This week’s content addressed common chronic diseases.  Please review the case study below and answer the following questions:

A sixty-year-old baker presents to your clinic, complaining of increasing shortness of breath and nonproductive cough over the last month. She feels like she can’t do as much activity as she used to do without becoming tired. She even has to sleep upright in her recliner at night to be able to breathe comfortably. She denies any chest pain, nausea, or sweating. Her past medical history is significant for high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. She had a hysterectomy in her 40s for heavy vaginal bleeding. She is married and is retiring from the local bakery soon. She denies any tobacco, alcohol, or drug use. Her mother died of a stroke, and her father died from prostate cancer. She denies any recent upper respiratory illness, and she has had no other symptoms. On examination, she is in no acute distress. Her blood pressure is 160/100, and her pulse is 100. She is afebrile, and her respiratory rate is 16. With auscultation, she has distant air sounds and she has late inspiratory crackles in both lower lobes. On cardiac examination, the S1 and S2 are distant and an S3 is heard over the apex.

1. What is the chief complaint?
2. Based on the subjective and objective information provided what are your 3 top differential diagnosis listing the presumptive final diagnosis first?
3. What treatment plan would you consider utilizing current evidence based practice guidelines?

Submission Details:

• Post your response to the Discussion Area by the due date assigned. Respond to atleast two posts by the end of the week.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Common chronic diseases

Introduction

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for more than twice as many deaths as cancer. But chronic diseases aren’t all bad news: They can be managed with lifestyle changes and medical care, which is why it’s important to know about them so you can live well.

Arthritis

Arthritis is a disease that causes swelling, pain, stiffness and loss of function in the joints. It can be caused by injury, infection or overuse. Treatment may include medication, exercise and physical therapy.

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a disease that causes plaque to build up in your arteries, narrowing them and making it more likely for them to become blocked. Plaque can be made up of cholesterol, calcium and other substances that can build up and form a hard deposit. This deposit can narrow the arteries and make them more likely to become blocked.

If atherosclerosis appears in one or both legs suddenly or progresses slowly over time (chronic), it may be called “atherosclerotic heart disease.” If you have four or more risk factors for developing atherosclerotic heart disease—such as smoking; high blood pressure; being overweight ( BMI≥30); diabetes mellitus; family history of cardiovascular disease such as myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke , heart failure , angina pectoris , atrial fibrillation ), etc.; then you should see your doctor immediately if any symptoms occur

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. It can cause coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing. Asthma affects millions of people around the world and is a common chronic disease in the United States.

The symptoms of asthma include chest tightness or pain that makes it hard to breathe; coughing fits with thick mucus (to clear your lungs); shortness of breath when you exercise or take part in activities such as running or climbing stairs; wheezing after breathing deeply; feeling out of breath even if you’ve been standing still for just a few seconds; frequent urination due to increased fluid volume in your body’s tissues because they are not able to empty properly during respiration efforts due to swollen capillaries blocking blood flow through them resulting in low oxygen levels causing fatigue levels intensifying over time causing additional symptoms such as headache , muscle aches , insomnia , dizziness etc..

Cancer

Cancer is a disease that starts when cells in your body grow out of control. Cancer cells can spread (metastasize) to other parts of your body, like the bones and lungs. They may also invade nearby healthy tissue or organs like the brain and liver.

In some cases, cancer may be cured after it has spread from its original site into nearby areas or organs. In other cases, cancer doesn’t respond well to treatment so it spreads further through the body over time until there isn’t enough healthy tissue left for surgery to remove all traces of cancerous cells from those locations where they were originally growing before spreading elsewhere within those same sites where they were previously located during an initial phase called “metastatic” phase.”

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease that causes inflammation and narrowing of the airways. It can be caused by smoking, exposure to dusts or fumes, or other conditions such as asthma. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.

COPD affects more than 16 million people in the United States alone and contributes to more than 5 million deaths each year worldwide. In fact, COPD is one of the leading causes of disability among adults in America today—more than heart disease or stroke combined!

Cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder that causes mucous to build up in the lungs and digestive tract, leading to life-threatening lung infections. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing and frequent lung infections. Cystic fibrosis is not contagious.

Cystic fibrosis can be treated with medications (such as antibiotics) or surgery to remove damaged areas of your lungs’ air sacs (alveoli).

Depression

Depression is a serious medical condition that affects more than 350 million people worldwide. It can be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, so it’s important to get help as soon as possible.

Depression is not a sign of weakness; it’s just one way you might feel when life is tough. If you’re feeling sad or unwell for more than two weeks, talk to your doctor about what could be causing your symptoms and how they may affect your daily life—and if they don’t go away after treatment, seek further help from a mental health professional or psychiatrist who specializes in treating depression (such as a psychologist).

Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease where the body can’t produce or respond to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body use food for energy. If you have diabetes, your pancreas makes less insulin than it should, or your body does not respond to this insulin correctly. This causes high blood sugar levels in your blood (hyperglycemia).

Diabetes can cause serious health problems if left untreated or poorly managed. The most common complication of diabetes is heart disease because high blood pressure and lipid problems increase the risk of heart attack and stroke over time as well as kidney failure which may require dialysis treatment if not treated appropriately

Heart disease and stroke

Heart disease and stroke are the two leading causes of death in the United States. They’re also each responsible for a large share of overall mortality—more than one-third of all deaths each year in the U.S., according to federal data from 2017.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in this country, though it’s not often associated with aging or old age; 35 percent of heart disease deaths occur before age 65, while 43 percent occur between ages 65 and 74 (the remaining 17 percent happen beyond age 75). In contrast, only 19 percent of stroke deaths occur before age 75; 66 percent happen between ages 65-74; 12 percent happen after age 75 (and 5% happens post-mortem).

Conclusion

We hope this article has given you a better understanding of what causes common chronic diseases. We know it can be difficult to understand, but the more you know about your own body and how it works, the easier it will be to take care of yourself.