, conservative measures, patient education, and a follow-up plan that should be taken by the patient…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.1% of users find it useful
Theory of The Differential Diagnosis
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Theory of The Differential Diagnosis"

Week 7 Case Study TheoryPatient S.F, 70 years of age presents and has a history of significant cigarette use. A seen symptom is dyspnea on exertion, which has been worsening over the last three days. Additionally, the patient has a cough with sputum production; which has a change in characteristics of sputum production. This paper will discuss the differential diagnosis, further review of system, final primary diagnosis, diagnostic workup, medications, referrals, conservative measures, patient education, and a follow-up plan that should be taken by the patient.

Differential diagnosis linked to the patient presenting with dyspnea on exertion includes asthma, myocardial ischemia, COPD, congestive heart failure, pericardial effusion, deconditioning, anemia, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, and coronary artery disease. The rationale for these diagnoses is that difficulty breathing with exertion explains cardiopulmonary or pulmonary disease. Moreover, pursed-lip breathing is a sign of airflow obstruction. Dyspnea on exertion worsens with the resulting sedentary state.

This is present in patients with cardiopulmonary disease. In regard to this case study, the patient has a past medical history of COPD; thus, skeletal muscle atrophy is a common finding and has been related to low-level systemic inflammation and oxidative stress (Nelson, 2015). To further develop the differential diagnosis, a review of systems ought to be conducted. This entails questions that need to be addressed. Such questions include: dental changes, occupational exposure to dust and chemicals, excessive salt intake, weight gain, increased cough, fever, and increasing sputum production (Markovchick, Pons, & Bakes, 2011).

The final primary diagnosis is COPD. The symptoms include cough, sputum production, and dyspnea on exertion (Osadnik, McDonald, Jones & Holland, 2012). In this particular case, the patient has a significant cigarette smoking history, thus, the worsening dyspnea. This is because the increase in dyspnea is linked with age (the patient is 70 years), deconditioning, weight gain and concomitant comorbid medical conditions. Further diagnostic work-up includes obtaining a spirometry before and after bronchodilator; as the first step.

This step will determine any airflow obstruction thus grant patients immediate therapy. Additionally lung volume ought to be measured, so as to reveal hyperinflation (Buttaro, 2013). Also, thoracic imaging ought to be performed with an MRI, as well as pulse oximetry test and arterial blood gas measurements. Appropriate medications for this condition include bronchodilators, Phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitors, and Corticosteroids. These drugs are intended to improve the symptoms. Pneumococcal and influenza vaccines have to be administered to the patient.

Non- pharmacological therapies include lung volume reduction surgery, supplemental oxygen, and pulmonary rehabilitation (Kew, Dias & Cates, 2014). Patient Education/Health Promotion entails informing the patient on how to live a healthy life. This entails the management of the condition, which ought to begin with correcting airway obstruction (Osadnik et al., 2012). Such tips include:1. Encouragement to quit smoking2. Eliminating environmental irritants3. Engaging in an exercise program, and noting the tolerance level of activities.

Referral and hospital admission is relevant in cases where there is a worsening of dyspnea in patients with a chronic heart or lung condition. This is considered a serious case, as hypoxemia, ventilator failure, or left ventricular decompensation may have occurred. A follow-up plan can determine improvement. This entails knowing how the patient feels, as well as monitoring oxygen saturation (Singh, Loscalzo, & Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2012). ReferencesButtaro, T. M. (2013). Primary care: A collaborative practice. St. Louis, Mo:Elsevier/Mosby.

Kew KM, Dias S, Cates CJ. Long-acting inhaled therapy (beta-agonists, anticholinergics andsteroids) for COPD: a network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD010844. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010844.pub2.Markovchick, V. J., Pons, P. T., & Bakes, K. M. (2011). Emergency medicine secrets. St.Louis, Mo: Elsevier/Mosby.Nelson, B. D. (2015). Essential clinical global health. Chichester, West Sussex ; Malden,MA : John Wiley & Sons Inc.Osadnik CR, McDonald CF, Jones AP, Holland AE.

Airway clearance techniques for chronicobstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD008328. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008328.pub2.Singh, A., Loscalzo, J., & Brigham and Women's Hospital. (2012). The Brigham intensivereview of internal medicine. New York: Oxford University Press.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Theory of The Differential Diagnosis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Theory of The Differential Diagnosis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1683588-week-7-case-study-theory
(Theory of The Differential Diagnosis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
Theory of The Differential Diagnosis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1683588-week-7-case-study-theory.
“Theory of The Differential Diagnosis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1683588-week-7-case-study-theory.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Theory of The Differential Diagnosis

Aetiology and the Treatment of Restrictive Attachment Disorder

In this regard, any epidemiologic knowledge on RAD is derived from theory and extrapolation.... In addition, minimal epidemiological data make theory, anecdotes, case reports, and extrapolation from laboratory research the main sources of information, and the natural course of RAD is also yet to be known (AACP, 2005;...
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

The Diagnosis of Mental Disorders

The paper "The diagnosis of Mental Disorders" dwells upon the medical model accounts for the physical disease being the cause for abnormal thoughts, feelings, behaviours, etc.... However, n general, he found it difficult to make a diagnosis and identify the disorder....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Cancer Disease Cells in the Body

These patients present a case of metastatic disease where a primary site cannot be detected at the time of diagnosis.... Consequently, basic laboratory tests and imaging study with limited diagnostic procedures have proved to be sufficient for the diagnosis of this syndrome....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Troubleshooting Electric Circuits

With these three steps, the setback has been identified and sorted out (Electrical Circuit theory).... The problem could be with any one of the range of systems that are involved.... The system in question could be either mechanical or electrical, hardware or software issue.... For the identified… This is the process of diagnosing the source of the problem....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Borderline personality disorder

BPD is different than depression or anxiety disorder because the individual has bouts of anger or anxiety for a limited amount of… The reason this is called BPD is because originally psychiatrists thought that this was a personality disorder that was atypical to other mental disorders, but it was given its own diagnostic category by the American Psychiatric Generally, people with BPD have trouble with controlling their impulses in relationships with other people, they may not be able to control their emotions well, and they may take risks that appear reckless (National Institute of Mental Health, 2013)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Book Report/Review

Nursing Consultation and Decision-Making in Acute Coronary Syndrome

I was notified of their case, I immediately ushered them into the emergency section of the clinic for further diagnosis and treatment that could save the patient.... Ali Bahmani.... His wife brought the patient to the clinic.... His wife explained that Mr.... Ali had complained of having heavy chest pain and pressure....
15 Pages (3750 words) Essay

How Does a Psychiatrist or Psychologist Go about Establishing Whether a Person Is Mentally Ill or Not

further issue in diagnosis is that doctors specializing in mental health may diagnose symptoms based on their individual or cultural prejudices, thus diagnosing different results.... "How Does a Psychiatrist or Psychologist Go about Establishing Whether a Person Is Mentally Ill or Not" paper investigates some of the difficulties in precisely defining mental illness....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework

The Feeling of Pulse Taking and Tongue Reading During the Observation

The pulse taking and tongue reading is usually used for TCM diagnosis of one's health condition and is employed to determine the appropriate treatment.... When it came to taking the patients diagnosis, in this case, the most critical tongue reading and pulse-taking as preferred by Chinese medicine, things did not work well as I had expected.... My latest experience was with a Mr Y who visited the clinic with a persistent headache; this was a test of my theory on applied skills and also a great learning experience....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us