Thursday, October 6, 2011
House Episode: Conditions and Treatments
Sick Nun Diagnosis/Treatments
Cause: The cause of this syndrome is not yet known.
Symptoms: Churg Strauss is commonly characterized by asthma, allergic rhitinis, and peripheral blood eosinophilia. As the syndrome can affect any organ system, symptoms can vary depending on the location. Pulmonary Churg Strauss includes asthma, cough, sinuses, and difficulty breathing. Neurological Churg Strauss consists of mononeuritis and polyneuropathy. Cutaneous Churg Strauss causes the skin to seem to have bug bites and hemorraghes. Cardiovascular Churg Strauss includes inflammation of the heart and quick heartbeat. Gastrointestinal Churg Strauss causes gastroenteritis, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and hemorrhages.
Thyrotoxicosis
Cause: This disease is usually caused by the body forming an immune reaction against itself. Thyroid cells that receive thyroid stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland have antibodies bound on to their receptors. This causes the thyroid to go into overdrive and produce more thyroxine than usual.
Symptoms: Since this disease causes the patient's metabolism to increase, typical symptoms include weight loss, increased appetite, rapid heart rate, fine tremors, increased nervousness and emotional instability, intolerance of heat, excessive sweating, bulging eyes, and enlargement of the thyroid gland.
Contact Dermatitis
Cause: This disease is an allergic reaction when direct contact is made with an allergen.
Symptoms: The contact causes itching, redness, inflammation, tenderness, lesions, and/or rash on the patient's skin.
Prednisone: is a type of steroid that prevents the release of substances that cause inflammation in the body.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber: an isolated, sealed chamber in which a patient is treated in a situation of one hundred percent oxygen and increased pressure in comparison to outside pressure.
Conditions and Treatments
3 diseases or conditions that the patient could have had:
- Contact dermatitis - It is caused by direct contact with an allergy-inducing or irritating substance. Risk of contracting this condition is heightened if the person has any past history of allergies. There are two types of contact dermatitis. The first, irritant dermatitis, is the type which results from contact with acids, alkaline materials or other such chemicals. Allergic contact dermatitis, on the other hand, results from exposure to a material or substance to which the person has become extra sensitive or allergic to. The symptoms of both include skin redness of inflammation, swelling, itching, tenderness, lesions or rashes.
- Churg-Strauss - Disorder marked by invasion of the blood vessels. Said inflammation can restrict blood flow to vital organs and tissues, sometimes even damaging them. Asthma is a very common symptom of Churg-Strauss, but others can include hay fever, rash, gastrointestinal bleeding and severe pain as well as numbness in the hands and feet. The wide range of symptoms makes it a difficult condition to diagnose. Unfortunately, Churg-Strauss has no cure, but at least the symptoms can be moderated with steroids and other immunosuppressant drugs. The cause of this syndrome is also unknown, but it involves an unusual over-activation of the immune system in a person with asthma. Though an association between asthma medications and the development of the condition has been noted, it is not certain whether those with severe asthma that take them already have a tendency for the development of whether it is caused by the medications themselves.
- Mixed connective tissue disease - This condition is actually an overlap of three other diseases, systematic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma and polymyositis. The symptoms of mixed connective tissue disease, therefore, all the symptoms displayed by all three of those mentioned diseases. Usually the people that suffer from this disease also have high amounts of antibodies ANA and anti-RNP. The general treatments of this disease are directed towards suppressing immune-related inflammation of the tissues, through the use of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant medications. Aside from those, treatment will vary depending on the organs affected by the disease.
Proposed treatments:
- Prednisone - Medicine used to treat many different conditions including allergic disorders, skin conditions, arthritis, lupus and breathing disorders. It prevents the release of substance in the body that cause inflammation.
- Hyperbaric Treatment - This treatment involves the breathing of 100% pure oxygen while resting in a sealed chamber that has been pressurized to 1.5 to 3 times atmospheric pressure. Health problems this treatment is used to treat include bone damage caused by radiation therapy, carbon monoxide poisoning and injuries in which the tissues are not receiving enough oxygen.
House Episodes 1: Conditions and Treatments
- inherited tendency to develop allergies (called Atope.)
- Parents who have asthma.
- Some respiratory infections during childhood
- Contact with some airborne allergens or exposure to some viral infections in infancy or in early childhood when the immune system is developing
1) greatly increases oxygen concentration in all body tissues, even with reduced or blocked blood flow
2) stimulates the growth of new blood vessels to locations with reduced circulation which improves blood flow to areas with arterial blockage
3) causes a rebound arterial dilation after HBOT, resulting in an increased blood vessel diameter greater than when therapy began, improving blood flow to compromised organs
4) stimulates an adaptive increase in superoxide dismutase, which is one of the body's principal and internally produced antioxidants and free radical scavengers; and,
5) aids the treatment of infection by enhancing white blood cell action and potentiating germ-killing antibiotics.
House Episode 1
Conditions
Churg-Strauss Syndrome
Causes: Churg-Strauss syndrome, a form of vasculitis, is characterized by inflammation of blood vessels in the lungs, skin, nerves, and abdomen in patients with a history of asthma or allergy. The exact cause is unknown, but it involves an abnormal over-activation of the immune system of an asthmatic person. It is reputed to be caused by certain asthma medications, but these reports are not clear.
Symptoms: Some symptoms are fever, weight loss, fatigue, sinus or nasal passage inflammation, cough, shortness of breath, chest pains, skin lumps, diarrhea, numbness, weakness, and seizures.
Contact dermatitis
Causes: There are two types of contact dermatitis: irritant and allergic. Irritant contact dermatitis is caused by a substance that damages the skin’s protective layer. Harsh soaps, chemical solvents, and cosmetics often cause this. Allergic contact dermatitis is caused by an allergen that triggers and immune reaction on the skin. Common allergens include rubber, metals, and cosmetics.
Symptoms: Some symptoms include: a red rash after exposure, blistered skin, hives, and an itchy and burning sensation on the skin.
Cellulitis
Causes: Cellulitis is caused by bacteria (strep or staph) that develop in a cut, sore, or insect bite.
Symptoms: Begins as a small area of tenderness, swelling and redness of the skin. As this area enlarges, and fever, swollen lymph nodes, and chills occur.
Treatments
Diphenhydramine
Diphenhydramine is a medicine used to relieve red, irritated, itchy, watery eyes; sneezing; and runny nose caused by fever, allergies, or a cold. It is also used to relieve cough. It comes as a rapidly disintegrating tablet, and comes both alone and in combination with pain relievers.
Hyperbaric oxygen chamber
This is an intermittent treatment of the entire body with 100% oxygen at greater than atmospheric pressures. It greatly increases oxygen concentration in all body tissues, stimulates the growth of new blood vessels to locations with reduced circulations, causes a rebound arterial dilation, stimulates an adaptive increase in superoxide dismutase, and aids the treatment of infection by enhancing white blood cell action and potentiating germ-killing antibiotics.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
There are two types of contact dermatitis: allergic and irritant. Allergic contact dermatitis results from a reaction of the immune system. The immune system overreacts to a foreign substance and is activated to produce antibodies against this allergen. The antibody is stored in mast cells. When they come in contact with the allergen, the antibodies promote release of chemicals and hormones called "mediators." The effect of these mediators cuase the allergic reaction, in this case an itchy rash. In allergic contact dermatitis, you have a skin reaction to something that has touched your skin at that site. The reaction does not occur the fist time you are exposed, however. Irritant contact dermatitis comes from coming in contact with a substance that directly damages your skin. Allergic dermatitis is usually confined to the area where the trigger actually touched the skin, whereas irritant dermatitis may be more widespread. The symptoms include: a red rash, blisteres or hives, and itchy or burning skin.
The cause of mast cell leukemia is unknown. The symptoms include: tiredness, lack of energy, shortness of breath during physical activity, pale skin, swollen gums, slow healing of cuts and bruises, small red spots under the skin, extensive bleeding from minor wounds, mild fever, bruise-like marks that appear without cause, aches in bones, knees, hips or shoulders, burning sensation in abdomen when moving, vomiting blood, bloody stools, nausea, unexplained weight loss, and changes in appetite.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the breathing of 100% oxygen while inside a treatment chamber, at a pressure higher than sea-level pressure. It has long been accepted as the definitive treatment for decompression illness. The treatment may be carried out in either a monoplace (one person) or multiplace (multiple people) chamber. The purpose of the chamber is to provide increased amounts of oxygen to the body.
Epinephrine injection is used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions. It works by relaxing the muscles in the airways and tightening the blood vessels.
#SWAG
Contact Dermatitis
What causes Contact Dermatitis is that the immune system overreacts to a prolonged exposure to a foreign substance, usually from an animal or vegetable protein. Then the immune system is activated to produce antibodies `against the foreign substance. The antibodies release mediators that cause the symptoms of the allergic reaction
Symptoms:
· A red rash is the usual reaction
- Your skin may blister, or you may get a raised red rash, called hives, sometimes in a pattern that points to the foreign substance
- Your skin will itch and may perhaps burn.
Treatment:
· Diphenhydramine- is an antihistamine that reduces the natural chemical histamine in the body.
Churg-Strauss Syndrome
What causes Churg-Strauss syndrome is not known, but it involves an abnormal over-activation of the immune system in a person with asthma.
Symptoms:
· Fatigue
· weight loss
· inflammation of the nasal passages
· numbness
· weakness
Treament:
· Prednisone- used to treat inflammatory diseases.
Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
What causes mixed connective is caused by an overlap illnesses (systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma) and have high amounts of the in their blood. Mixed connective tissue disease patients do not typically have other antibodies needed in the body.
Symptoms:
· Raynauds disease
· Fatigue
· Joint pains
· Fevers
· Joint swelling
· Manaise
House episode analysis
House Episode 1: Conditions and Treatments
1. Contact dermatitis
- Causes: Is a localized rash or irritation of the skin caused by contact with a foreign substance. Substances that cause contact dermatitis in many people include "poisonous" plants such as poison ivy, certain foods, some metals, cleaning solutions, detergents, cosmetics, perfumes, industrial chemicals, and latex rubber.
- Symptoms: red rash (most common), skin may blister, itchy skin.
2. Churg-strauss
- Cause: The cause of the syndrome is unknown, but it involves an abnormal over-activation of the immune system in a person with underlying bronchospastic lung disease (asthma).
- Symptomes: Churg-Strauss syndrome causes fever, weight loss, and sinus or nasal passage inflammation in the patient with asthma. Fatigue is common. Cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain can occur as the lungs are affected by vasculitis. Skin lumps, called nodules, can appear on the extremities. Diarrhea and pain in the belly occur due to blood vessel inflammation within the abdomen. The bladder and prostate gland can become inflamed.
Numbness or weakness of the extremities is the result of nerve injury from the vasculitis. If the brain is affected, seizures or confusion can occur.
3. Tachycardia
- Causes: Heart-related conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension).Poor blood supply to the heart muscle due to coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis), heart valve disease, heart failure, heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), tumors, or infections. Other medical conditions such as thyroid disease, certain lung diseases, electrolyte imbalance, and alcohol or drug abuse.Emotional stress or drinking large amounts of alcoholic or caffeinated beverages.
- Symptoms: Shortness of breath ,dizziness, sudden weakness, fluttering in the chest, lightheadedness, fainting.
4. Epinephrine
- It causes quickening of the heart beat, strengthens the force of the heart's contraction, opens up the airways (bronchioles) in the lungs and has numerous other effects. The secretion of epinephrine by the adrenal is part of the fight-or-flight reaction. Adrenaline is a synonym of epinephrine.
5. Prednisone
- Prednisone is an oral, synthetic corticosteroid used for suppressing the immune system and inflammation. It has effects similar to other corticosteroids such as triamcinolone (Kenacort), methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisolone (Prelone) and dexamethasone (Decadron). These synthetic corticosteroids mimic the action of cortisol (hydrocortisone), the naturally-occurring corticosteroid produced in the body by the adrenal glands. Corticosteroids are mostly used because of their strong anti-inflammatory effects, particularly in those conditions in which the immune system plays an important role. These include: arthritis, colitis, asthma, bronchitis, certain skin rashes, and allergic or inflammatory conditions of the nose and eyes. Prednisone is inactive in the body and, in order to be effective, first must be converted to prednisolone by enzymes in the liver.
Nuns Disease
There is no known cause for Churg-Strauss Syndrome. It is typically found in patients with a history with new-onset or newly-worsened asthma because it is believed that asthma medications, such as leukotriene modifiers may be setting off this syndrome. This theory is still not tested. The symptoms for Churg-Strauss Syndrome include fevers, weight loss and sinus inflamation in the patient with asthma. Asthma can worsen as the syndrome intensifies. Other syndromes, are eosinophilia. The third stage of the Syndrome is vasculitis.
Contact Dermatitis
The causes for contact dermatitis include poisonous plants, some foods, detergents, cosmetics, foods, and perfumes. Symptoms of this disease include a red rash, and iritability on the skin.
Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
Doctors dont have clear the causes for this disease because they dont know what causes autoimmune diseases. Symptons inculde Raynaud's diseases, fatigue, malaise, muscle pains, joint pains, fever, joint swelling, and swollen hands with puffy fingers.
Treatments:
Epinephrine is a hormone secreted in adrenal glands. Epi injections are for treating severe allergic reactions. What it does, is open airways for the lungs and narrows blood vessels, reverse low blood preassure, wheezing, and severe skin itching.
Dyphendramine is a antihistamine used for allergic reactions. Antihistamine compete with histamine to get to cell receptors. When antihistamine reach the cell receptors they dont stimulate them preventing itching, or mucus production. It is also used as a sedative because it causes drowsiness.
Conditions and Treatments
HI
House Episode 1 Sick Nunny
3 Conditions
Cardiac Arrest: the heart has an internal electrical system, which controls the rhythm of the beat. An arrhythmia causes an abnormal heartbeat. During and arrhythmia the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or stop beating like in the nun’s case. Without medical attention the person can die in a matter of minutes. People who receive CPR and defibrillation are more likely to survive from a Cardiac Arrest.
Cellulitis: is a bacterial infection in the deepest layer of the skin. The cells swell up; bacteria can enter a body through a break in the skin, a cut, scratch or bite. With cellulitis the deep skin tissue infected becomes red, hot, irritated and painful. Symptoms: skin redness or swelling in the infected area, tight, glossy look to skin, pain, skin rash, and fevers, chills or muscle aches. The treatment to cellulitis includes antibiotics.
Connective tissue disorders: connective tissue is the “cellular glue: that gives your tissues their shape and keeps them strong. The nun had scleroderma, which has no known cause. Scleroderma means hard skins, systemic scleroderma affects your blood vessels and internal organs and your skin.
2 Treatments
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, as a treatment mode in which the patient is entirely enclosed in a pressure chamber breathing oxygen at a pressure greater than one atmosphere.
Diphenhydramine: is an antihistamine used for treating allergic reactions.
Diseases
Eosinophilia: the condition in which very high amounts of eosinophils, or a type of white blood cell, are found in the blood stream or gut lining. It can be caused by many factors, including: allergic diseases such as asthma and hay fever, lung diseases, vasculitis, some tumors, liver cirrhosis, and many others. Its symptoms are those of the condition it was caused by, although some rare symptoms can include weight loss, night sweats, lymph node enlargement, other skin rashes, and numbness and tingling due to nerve damage.
Systemic mastocytosis: a condition caused by the accumulation of mast cells in more than one part of the body. The reason why some people have so many mast cells is unknown. The symptoms are all different, depending on where the disease is located in the body. Some include rashes, diarrhea, trouble breathing, and low blood pressure.
Contact Dermatitis: an inflammation of the skin caused by direct contact with an irritating substance. It is caused by direct contact with acids, alkaline materials such as soaps and detergents, solvents, or other chemicals. Some symptoms include itching, skin redness or inflammation, tenderness, warmth of exposed area, skin lesions, and rash.
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Prednisone: prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation. It is used to treat many different conditions such as allergic disorders, skin conditions, ulcerative colitis, arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, or breathing disorders.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: involves the breathing of pure oxygen while in a sealed chamber that has been pressurized at 1-1/2 to 3 times normal atmospheric pressure.
