Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Case Study
On December 1, 2012, a patient by the name of John Dough walks into the medical assistant’s office. The patient is five foot 11 inches tall, currently he is 70 years old and weighs approximately 211 pounds. The patient has no known allergies does not smoke and has a relatively clean health record. After filling out the patient medical history forms, the patient is seen by the doctor. The patient explains to the doctor that lately he has had trouble lifting object he would not normally have trouble with, as well as walking short distances, and being very fatigued. After further examination the patient explains how he recently found a tick on his back and removed it, but now there is a red bullseye on his back. The physician suggests a blood sample be taken and sent to the laboratory. To help with weakness and fatigue he recommends the patient to get a good nights sleep and drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. He also wants the patient to limit medication intake that could contribute to fatigue such as cold and allergy medicines and make sure to finish all daily exercising three to four hours before bed. The patient schedules a check up two weeks later.
On December 15, the patient comes in for his check up. The physician tells the patient his blood test was positive for Lyme and prescribes the patient antibiotics. However the patient now tells the doctor that he is still experiencing the weakness and fatigue even after the doctor’s advice. He also says he is having slight trouble swallowing foods and speech has become slurred and nasally at times. Due to the patients broad range of symptoms, the physician suggests the patient either get an electromyography o...
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... patient complete daily living activities and maintain mobility. Pulmonary function information should be recorded and used for reference as the disease progresses. As time passes you may need to resort to the use of a ventilation system or feeding tube which will only make things harder. There is no permanent treatment for ALS but there is a medication that slows the effects and degeneration of the disease. Riluzole is taken twice a day by mouth in 50mg tablets and has shown to increase life expectancy by 20%. If you decide to take Riluzole you must complete a complete blood count and liver function test every three months for nine months. The medicine works by slowing the time it takes for glutamate mediated motor neuron cells to die. And lastly if you have any other concerns, questions or problems you can always speak to your family therapist or physician.
...health of a patient and a follow up check at the GP’s may be required.
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.
There is no cure for ALS at this time and treatment is focused on management of the symptoms, involving a combination of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech, respiratory, and nutritional therapies. Moderate exercise may help maintain muscle strength and function. Drugs can also treat excessive saliva and drooling, and speech therapy can help compensate for loss of muscular control of the mouth. As the disease progresses and muscular degeneration spreads throughout the body, various devices may provide support, such as ankle braces, neck collars, reclining chairs, wheelchairs, and hospital beds. Respiratory support and feeding tubes are required when the person loses cont...
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly referred to as ALS, is a disease that can alter the daily life of a human in monumental and unending ways. In one of her articles about ALS, Caroline Ingre (2015) states that the disease is a “fatal neurodegenerative disorder” and further supports this by noting how the disease is marked by the degeneration in motor neurons in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord (p. 181). This basically means that
In conclusion Riluzole 100mg daily is fairly safe and most likely prolongs median surbival by around two to three months in patients with amyotrophic lacteral sclerosis. However more research needs to be done to treat Lou Gehrigs disease such as different therapeutic strategies and oxidative stress in ALS can be looked at in further depths.
always able to ,but you cannot make your body function. In the last stages of ALS
J.P., a 58 year old female, presents to the Emergency Room on March 18th. She has a past medical history of cervical cancer, atheroembolism of the left lower extremity, fistula of the vagina, peripheral vascular disease, neuropathy, glaucoma, GERD, depression, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and sickle cell anemia. She complains of right lower extremity pain accompanied by fatigue, a decreased appetite, increased work of breathing, burning on urination, and decreased urine output for three days.
From what my patient is showing and complaining of gives me two differential diagnoses of what he actually might be suffering from.
One major reason ALS is such a frightening disease is because no cure has been established. Although no effective treatment has been developed, a number of drug trials have been conducted, and there are some devices designed to help ALS patients maintain independence as well as safety as the disease progresses.
Nine days later Andrew’s health conditions worsens and he is seen covered with lesions. He is feverish, vomiting, etc. He works hard at home to conceal the severity of his illness. Even with his illness, he manages to pull the case documents together and is ready to go to court. His friends help...
As this case study is evaluated we look at who is involved. This case involves a 44 year old patient this is the plaintiff in this case. The issue began when the patient noticed bumps on his wrist; one may think that this
Several medications are available that may, in some individuals, improve symptoms or temporarily slow the disease progress, including: Cognex, Aricept, Exelon, and Reminyl. Other drugs are now being tested and could be marketed in the near future.
As the story begins, the unnamed doctor is introduced as one who appears to be strictly professional. “Aas often, in such cases, they weren’t telling me more than they had to, it was up to me to tell them; that’s why they were spending three dollars on me.” (par. 3) The doctor leaves the first impression that he is one that keeps his attention about the job and nothing out of the ordinary besides stating his impressions on the mother, father and the patient, Mathilda. Though he does manage to note that Mathilda has a fever. The doctor takes what he considers a “trial shot” and “point of departure” by inquiring what he suspects is a sore throat (par. 6). This point in the story, nothing remains out of the ordinary or questionable about the doctor’s methods, until the story further develops.
The patient is a 30 year old male with an active bacterial infection on his right leg attacking his Integumentary system. The patient is from Tanzania, Africa but came back to work in a factory that produces plastic. If he has Cellulitis, it can get bad enough to travel to other organs like the Liver and Kidney and cause failure. If this happens, Edema can form, usually on one half of the body; this is the Urinary system being attacked. The main system being attacked is the Lymphatic system because Cellulitis attacks the lymphatic draining system. For Cellulitis to travel to organs, it had to go through the blood, so the cardiovascular system is also in effect.
Medicine presents a myriad of complex puzzles waiting to be solved. Though not for the faint of heart, Internal Medicine allows for a daily dose of these complex diagnostic and treatment problems. During my Internal Medicine rotation, one of my most memorable cases was a 44-year-old who presented with shortness of breath, cough, night sweats, fever, focal neurological