SAQ paper Qs Flashcards
Describe three main steps by which a fracture is likely to heal normally and for each step describe the normal cellular response.
- Will heal by secondary healing
- Inflammatory phase: bleeding from torn vessels, clotting cascade activated and inflammatory cells (platelets, PMNs, macrophages) brought into the area. Haematoma forms in fracture gap. Immediate from injury, peaks at 48 hrs, subsides by one week
- Reparative phase: mesenchymal stem cells become fibroblasts, osteoblasts, and chondroblasts at the fracture site. Callus formed by intramembranous ossification at cortical bone ends (hard callus) and by chondrogenesis at the periphery (soft callus). Endochondral ossification converts callus to woven bone. Starts within first few days and lasts a few weeks
- Remodelling phase: woven bone replaced by lamellar bone, and excess callus resorbed. Begins a few weeks after injury and lasts years
What are the risk factors for delayed fracture healing?
- Diabetes
- Smoking
Osteoporosis drug therapies?
- Bisphosphonates: inhibit osteoclast activity, this maintains bone density and reduces risk of fracture
- Calcium + vitamin D supplement: calcium is a major mineral found in bone and is important for maintaining healthy bones, vitamin D needed to help body absorb calcium
- Denosumab: monoclonal antibody that targets the RANK ligand
- Teriparatide: form of PTH, stimulates cells that creates new bone
Risk factors for osteoporosis?
- Female
- Elderly
- Sedentary behaviour
- Post-menopausal (reduced oestrogen levels)
- Calcium deficiency
Key symptoms that point to diagnosis of inflammatory spine disease?
- Early morning stiffness
- Gradual onset
- Better with NSAIDs
- Better with exercise
- Low back pain may radiate
- Fatigue
- Pain waking the patient
What two radiological features would you expect in an MRI in axial spondyloarthropathy?
- Sacroiliitis: sacroiliac joint fusion, sacroiliac joint erosion, sacroiliac joint oedema
- Shiny on corners of vertebral bodies
- Vertebral body squaring
- Bamboo spine
Outline complications of ankylosing spondylitis that are outside of the musculoskeletal system.
- Atypical lung fibrosis
- Anterior uveitis
- Aortitis
- Amyloids
- Achilles tendonitis
Describe sources that a doctor could use to get information on the different medication that a patient may be taking
- Ask relatives
- Contact the GP
- Contact their local pharmacist
- Check patient’s own list of medication
- Examine previous hospital notes if applicable
What are the four ethical principles?
- Autonomy: the right for patient to make their own decision
- Non-maleficence: do no harm
- Beneficence: act in the patient’s best interest
- Justice: ensure fairness
Describe measures that can be taken to minimise drug interaction issues in elderly patients.
- Get an accurate drug history, including details on why patient takes certain medication and whether they still need it or not
- Give priority to non-drug alternatives (eg. Psychological, lifestyle change)
- Ask patients if they have noticed any side effects
- Check with pharmacist regarding medicines information
Describe the main physiological processes involved in the sensation and transmission of pain from one part of the body to the brain.
- Initial pain is sensed by nociceptors (free nerve endings in skin, muscle, other tissues)
- Pain is transmitted by primary sensory neurons to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord
- Type A-delta fibres (myelinated) for fast, acute pain and type C fibres (unmyelinated) for slow, throbbing/dull pain
- In the dorsal horn, the primary sensory neuron will synapse with a second neuron of the spinothalamic tract
- This second order neuron immediately decussates and passes up to the thalamus
- In the thalamus, second order neurons synapse with third order neurons leading to the sensory cortex to register pain and mediate emotional components
Describe pharmacological interventions the GP should consider to manage a patient with chronic back pain.
- Use of NSAIDs
- Combine NSAIDs with proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) such as omeprazole
- If NSAID not sufficient for pain then consider an opiod (dihydrocodeine)
- Anti-depressant such as amitriptyline
Mother worried about vaccine, she asks “is it 100% safe?”, how should a doctor answer this truthfully?
- All vaccines carry some degree of risk, but evidence for this vaccine suggests that it is safe
Describe four ways in which Wakefield’s paper was ethically problematic.
- He falsified information claiming it had been approved by a research ethics committee
- The procedures involved were invasive and not clearly justified
- The justification for the research was not clear
- Wakefield had an undisclosed conflict of interest
Name the five components of the biopsychosocial model that can be used to help understand the treatment of chronic back pain
- Sensory (nociception)
- Pain
- Suffering
- Illness (pain behaviour)
- Social/cultural
In chronic low back pain, the patient may progress through three phases, give examples of the typical features that may be seen in each phase
- Phase 1 (up to 2 months): belief that pain is controllable, anxiety
- Phase 2 (2 to 6 months): varying between increased and decreased activity, depression may occur
- Phase 3 (6 to 24 months): reduced activity, side effects of pain medication may occur, belief that pain is uncontrollable, depression is common
Name four viral infections that can be spread by mosquitoes.
- Yellow fever
- Dengue fever
- Zika
- Japanese encephalitis
Give two examples of methods of control for mosquito-borne viral infections and explain how these are effective
- Mosquito nets: act as barrier to prevent biting
- Use of insecticides: toxic to mosquitoes/kills them
- Genetic modification of mosquitoes: causes failure to reproduce
Risk factors for sciatica?
- Obesity
- Age
- Occupation
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Diabetes
Characteristics of pain for sciatica?
- Radiating pain down back of leg
- Made worse by some movements
- Numbness and tingling
Findings on examination for sciatica?
- Reduced straight leg raise
- Sensory loss
Risk factors for osteoarthritis?
- Age
- Occupation (eg. Active lifestyle)
- Obesity
- Gender (more common in women)
- Family history
Characteristics of pain for osteoarthritis?
- Dull ache
- Worse during exercise and at end of day
- Chronic pain
- morning stiffness (less than 30 minutes)
Findings on examination for osteoarthritis?
- Pain on movement
- Reduced range of movement
- Crepitus
- Joint is not hot
Describe the reference population used in calculating a T-score
- young, gender-matched population with peak bone mass
- (Age 20-29)
For osteoporosis, describe two dietary interventions that can be made and the specific advice that the GP would give for each of them
- Calcium: increase calcium intake by eating more dairy products
- Vitamin D: oily fish, fortified cereals
- Moderate protein intake: red meat, chicken
- High alcohol intake: reduce
Elderly woman blames herself for falling ill because she went out shopping on a rainy day without fully drying her hair, what is the historical theory of health and illness to which this patient’s lay beliefs correspond?
- The humoural theory
Patient has pyrexia, chills, and a sore throat, what is the most likely diagnosis?
- Upper respiratory tract infection
List four myths about flu immunisation/vaccination which may influence a patient to refuse the flu jab
- Vaccines are ineffective
- Vaccination overwhelms the immune system
- Vaccines commonly cause serious side effects
- Influenza is not serious
Other than people with chronic conditions, name four other different groups of people who are encouraged to receive the flu immunisation
- Older people
- Pregnant women
- Children (age 2-17)
- Morbid obesity
- Living in a long-stay residential care home
- Carers
- Front-line health workers
Describe the legal elements of capacity
- Being able to understand information
- Retain information
- Process information
- Communicate one’s decision
- Relate to a specific moment in time
A patient is not deemed to have capacity, a family member phones the doctor and wishes to be given information about the patient, how should the doctor address the patient’s confidentiality in this scenario?
- If the patient lacks capacity, then the doctor must act in the patient’s best interest (beneficence)
- In determining the patient’s best interest, the doctor is under a duty to consult with the patient’s next of kin
Describe the four features of the anger stage of the grieving process
- Frustrated expression of bottled-up emotion
- Person may recognise anger as irrational, but unable to control it
- May drive away support
- Most anger expressed by those who are socially isolated
Describe four musculoskeletal symptoms that can be elicited from a history in making a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis
- Morning stiffness (>1hour)
- Pain of more than 3 joint areas
- Hand involvement
- Symmetry
What is the long-term significance of periarticular erosions?
- Poor functional outcome in comparison to those without erosions
When addressing concerns about safeguarding, describe four ethical issues that clinical teams should consider when sharing clinical or personal information
- The patient’s consent to disclose
- The patient’s capacity
- The patient’s autonomy
- The relationship between the patient and their carer
- Consequences of disclosure (best interest of patient)
Describe two roles that an occupational therapist has
- Addressing a safe home situation (recommends alterations to house)
- Need for equipment (eg. Ramps, rails, handles etc.)
- Care package
Describe two roles of social worker
- Personal budget questionnaire
- Care and support planning
What structure in the brain responds to the inflammatory cytokines, whose production is stimulated by pathogens?
- Hypothalamus
List two inflammatory cytokines that cause fever
- TNF alpha
- Interleukins (IL-1)
Describe how paracetamol helps to reduce fever
- Paracetamol is a COX enzyme inhibitor
- It is thought to be selective for COX-3
- COX enzymes stimulate the production of prostaglandins
- Paracetamol helps to prevent PGE2 synthesis which is the main compound that alters the homeostatic temperature set point in the hypothalamic neurons that regulate body temperature
- In fever, the temperature set point is elevated by the production of PGE2
- PGE2 synthesis is stimulated by cytokines (IL-1, TNF-alpha) which are produced by the action of bacteria/viruses on the immune system
- By blocking PGE2 synthesis, paracetamol brings down the temperature set point to normal
Give four red flag symptoms that a GP should inquire about in a patient whose pain has changed
- Night pain
- Persistent pain
- Weight loss
- Night sweats
- Persistent excessive tiredness
- Progressive neurological symptoms
- Fever
Describe the most definitive diagnostic radiological investigation in a patient with back pain and red flag symptoms, explain your reasoning
- MRI scan of spine
- Better resolution of the bone marrow and bone lesions compared to plain x-ray
- MRI detects abnormal signal from abnormal cells, so can see lesions more clearly
What imaging technique should be used as the first line investigation for a patient with a soft tissue injury and give a clinical reason for this
- Ultrasound
- Because dynamic investigation (ie. Imaging during function, patient contracts relevant muscle)
Describe the difference between the functions of tendons and ligaments
- Ligaments join bone to bone
- Ligaments maintain joint stability by providing a stop point, or prevent a movement
- A tendon is attached to the end of muscle fibres at one end and bone at the other
- A tendon allows movement whereas a ligament is designed to prevent it
- Tendons transmit muscle power generated by contraction to the bones to allow movement to occur
If patient is lactose intolerant, why can they not digest lactose?
- The patient cannot produce the enzyme lactase
List two treatment options for a patient who is lactose intolerant
- Avoid lactose-containing foods
- Enzyme-replacement therapy (taking lactase before meals)
Describe three key principles of a palliative care approach
- Provides relief from pain
- Intends neither to hasten or postpone death
- Integrates the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of patient care (holistic)
- Offers a support system to help the family cope
Name four of the most common symptoms associated with the late stage of dying
- Pain
- Restlessness
- Increased respiratory secretions
- Drowsiness
- Skin colour changes
Which group of drugs is most commonly used for the management of severe pain in palliative care?
- Opiods
What class of hormone is cortisol?
- Steroid hormone
In which anatomical structure is cortisol synthesised and what is the precursor molecule from which it is made?
- Synthesised in the zona fasciculata of adrenal cortex/gland
- Precursor molecule is cholesterol
Hormones act by binding to receptors to transduce their signal into cells, describe how cortisol transduces its signal
- It is a lipid soluble hormone which diffuses into cells
- To bind to its receptor inside the cell in the cytoplasm
- The receptor/hormone complex moves into the nucleus to bind to DNA and activates or repress gene expression
List four positive social factors that keep people healthy in old age
- Owning a house
- Having had a car
- Having been married
- Having control and autonomy in decision making
- Social networks
- Enjoying the outdoors
Describe three gender differences in health behaviour that may impact the health a couple
- Females have better social networks
- Females are better able to discuss health with medical professionals
- Females experience of motherhood and caring generates responsibility for their own health
What is the single biggest factor that is likely to affect the life expectancy of a couple?
- Social class
What are the main findings on clinical examination that would support a diagnosis of fibromyalgia?
- Widespread pain
- Tender trigger points
- Widespread myofascial tenderness
What two blood tests should be requested and what would the results be for a diagnosis of fibromyalgia?
- ESR or CRP: will be normal
- Anti CCP: will be negative
- Creatine kinase: will be normal
- Vitamin D: will be normal
Give two available treatment strategies for fibromyalgia
- Increase exercise
- Education regarding self-management
- Amitryptiline (antidepressant)
- Cognitive behavioural therapy