Internal med Flashcards
Thin basement membrane disease
- familial disorder
- presents in adulthood as microscopic hematuria without proteinuria
- thinned BM
Alport’s syndrome
- familial disorder which usually presents in childhood as recurrent gross hematuria and proteinuria
- sensorineural deafness usually occurs!
- EM findings include alternating areas of thinned and thickened capillary loops w/ splitting of the GBM
Recurrent episodes of hematuria, sensorineural deafness, and a family hx of renal failure
Alport’s syndrome
Hydroxyurea
-decreases the frequency and severity of pain crises in pts w/ sickle cell anemia by increasing hemoglobin F levels
tx of choice for pts w/ autoimmune hemolytic anemia?
prednisone
Erythropoietin
-tx of choice for anemia of chronic disease, chronic kidney disease, and transient bone marrow failure after chemo or bone marrow transplant
splenectomy
- tx of choice for moderate, symptomatic, hereditary spherocytosis.
- also a tx option in autoimmune hemolytic anemia and for those w/ massive splenomegaly associated w/ B-thalassemia major or hemoglobin H disease
B-thalassemia minor (trait)
- usually asymptomatic w/ mild anemia, disproportionately high RBC count, low MCV, and hemoglobin >10 g/dL.
- commonly confused w/ iron deficiency anemia, however, iron deficiency has low RBC count and rarely becomes microcytic until the hemoglobin is <10g/dL.
- no specific therapy is required for B-thalassemia minor
P. jiroveci
- opportunistic pathogen, and an important cause of pneumonia in immunocompromised hosts
- bilateral diffuse interstitial infiltrates beginning in the perihilar region is characteristic finding on chest x-ray
- tachypnea, tachycardia, cyanosis w/ minimal chest findings
Aspergillosis
- seen in immunocompromised pts.
- chest x-ray shows solid mass surrounded by a radiolucent crescent (crescent sign, Monod’s sign)
True or False: candida is an extremely rare organism to cause pneumonia in any patient.
True
Ménière’s disease
- typically presents w/ a combination of vertigo, ear fullness, tinnitus, and hearing loss
- first line therapy consists of environmental and dietary modifications, including maintenance of a low-salt diet
- other triggers include alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine
- medical therapy w/ diuretics, antihistamines, or anticholinergics may be tried
Diabetic ketoacidosis
- type 1 diabetics
- younger age
- less pronounced altered mentation compared to HHS
- more rapid onset of hyperglycemic symptoms
- hyperventilation and abdominal pain common
- glucose 250-500 mg/dL
- bicarb <320 mOsm/kg
Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state
- type 2 DM
- older age
- more pronounced altered mentation (compared to diabetic ketoacidosis)
- gradual onset of hyperglycemic symptoms
- hyperventilation and abdominal pain less common
- glucose >600
- bicarb >18
- normal anion gap
- negative or small serum ketones
- serum osmolality >320
an increase in extracellular pH (alkalemia) promotes the binding of calcium to albumin and lowers serum ionized calcium concentration
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hyperglycemia and glucosuria-induced osmotic diuresis cause free water loss that exceeds sodium loss
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Despite normal or elevated serum potassium levels, pts w/ hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS) or diabetic ketoacidosis have a total body potassium deficit due to excessive urinary loss caused by glucosuria-induced osmotic diuresis. Aggressive insulin therapy for HHS can lower serum potassium levels further and cause severe hypokalemia!
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Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS)
- typically presents w/ fever, muscle rigidity, autonomic instability and mental status change. Serum CK is often elevated.
- Dantrolene, a muscle relaxant, is the most common drug used to reverse the condition, followed by bromocriptine (a dopamine agonist) and amantadine (an antiviral drug w/ dopaminergic properties)
Premature Ventricular Complexes (PVCs)
- common in pts post-MI and can be recognized by their widened QRS (>120msec), bizarre morphology, and compensatory pause.
- even though they may indicate a worse prognosis, tx is not indicated unless the patient is symptomatic (beta-blockers are first line therapy for symptomatic pts)
Amiodarone
-second line therapy for symptomatic PVCs
Digoxin
-can be used to treat atrial arrhythmias like atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation. It has no role in the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias!
Brain death
- clinical diagnosis
- characteristic findings are absent cortical and brain stem functions
- the spinal cord may still be functioning; therefore, deep tendon reflexes may be present
- an isoelectric EEG can be used as a confirmatory test, but is not absolutely necessary
- note that the heart rate fails to accelerate after atropine injection because vagal control of the heart is lost, and the heart rate becomes invariant
Timolol
eye drops used to treat glaucoma
Mannitol
- osomotic diuretic used to reduce intracranial pressure associated w/ cerebral edema
- its an IV infusion and requires careful monitoring of renal function and electrolytes
- used in inpatient setting for severely elevated intracranial pressure (obtunded pts)