initial revision points (mainly renal) Flashcards
what are the potential causes of secondary hypertension?
endocrine disorders:
- Cushing’s
- Conns
- phechromocytoma
renal a. stenosis
coartation of the aorta
acromegaly
A 36 year old female is seen in clinic because she is complaint of moderate hearing loss that began 4 months ago. She has become aware of an annoying ringing sound in her right ear. She denies having any recent ear infections, fevers, runny nose, or any sick contacts. She explains that she does not use Q-tips and has never had any head trauma. Her family history is notable for her father who had bilateral hearing loss that was attributed to old age. A physical exam reveals that both auditory canals are patent, and that the tympanic membranes are grey in color and each have a well visualized light reflex. Hearing is dimisnehd on the right side during the finger rub test. A neurological exam reveals right sided facial numbness, right sided facial drooping, and a decreased afferent and efferent corneal reflex on the right side. What might be responsible for the patient’s symptoms?
Hearing loss + facial paresis + absent corneal reflex + facial numbness = acoustic neuroma (in cerebellopontine angle, affecting CNV, CNVII, and CNVIII)
what initial Ix are appropriate for a returning traveler with 2day hx of headache//diarrhoea/mailaise/fever/myalgia?
FBC U+Es blood cultures stool cultures thick and thin films will look for malaria parasites and aid distinguishing the differential diagnosis (inlcuding typhoid, gastroenteritis, chikungunya, influenza, malaria, urosepsis)
LFTs CRP MSU culture throat swab for viruses serum for lab testing for chikingunya and other tropical infections would be useful
HIV should not be missed
CT brain if localising neurological signs (but not 1st line Ix)
plasmodium falciparum is the commonest cause of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. it can cause severe malaria. what are the symptoms?
cerebral involvement (fits/ reduced concious level
severe anaemia
renal failure
hypoglycaemia
pulmonary oedema
DIC/ bleeding
hypovolaemia
acidosis
hyperparasitaemia
what is the management of falciparum malaria?
quinine (oral or IV)
oral for 5-7days, together with or followed by either doxycycline for 7days or clindamycin for 7days
*interference with the parasites ability to digest haemoglobin
what public health action should you take with a pt with acute meningococcal meningitis?
-ensure ot is being managed in a side-room with droplet precautions (initially infectious via droplet route, until he has had 24 hrs appropriate antimicrobial therapy)
inform the hospital infection control team
inform the local health protection consultant by phone even if out of hours
treat his gilfriend who is in the hospital with him with prophalactic antibiotics
what rash is associated with meningococcal sepsis
purpuric and non-blanching
- AKA petechial
- also seen in other forms of bacterial sespsis e.g. pneumococcal/staphylococcal
how would you treat an adult pt with suspected menincococcal meningitis?
ceftriaxone
*treating N.meningitidis, but covering the possibility of oneumococcal and staphylococcal disease. if it is confirmed N.meningitidis then benzylpenicillin may be best
what two organisms are likely to cause cellulitis
staph aureus strep pyogenes (A)
what medication is usually used to treat proteinuria as there is evidence that it prevents progression to kidney failure?
ACEi/ARB
ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, floxacillin
sensitive to staph aureus
what is the treatment of symtomatic bradycardia?
atropine - anti-muscarinic
> also used in eye drops to dilate pupil
used in Rx of diarrhoea
what is metabolic syndrome?
a combination of cardiovascular risks
- diagnose 3/5 of the following: high BP (130/85), obesity (BMI >30), high plasma glucose, high triglycerides, reduced HSLs, T2DM, NFLD, Ca
- symptoms = brain fog/ lack of concentration, fatigue, acanthosis nigricans (hyperpigmentation under armpits)
what is the test if you suspect metabolic syndrome?
oral glucose tolerance test
what are the causes of the following?
- radial-radial delay
- collapsing pulse
- slow-rising pulse
- aortic dissection, aortic coarcticaton, subclavian artery stenosis
- aortic regurg
- aortic stenosis
how do you calculate the anion gap?
(+vely charged ions) - (-vely charged ions)
normal anion gap is 8-14 mmol/L
NB: primarily used for the evaluation of metabolic acidosis. urea and creatinine are not ions
list causes of a normal anion gap or hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis (decrease in bicarbonate concentration, and an increase in plasma chloride concentration)
- GI bicarbonate loss: diarrhoea, uterosigmoidostomy, fistula
- renal tubular acidosis
- drugs: acetazolamide (carbonic anhydrase inhibitor)
- addisons disease
list causes of a raised anion gap metabolic acidosis
- lactate: shock, hypoxia
- ketones: diabetic ketoacidosis, alcohol
- urate: renal failure
- chronic paracetamol use
what is the most common type of kidney stone?
calcium oxalate:
- intermittent sharp flank pain causing restlessness in pts
- haematuria
- nausea
- hypercalciuria and hyperparathyroidism, obesity = risk factors
primary amyloidosis can be seen in patients with immune dyscrasias such as multiple myeloma. amyloidosis is a term describing the extracellular deposition of an insoluble fibrillar protein termed amyloid. it can affect any organ in the body. how is it diagnoses?
via biopsy with Congo red staining showing apple-green birefringence under polarised light
what causes sterile pyuria ?
broadly defined as the presence of leucocytes in the urine in absence of demonstrable UTI. e.g. chlamydia/gonorrhoea, kidney stones,
adult pKD increases the risk of brain haemorrhage. what is the most likely cause of the bleed?
ruptured berry aneurysm
what is Sheehan’s syndrome?
occurs due to pituitary ischaemia secondary to blood loss during childbirth. it presents with symptoms consistent with global hypopititarism, such as agalactorrhoea (prolactin), amenorrhoea (FSH and LH), cold intolerance and constipation (thyroid hormones) and weight loss (steroid hormones)