Signs and Symptoms in Respiratory Medicine Flashcards
Symptoms vs sign
Symptoms is what the patient feels and tells you, signs is what you pick up on examination.
Secondary polycythaemia can cause
It is an abnormal increase in concentration of haemoglobin in the blood, through reduction of plasma volume or increase in red blood cells. Cause cyanosis
What can cause CO2 flap
Hypercapnic enchephalopathy
What is erythema nodosum
Swollen fat under skin causing red bumps and patches. Can be due to sarcoidosis or TB
What is lupus pernio
Chronic raised hardened lesion of skin, often purplish in colour. Often due to sarcoidosis
What can finger clubbing indicate
Bronchial carcinoma, fibrosing alveolitis, lung suppuration (bronchiectasis, lung abscess or empyema), cyanotic congenital heart disease, infective endocarditis, malabsorption states (ulcerative colitis, crohns disease, liver cirrhosis), congenital, idiopathic
What is horners syndrom
Nerve pathway from brain to eye is disrupted causing small pupil, ptosis (drooping or falling of upper eyelid), enophthalmos (posterior displacement of eye).
Cause of horner’s syndrome in respiratory medicine
Pancoast’s tumour - Tumour of pulmonary apex or cervical lymphadenopathy
Uveitis can be caused by?
Uveitis is inflammation of uvea, caused by sarcoidosis or tuberculosis
What can increased intracranial pressure due to chronically raised CO2 cause
Papilloedema, optic disc swelling
What is kyphoscoliosis
Abnormal curvature of the spine in coronal (kyphosis) and sagittal (scoliosis) plane
What is pectus excavatum
Congenital deformity of anterior thoracic wall in which the sternum and rib cage grow abnormally, producing a caved in or sunken appearance
What is thoracoplasty
Surgical procedure originally designed to permanently collapse cavities of pulmonary tuberculosis by removing the ribs from chest wall
Changes associated with pectus excavatum
Pulmonary artery murmur, right lower lobe changes on chest x-ray mimics pulmonary infiltrate, diminished lung volumes lead to reduced lung sounds
Cause of hyper-resonance on percussion
Emphysema, pneumothorax
Cause of impaired resonance
Pulmonary consolidation, pleural thickening, raised hemi-diaphragm
Stony dull percussion causes
Pleural effusion
Why is there impaired resonance over heart in obesity and commonly at right base
Due to fatty deposits over the heart in obesity. Over right base as the liver pushes diaphragm up
What condition has a normal chest cxr but may show signs on auscultation
Asthma, pulmonary embolus
What disease is auscultation generally normal
Tuberculosis
What part of stethoscope for low and high pitch sounds
Low pitch = Bell
High pitch = Diaphragm
What is aegophony
Increased resonance of voice sounds when auscultating the lungs. Low frequency noises are filtered out with high-frequency sounds transmitted across the fluid
Common causes of aegophony
Lung consolidation and fibrosis
What is whispered pectoriloquy
Increase loudness of whispering noted during auscultation. Usually, spoken words would not be heard by the clinician on auscultation.
What can the patient be asked to say to identify aegophony or whispered pectoriloquy
99, 1-1-1, toy boat, scooby doo
What is ronchi
Low pitched wheeze; musical sound as air passes through narrowed airways
What can localised wheeze be sign of
Large airway tumour
What can general wheeze be a sign of
General wheeze is usually polyphonic (multiple sounds) due to small airway obstruction such as asthma and bronchitis
What can squeaks and crackles be a sign of
Bronchiolitis
What can cause crackles or crepitations
Explosive re-opening of small airways blocked by exudate, inflammation or fibrosis upon inspiration
What can cause fine crackles
Pulmonary fibrosis, late inspiratory
What can cause moderate/coarse crackles
Pulmonary oedema, consolidation, bronchiectasis
What is pleural rub
Leathery, creaking sound made by inflammed pleural surfaces rubbing together
What can cause pleural rub
Pneumonia, pulmonary embolus, viral or auto-immune pleurisy
When can you hear a pleural click
Pneumothorax