Travel Medicine Flashcards
how long do you need to wait before flying with any of the following pre-exisiting health statuses:
- CVD
- Pulmonary Disease
- Post operative
-2-3weeks for all is the recommended “wait” time before resuming travel. recommend frequent movement and walking throughout travel.
Severe Anemia
Flying after diving
-how can these be affected by travel?
Anemia: travel may induce sickle cell disease (if dehydrated or at high altitude) or if hgb
Prophylaxis of Motion sickness
- Meclizine*
- Promethazine (need Rx, aka fenegrin) (works after sx started)
- Transdermal scopolamine (need rx)
Sx of Altitude sicknees
- HA and one or more of :
- n/v
- fatigue
- malaise
- insomnia
What is High Altitude Pulmonary Edema? Who gets this?
Sx
Tx
- it is an altitude sickness
- young physically fit males
Sx;
- weakness
- chest congestion
- dyspnea
- wheezing
- cyanosis
- tachycardia
Tx:
ACETAZOLAMIDE!!! mild diruetic which increases amount of excreted bicarb which in turn increases blood pH causing you to hyperventilate and increases O2 saturation.
What is High Altitude Cerebral Edema?
Sx
Tx
An altitude sickness
Sx: hallucinations, focal neuro signs, seizures, stupor, coma
Tx: medical emergency, patients need high flow oxygen and PROMPT decent to lower altitude. Give Dexamethasone (Decadron) to reduce edema.
How to treat stings and envenomizations from sea urchins and jelly fish?
-vinegar
Sx of Sea Lice
Tx?
Sx: papulovesicular rash caused by larvae
Tx: shower, soak affected area in vineger
Cholera
- affects what region?
- signs and symptoms
- Tx
-Asia, Africa, Latin America
Signs: rice water diarrhea, vomitting, circulatory collapse, shock, may be asymptomatic. Fatal if untreated d/t metabolic derrangement
Tx:
- rehydration
- abx tx
Hepatitis A and B are ____________.
everywhere.
Typhoid
- bug
- sx
- Tx
- Transmission
- prophylaxis
-salmonalla typhi
Sx:
- High fever (103-104)***
- Rose colored rash***
- Abd pain
- diarrhea
- bradycardia
- splenomegaly
- HA
Tx:
-ampicillin, Bactrim, Ciprofloxocin
-oral fecal route
- prophylaxis:
- -Injectable inactivated vaccine (2 years)
- -Oral Live virus (5 years)
Yellow fever
- bacteria or virus?
- vector?
- sx
- tx
- RNA virus inf Flaviviridae family
- transmitted by mosquitoes
Sx:
- asymptomatic to homorrhagic fever
- sudden onset, fever, chills, HA, myalgias
- pulse usually rapid until 2nd day when it becomes slow for the degree of fever (Fagets sign) *****
- flush face with injected eyes
Tx: mainly supportive, treat bleeding with Calcium gluconate. prophylaxis against GI bleeding with proton pump inhibitor omeprazole or H2 blocker like pepsid
Schistosomiasis
- what type of infection?
- signs and symptoms
- dx
- tx
- parasitic infection caused by trematodes
- dermatitis, katayama syndrome (malaise, fever, cough, hepatosplenomegaly), chronic infection can cause CNS disease, colon polyps, bloody diarrhea
Dx:
-thick stool smears showing eggs, eosinophila on blood smear, serologic testing- IFA available
Tx: Praziquantel-quinolone, oxaminiquine
Fish Scombroid Poisoning
- how do you get this>
- sx
- tx
- poor fish preservation
- flushing, tachycardia, n/v
- supportive, antihistamine, epinephrine
Shellfish poisoning
- cause
- sx
- dx
caused by saxitoxin after algae blooms
sx: sensory numbness, dizziness, paresthesia, HA, pruritus
motor dysphagia, paralysis, paresis, dyspnea, diplopia
-dx: two sensory and two motor sx are found in pt with appropriate hx
