Diseases Flashcards
Costochondritis
- Inflammation of the cartilage connecting a rib to the sternum
- S/S:
- Sharp pain at the connection
- Can mimic heart attack
- reproducible tenderness when pressing on rib joints
- pain can be aggravated by exercise, minor trauma, or upper respiratory infection
- usually sharp pain located on front of chest wall, it may radiate to the back or abdomen.
- Pain is worse with movement, exertion and deep breathing
- Causes:
- Usually unknown
- Trauma
- Physical strain
- May affect females more than males
- Tx:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs (i.e. Ibuprofen)
Angina Pectoris
- Chest pain caused by reversible myocardial ischemia
- S/S:
- Sudden severe chest pain lasts 3-5 minutes
- Pressure/squeezing
- Fatigue, Nausea, Shortness of Breath
- Causes:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Anemias
- Tx:
- Rest
- Nitrates – dilate arteries and veins
Myocardial ischemia
Develops if flow or O2 content of coronary blood is insufficient to meet the metabolic demand of myocardial cells
- most common cause of decreased coronary blood flow & resultant myocardial ischemia is formation of atherosclerotic plaques in coronary circulation
- as plaque increases in size, it may partially block vessel lumina limiting coronary flow & causing ischemia, especially during exercise
- some plaques unstable=prone to ulceration/rupture. If this occurs underlying tissues of vessel wall are exposed resulting in platelet adhesion & thrombus formation
- thrombus formation can suddenly stop blood supply resulting in acute myocardial ischemia & if vessel obstruction can’t be reversed rapidly it will progress to infarction
- Myocardial ischemia can also result from other causes of decreased blood & O2 delivery to myocardium:
1) coronary spasm
2) hypotension
3) dysrhythmias
4) decreased O2 carrying capacity of blood (anemia, hypoxemia) - Myocardial cells become ischemic w/in 10 seconds of coronary occlusion, thus hampering pump function & depriving myocardium of a glucose source for aerobic metabolism. Anaerobic takes over & lactic acid accumulates
- cardiac cells remain viable for approx. 20 min under ischemic conditions
- if blood flow is restored, aerobic metabolism resumes, contractility is restored & cellular repair begins. If not restored MI occurs
Define atherosclerosis and what disease would you find it in?
Atherosclerotsis are the formation of plaques in the coronary circulation that my occlude the vessel lumina and cause a blockage and lead to myocardial ischemia (Angina pectoris)
What is the DDx between angina pectoris and a heart attack?
For both, there are elevated levels of CRP, but angina pectoris lasts for 3-5 minutes
SUPER HELPFUL HINT: Hyper/Hypo Kalemia is potassium levels
Hyper/Hypo NAtremia is for sodium levels
…
If an EKG shows prolonged waves, which of the following would it represent? A. Hyponatremia B. Hyperkalemia C. STEMI D. Hypokalemia B. Hyperkalemia
B. Hyperkalemia
A patient comes in complaining of coughing up blood. An endoscopy is done and it is found that stratified columnar is growing in his esophagus. What would this represent? A. Metaplasia B. Hypertrophy C. Hyperplasia D. Dysplasia A. Metaplasia
A. Metaplasia
Helpful to remember: Hyperplasia is related to pregnancy/menstrual cycle
A man comes in to the ER with a headache and low levels of ADH. He is complaining of constant urination- Would we expect his serum osmolarity be high or low?
High- the assumption is made off of the assumption that he has DI
A 65-year-old man comes in with acute chest pain, and pain radiating down his left arm. An EKG was done and it came back signifying an ST elevation. How many layers of the heart were affected? Why? In the previous case, (STEMI) which cardiac enzyme would be elevated?
Three layers of the heart were effected, because the ST elevation signifies a STEMI.
Troponin I and T
(this is an intentionally non-specific question) A person comes into the ER with chest pain, and when tested they come back with a normal EKG. Their chest is sensitive to palpation, and their pain lasted for six hours after they were discharged. What do you think the diagnosis was?
Costochondritis
a 75-year-old male is suffering from difficulty breathing, blue skin, and slight chest pain. They notice a clot in the R. Bronchiole. What is this clotting issue called?
Ischemia!
Types of angina pectoris
Stable angina: effort, typical - atherosclerosis > exercise, emotion, heavy meal > pain
Unstable angina: accelerated > severe type. decrease change in pattern and an increase frequency and/or duration of pain
Variant angina: prinzmetal > a-receptor mediated V.C. (with or w/out atherosclerosis) > pain even at rest
Stable angina pectoris
Cause: Gradual luminal narrowing & hardening of arterial walls, so that affected vessels cannot dilate in response to increased myocardial demand associated w/physical exertion or emotional stress
-w/rest blood flow is restored & no necrosis occurs
S/S: typically experienced as transient substernal chest discomfort, ranging from a sensation of heaviness or pressure to moderately sever pain. The sensation is often described by clenching a fist over the left sternal border.
-discomfort may be mistaken for indigestion
-pain is caused by buildup of lactic acid or abnormal stretching of the ischemic myocardium that irritates myocardial nerve fibers. These afferent fibers enter the spinal cord from levels C3 to T4, accounting for a variety of locations & radiation patterns of anginal pain. discomfort may radiate to neck, lower jaw, left arm, and left shoulder, occasionally to the back or down the right arm.
-Pain associations: Pallor (pale skin), diaphoresis, and dyspenia
-Pain in women: may not have typical pain. Atypical chest pain, palipitations, sense of unease, severe fatigue
-Pain seen in autonomic nervous system dysfunction (older adults, diabetes) angina may be mild, atypical, or silent
Tx: Rest & nitrates; lack of relief may indicate MI
Variant angina (prinzmetal)
Chest pain attributable to transient ischemia of the myocardium that occurs unpredictably & often at rest
- Pain caused by vasospasm of one or more major coronary arteries w/or w/out atherosclerosis
- Pain often occurs at night during rapid eye movement sleep & may have a cyclic pattern of occurrence
- Angina may result from decreased vagal activity, hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, or decreased nitric oxide activity
- Other causes: altered Ca++ channel function in arterial smooth muscle or impaired production or release of inflammatory mediators (serotonin, histamine, endothelin, thromboxane)
- Serum markers of inflammation (CRP) & interleukin-6 are elevated
- Usually benign condition, but can occasionally cause serious dysrhythmias
Silent ischemia & mental stress-induced ischemia
Myocardial ischemia may not cause detectable symptoms such as angina. Ischemia can be totally asymptomatic and referred to as silent ischemia
- May be fatiqued, dyspnea, or a feeling of unease
- silent ischemia & atypical symptoms more common in women
- some only have silent ischemia & episodes of silent ischemia common in those who also experience angina
O2 supply to heart vs. demand
Decrease coronary blood flow:
Mechanisms that decrease blood flow include; vasospams (artery becomes smaller), fixed stenosis (narrowing of arteries lumen), Thrombosis (blood clots reduce blood flow)
ALL THESE LEAD TO ANGINA (CHEST PAIN)
Increase O2 Consumption
Mechanisms that increase O2 consumption include: Heart rate increases, heart contractions stronger, BP increases
ALL THESE LEAD TO ANGINA (CHEST PAIN)
Nitroglycerin mechanisms
1) Dilation of coronary vessels __________ oxygen supply to the myocardium
2) At low doses, nitroglycerin will dilate veins more than arteries, thereby _________ preload
Dilating the veins ___________ cardiac preload and lowers the oxygen requirement of the heart
3) At higher doses, it also dilates arteries, thereby ___________ afterload
The lowering of pressure in the arteries ___________ the pressure against which the heart must pump, thereby decreasing afterload and again, lowers the oxygen requirement of the heart
Overall effects:
Nitroglycerin was first used by William Murrell to treat anginal attacks in 1878, with the discovery published that same year
1) Dilation of coronary vessels Increases oxygen supply to the myocardium
2) At low doses, nitroglycerin will dilate veins more than arteries, thereby increasing preload
Dilating the veins increases cardiac preload and lowers the oxygen requirement of the heart
3) At higher doses, it also dilates arteries, thereby decreasing afterload
-The lowering of pressure in the arteries decreases the pressure against which the heart must pump, thereby decreasing afterload and again, lowers the oxygen requirement of the heart
Overall effects:
Decreases chest pain,
Decrease of blood pressure
Increases heart rate
Orthostatic hypotension
Tolerance - It has been shown that continuous exposure to nitrates can cause the body to stop responding normally to this medicine. Experts recommend that the patches be removed at night, allowing the body a few hours to restore its responsiveness to nitrates. Shorter-acting preparations can be used several times a day with less risk of the body’s getting used to this drug.
Tests for Angina pectoris
Tests - EKG – may be normal - Stress Tests (treadmill) - Coronary Angiography and Cardiac Catheterization * Dye w/X-rays to show coronary lumen CBC -Increase cholesterol -Increased C-reactive protein (CRP)? * Indicates inflammation somewhere in the body * Increased risk for heart attack - Anemia
What is C-Reactive protein?
C-Reactive protein is a test that can measure the level of C-Reactive protein (CRP) in your blood, increases when there is inflammation in your body. A simple blood test measures CRP. A high level of CRP in the blood is a sign that there may be an inflammatory process occurring in the body. High CRP levels may put patients at increased risk for coronary artery disease, which can cause a heart attack. CRP is a substance produced by the liver in response to inflammation.
What condition causes chest pain, nausea and shortness of breath but blood tests show no troponin or myoglobin in the blood?
What condition causes chest pain, nausea and shortness of breath but blood tests show no troponin or myoglobin in the blood? Angina Pectoralis
what condition does myocyte necrosis occur?
Myocardial infarction
What condition causes fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, sudden sever chest pain and can be caused by anemias or cardiovascular diseases?
Angina Pectoris
Myocardial infarction
-AKA “Heart Attack”
MI is Blockage of coronary artery and anything distal to that blockage dies.
You have to have significant blockage before you even feel anything.
-Progressive ischemia with damage to myocardium (myocyte necrosis)
-2 types
1) Subendocardial MI
Thrombus dislodges and only myocardium directly beneath endocardium involved
2) Transmural MI
Thrombus remains and myocardium involved transcends to epicardium