Environmental Pathology Flashcards
Environmental diseases
injuries or disorders that are caused by chemical or physical agents
Frequent adverse chemical agents
cleaning agents, analgesics, cosmetics, plants (ponsettia) and cold meds (i.e asprin)
Adverse drug events account for ___% of chemical agent exposures
2
children under the age of 6 account for ___% of chemical exposures
61
oral intake accounts for ___% of chemical exposures
73
how many hazardous exposures/yr are in the U.S?
2 million (90% are unintentional)
occupational medicine
injuries that occur in the workplace related to chimcal and physical agents
-U.S work injuries are 2x more frequent than at home injuries and are at an annual cost that exceeds 25 billion dollars
factors that affect chemical injuries
CLADME c- concentration l- liberation a- absorption d - distribution m - metabolism e - excretion
US agencies involved in regulating environmental hazards include
EPA, FDA, OSHA and consumer products safety administration
categories of environmental diseases
air pollution industrial exposures tobacco smoke *physical agents *chemical agents (therapeutic and non) *radiation *nutritional (caloric and vitamin forms)
how common are adverse drug reactions by therapeutic agents (things that are supposed to make us feel better)? of hospitalized people?
2% of adverse drug reactions are by therapeutic drugs
7-8% of people hospitalized are from therapeutic agents (10% of those in the hospital have fatal rxns)
what can major injury by therapeutic agents lead to?
most injury by therapeutic agents are minor, but major rxns can lead to anaphylaxis, blood clots, arrhythmias or hematologic conditions. potency dependent
ex. penicillin and anaphylactic shock or anti-cancer meds
ADR to aspirin
ingestion of 2-4 gm (7 tablets) for kids or 10-30 gm for adults may be fatal. respiratory alkalosis followed by metabolic acidosis. Chronic ingestion may result in tinnitus, dizziness, drowsiness etc.. and progress to seizures and comas
** think: when you are exercising you breathe quickly (resp alk) but you are not metabolizing the acid production from your mm. enough and you create lactic acid (metabolic acidosis)
ADR to acetaminophen (tylenol)
overdose has to be pretty significant (15-20 g) and damage to the liver occurs over hours or days which can lead to jaundice and shock or heart and liver damage
exogenous estrogens and BC injury
used in the past for perimenopausal symptoms and osteoporosis but assoc. with breast cancer and clots leading to strokes LONGTERM. Short term may have a better ratio of risk:reward
lead toxicity can affect (7 things) ….
- blood - Pb competes with Fe for RBC synthesis so microhypochromic anemia results
- Gingiva - hyperpigmentation from Pb deposits
- Brain (CNS) - in adults leads to memory loss and kids it leads to neurological disorder, learning disabilities and sensory deficits
- Peripherial nn. - in adults leads to demyleination (wristdrop and footdrop)
- GI tract - stomach ache
- kidney - interstitial fibrosis and possibly renal failure
- bones - competes with Ca during bone formation and causes hyperdense lead lines to form on x-rays
Maximum allowable lead blood levels
5 ug/dl (reduced from 10)
** begin chelation treatment at 45, but chelation tx is not always effective, so AVOID Pb
Side effect of MDMA (ecstasy) is..
bruxism (hold a pacifier in their mouth to protect and store another hit)
physical agents
mechanical or temperature changes
mechanical injuries
abrasion (superficial layer i.e scrap)
contusion (does not break the skin, i.e bruise)
laceration (irregular violent tear)
puncture wounds and incisions
thermal burns cause how many deaths per year in the U.S?
5000 +
factors that affect the clinical significance of burns includes
1) percentage of the total body surface affected (rule of 9’s)
2) depth of the burn (deep vs. superficial)
3) internal inhalation of fumes
4) age (very young and old)
5) how fast/well is the tx (Ab or occluded quickly)
BSA in percentage (rule of 9’s)
head and neck - 9 trunk back - 18 trunk front - 18 each arm - 9 perineum - 1 each leg - 18
clinical consequences of burns (prognosis)
> 50% bsa then regardless of tx the prognosis is grave
20% then shock is common due to fluid drop (can lead to DIC), secondary infection and electrolyte and nutritional imblances
internal thermal injuries in any region of the resp. tract can result from fumes and may cause an acute resp. distress syndrome