Posted: September 2nd, 2022

Pathophysiology Scenarios

Pathophysiology Scenarios
In the first scenario, Jennifer has a problem with her throat. Tonsillitis is one of the conditions she is suffering from. The condition has prompted other conditions such as fever. The symptoms include painful while swallowing and painful throat (Ueno, Banchereau & Vinuesa, 2015). As a result the child is unable to take breakfast due to the pain of swallowing food. The pathophysiology of tonsillitis involves invasion of a mucous membrane by a viral or bacterial infection. It leads to fever, sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes, and difficulty in swallowing (Go & Cruz, 2015). Tonsillitis is a condition that causes fever among children as in the case of Jennifer. The increase in temperature is due to increase in the activity of white blood cells of trying to fight against the foreign pathogens. The skin is hot and dry since she has been experiencing for a number of days. Therefore, she has lost water through the skin as the body tried to cool down the temperatures (Go & Cruz, 2015). She is becoming dehydrated and thus a dry and still a hot skin since she is still suffering from tonsillitis.
The patient takes ibuprofen but still the fever does not come down. The reason is that she is still exposed to various factors that lead to a high temperature as compared to one factor. The adaptive responses include reddened tympanic membrane due to the constant flow of blood near the skin (Ueno, Banchereau & Vinuesa, 2015). The purpose is to try and cool down the temperature of the baby by trying to regulate the fever. Anterior cervical nodes are palpable and tender due to the swelling that occurs around the throat when a child is having tonsillitis. It is part of the adaptive response since there is accumulation of body agents that are trying to fight off the foreign bodies.
In the second scenario, Jack has redness and irritation of his hands. The irritation and redness are due to the changes in the physical and biochemical functions of the skin. Skin cells release pro-inflammatory cytokines as a way of responding to the presence of chemicals (Hendy & Canaff, 2016). The irritation is a result of innate immunity that is activated due to lack of prior sensitization. The contact with the skin causes other pathophysiology changes including epidermal cellular changes and skin barrier disruption (Jakasa, Thyssen & Kezic, 2018). The various changes interfere with the normal functioning of the skin. The changes also result in redness and irritation.
The significant effects on the skin are due the days Jack skipped wearing protective gloves. The solvents affect the skin which responds with irritation or redness (Jakasa, Thyssen & Kezic, 2018). The only cure for the condition is to avoid abrasive solvents and chemicals. Solvents can penetrate the skin and thus without wearing protective gears will expose the skin. The redness and itchiness will disappear since the epidermal layer will not be reacting to any foreign substance (Hendy & Canaff, 2016). The various changes occur since the skin is making an attempt to protect the rest of the body from harm that may be caused by the chemicals. Therefore, the adaptive response is to secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines which are used to counter the effect of the chemicals on the body.
In the third scenario Martha, a 65-year-old woman is suffering from hypertension. The condition is also called high blood pressure which leads to health complications. One of the effects of high blood pressure is a racing heartbeat (Saklayen & Deshpande, 2016). The risk of hypertension increases with age. It can also be caused by genetic mutations, malfunctioning of autonomic nervous system. Other causes include endothelial dysfunction, renin-angiotensin disruption, and sodium and potassium imbalance (Conroy, Westendorp & Witham, 2018). The case of Martha who is 65 years old can deteriorate and cause severe pathophysiology on the body.
The patient has been taking hydrochlorothiazide which is used to treat high blood pressure. The medication has a side effect of lack of sleep and appetite, which the patient has complained about. The lack of sleep is due to increased urination at night. Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic since it causes the body to make more urine. It helps in removing fluid retention and excretion of excess salt in the body (Saklayen & Deshpande, 2016). Therefore, the patient is experiencing less sleep due to the effect of the drug on her body. Additionally, the drug causes a lack of appetite. The reason is not due to the commitment to take care of her mother.
Mind Map
The following mind map is a clear representation of a condition in scenario three called hypertension. Figure 1.1 shows the scenario clearly.

Figure 1.1 Hypertension mind map.
The pathophysiology scenarios include three different patients suffering from distinct conditions. The description of the conditions include the pathophysiology, adaptive responses, and alterations of the body. The three conditions include hypotension, tonsillitis and redness, and irritation of the skin.

References
Conroy, S. P., Westendorp, R. G. J., & Witham, M. D. (2018). Hypertension treatment for older people—navigating between Scylla and Charybdis. Age and Ageing, 47(4), 505-508.
Go, M. S. C., & Cruz, E. T. S. (2015). Descending Necrotizing Mediastinitis, a Dreaded Complication of Acute Tonsillitis. Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 30(2), 38-42.
Hendy, G. N., & Canaff, L. (2016). Calcium-sensing receptor, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and calcium homeostasis. In Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology (Vol. 49, pp. 37-43). Academic Press.
Jakasa, I., Thyssen, J. P., & Kezic, S. (2018). The role of the skin barrier in occupational contact dermatitis. Experimental Dermatology, 27(8), 909-914.
Saklayen, M. G., & Deshpande, N. V. (2016). Timeline of the history of hypertension treatment. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 3, 3.
Ueno, H., Banchereau, J., & Vinuesa, C. G. (2015). Pathophysiology of T follicular helper cells in humans and mice. Nature Immunology, 16(2), 142.

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