Infections such as pneumonia, upper respiratory infection, and acute bronchitis all have similar signs and symptoms, but there are key findings in the exam that might cause a physician to form a differential diagnosis for each one specifically. Upper respiratory infection (also known as the common cold) can be transmitted either through direct or indirect contact and is by far the most prevalent communicable disease. Upon evaluation the physician will see a variety of signs and symptoms including sore or scratchy throat, stuffy nose and sneezing. If a secondary bacterial infection is present, there may be headache, nasal discharge, mild fever, myalgia, and coughing. If this continues to get worse there may be laryngitis, acute bronchitis …show more content…
This can be easily misdiagnosed because it commonly follows a cold or other infection of the throat or nasopharynx. Some signs and symptoms that may be very important in the differential diagnosis are fatigue, malnutrition or chills. However, symptoms usually begin with the secondary symptoms of an upper respiratory infection so physicians need to be aware that when a cough becomes overly present, the upper respiratory infection often has turned into acute bronchitis. Although a dry cough may be present in the common cold, one clear sign of bronchitis is the presence of yellowish mucous after coughing. Along with the increased coughing of bronchitis, the fever associated with the common cold may get worse and may last a few days, depending on the severity. Patient may also begin to wheeze and when chest auscultations are performed, there may be rales, which are abnormal rattling sounds. In order to manage bronchitis, the patient must rest until there is no more fever and drink plenty of water. The physician will often prescribe a cough suppressant and an antibiotic that should be taken daily until bronchitis is no longer an issue. One very important symptom is that pneumonia may complicate the presence of bronchitis so it is important to differentiate between the two and make sure to take proper precautions if dealing with
R.S. has chronic bronchitis. According to the UC San Francisco Medical Center “Chronic bronchitis is a common type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in which the air passages in the lungs — the bronchi — are repeatedly inflamed, leading to scarring of the bronchi walls. As a result, excessive amounts of sticky mucus are produced and fill the bronchial tubes, which become thickened, impeding normal airflow through the lungs.” (Chronic Bronchitis 2015) There are many things that can be observed as clinical findings. R.S. will have a chronic cough that has lasted from 3 months to two years or more, and a lot of sputum. The sputum is due to
The EB’s case study said the female patient is 50 years old with symptoms of fever, chills, congestion, three weeks of coughing, shortness of breath when walking. The study implies that the patient is now seeking medical advice due to vital signs recording and the noting of decreased breath sounds and wheezing. She denies smoking and not taking any chronic medication.
Croup: Croup is another common airway inflammation caused by virus that can affect the trachea, larynx and possibility the bronchi (Murray, Sidani, & Zoorob, 2011) thus causing infection in the upper respiratory tract. Murray et al. describes it as the most common illness in children under the age of 6 to 36 months and cause for cough mostly when a child cries; acute stridor and hoarseness in febrile children (Murray et al., 2011). It can be a life-threatening situation in the life of the young infant and the family. Croup symptoms exhibit as hoarseness, barking cough, inspiratory stridor, and respiratory distress. I chose this diagnosis as my first preference because when I read the mother’s subjective report it matches that of croup symptoms: a barking cough, no fever, severe at night and when the baby cries, fatigue due to excessiveness of the tears, pain due to inflames and swollen of the airway. Murray et al., led us to understand that the etiologies of this viral causing agent can be traced to the parainfluenza viruses, type 1. (2011). This virus is commonly spread through contact or droplet secretion.
Chronic bronchitis differs from emphysema in that it affects the bronchioles. There are two forms of bronchitis: chronic and acute. We are going to focus on chronic bronchitis. In this disease, the bronchioles become thick and inflamed. The affected person might cough up thick mucus which can also block the bronchioles.
...spiratory infections. The patient must always be under continuous scrutiny since they can undergo aspiration or lack the ability to change from the passageway to their lungs versus their stomach and their spit travels to the lungs which, in turn, causes bronchopneumonia. The patient also does not have the facility to cough and so must undertake a treatment to shake up their body to eliminate the mucus from the lining of their lungs.
My disease is Streptococcal pneumonia or pneumonia is caused by the pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Streptococcus pneumoniae is present in human’s normal flora, which normally doesn’t cause any problems or diseases. Sometimes though when the numbers get too low it can cause diseases or upper respiratory tract problems or infections (Todar, 2008-2012). Pneumonia caused by this pathogen has four stages. The first one is where the lungs fill with fluid. The second stage causes neutrophils and red blood cells to come to the area which are attracted by the pathogen. The third stage has the neutrophils stuffed into the alveoli in the lungs causing little bacteria to be left over. The fourth stage of this disease the remaining residue in the lungs are take out by the macrophages. Aside from these steps pneumonia follows, if the disease should persist further, it can get into the blood causing a systemic reaction resulting in the whole body being affected (Ballough). Some signs and symptoms of this disease are, “fever, malaise, cough, pleuritic chest pain, purulent or blood-tinged sputum” (Henry, 2013). Streptococcal pneumonia is spread through person-to-person contact through aerosol droplets affecting the respiratory tract causing it to get into the human body (Henry, 2013).
Craven , D., & Hjalmarson, K. (2010). Ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis and pneumonia: thinking outside the box. Clinical Infectious Diseases: An Official Publication Of The Infectious Diseases Society Of America , 1, p.S59-66. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?sid=44b983f2-9b91-407c-a053-fd8507d9a657@sessionmgr4002&vid=9&hid=116&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==
later brings up green and yellow mucus. The cough may persist to 4 to 6
Having aching muscles in the back, arms and legs. A person may experience chills and sweats, headaches, and a dry persistent cough. Along with having fatigue and a sore throat.
Liam is a previously healthy boy who has experienced rhinorrhoea, intermittent cough, and poor feeding for the past four days. His positive result of nasopharyngeal aspirate for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) indicates that Liam has acute bronchiolitis which is a viral infection (Glasper & Richardson, 2010). “Bronchiolitis is the commonest reason for admission to hospital in the first 6 months of life. It describes a clinical syndrome of cough tachypnoea, feeding difficulties and inspiratory crackles on chest auscultation” (Fitzgerald, 2011, p.160). Bronchiolitis can cause respiratory distress and desaturation (91% in the room air) to Liam due to airway blockage; therefore the infant appears to have nasal flaring, intercostal and subcostal retractions, and tachypnoea (54 breathes/min) during breathing (Glasper & Richardson, 2010). Tachycardia (152 beats/min) could occur due to hypoxemia and compensatory mechanism for low blood pressure (74/46mmHg) (Fitzgerald, 2011; Glasper & Richardson, 2010). Moreover, Liam has fever and conjunctiva injection which could be a result of infection, as evidenced by high temperature (38.6°C) and bilateral tympanic membra...
Pneumonia can also become a hospital acquired infection. Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a type of lung infection that occurs in a person who has been on a ventilator.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Symptoms and signs of possible severe illness (such as unusual lethargy, uncontrolled coughing, irritability, persistent crying, difficult breathing, wheezing, or other unusual signs)- until medical evaluation allows inclusion;
Chronic bronchitis is a disorder that causes inflammation to the airway, mainly the bronchial tubules. It produces a chronic cough that lasts three consecutive months for more than two successive years (Vijayan,2013). Chronic Bronchitis is a member of the COPD family and is prominently seen in cigarette smokers. Other factors such as air pollutants, Asbestos, and working in coal mines contributes to inflammation. Once the irritant comes in contact with the mucosa of the bronchi it alters the composition causing hyperplasia of the glands and producing excessive sputum (Viayan,2013). Goblet cells also enlarge to contribute to the excessive secretion of sputum. This effects the cilia that carry out the mechanism of trapping foreign bodies to allow it to be expelled in the sputum, which are now damaged by the irritant making it impossible for the person to clear their airway. Since the mechanism of airway clearance is ineffective, the secretion builds up a thickened wall of the bronchioles causing constriction and increasing the work of breathing. The excessive build up of mucous could set up pneumonia. The alveoli are also damaged enabling the macrophages to eliminate bacteria putting the patient at risk for acquiring an infection.
coughing, and high fevers. Similar symptoms were found in people in different countries. It told