Disease Definition and Primary Mechanism

Question 1

General Rule of thumb for defining things:

Answer 1

-1: Chronic, acute, (+-degenerative)

-2: Surgical Sieve Classification:
VITAMIN-CDEF
Vasc, Infective, Traumatic, Autoimmune, Metabolic, Iatrogenic, Neoplastic, Congenital, Degenerative, Environmental, Functional.

-3: Part of the body it affects:
E.g; Small joints in hands, symmetrically,
E.g; Lung parenchyma, motor neurones

-4: Mechanism:
E.g; Via T-cell mediated…

-5: Characterised:
E.g; Characterised by swelling, stiffness

Question 2

Osteoarthritis

Answer 2

-Degenerative
-Mechanical
-Loss of cartilage, bone remodelling: ‘Wear and tear”.
-Joint pain and stiffness, and functional limitation.

Question 3

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Answer 3

A common chronic inflammatory joint disease commonly affecting the small joints in the hands and feet.

Characterised by symmetrical swelling, stiffness, and pain in multiple small joints.

Question 4

Osteoporosis

Answer 4

A skeletal disease characterised by low bone-density and micro-architectural defects which results in increased bone fragility and susceptibility to fractures.

Question 5

Gullian-Barre Syndrome

Answer 5

An acute autoimmune inflammatory disease affecting peripheral motor and sensory axons, causing reactive demyelination, characterised by loss of motor and/or sensory function initially in a glove-and-stocking distribution, before spreading proximally.

Question 6

Multiple Myeloma

Answer 6

A chronic neoplastic condition of bone-marrow plasma cells where excessive monoclonal antibodies are produced, characterised by renal dysfunction, anaemia, and bony-lytic lesions causing pain.

Question 7

Pneumonia

Answer 7

Classically an acute infective condition of the lung parenchyma caused by infiltration with bacteria, viruses, fungi, or protozoa which then cause inflammation, characterised by cough and breathing difficulties.

Question 8

Femur fracture

Answer 8

A hyperacute traumatic condition of the femur, caused by mechanical impact, breaking the bone tissue, characterised by severe pain, immobility, and often neurological and vascular damage.

Question 9

Minimal Change Disease

Answer 9

An acutely presenting condition of damage to glomerular podocytes, with multiple possible aetiologies, most commonly idiopathic, resulting in excessive protein excretion in the kidneys (nephrotic syndrome), characterised by oedema, hyperlipidaemia, and hypoalbuminaemia.