Medical clinical officer's platform

13/02/2025

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Most common form of chronic inflammatory joint disease affecting mainly women.

Unknown origin, probably autoimmune.

Presents with;
*Stiffness and pain in the joints
*Joints are swollen,warm, inflamed and sensitive to touch
*Fingers are most affected especially the metacarpophalangeal/proximal interphalangeal but all small and medium size joints can be affected
*Extra articular manifestations: mild fever, weakness, lethargy,anorexia,weight loss,rheumatoid nodules
*It's a chronic disease with flare up, remission and exacerbations
*In advanced cases, joint deformities may occur

Clinical judgement can be backed up with doing other investigations like CBC,ESR, RF, antinuclear factor. X-ray of affected joints.

The MANAGEMENT goals are;
*Relief of symptoms
*Preservation of joint function
*Suppression of active disease and slowly progression of disease
* Maintenance of patients normal lifestyle

That is
Visiting the medical center for professional help with investigations.

Weight loss and appropriate exercise/physiotherapy.

Thank you

23/09/2024

23/09/2024

HICCUP
These are repeated involuntary intercoastal muscle contractions.

Hiccups for upto 48 hours are termed as Acute, those lasting more than 48hours are termed as persistent and those lasting more than 2months are intractable.

They are caused by gastric distention,Gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastritis, diaphragmatic irritation by supraphrenic metastasis,phrenic nerve irritation, metabolic disorders, infections(oesophageal candidiasis), brain tumour,stoke and stress.

Most hiccups are self limiting and short lived
If it persists;
NON MEDICINE TREATMENT
1. Direct stimulation of the pharynx by swallowing dry bread or other dry foods.
2.Rapidly ingest two heaped teaspoons of sugar.
3.Stimulation of the vagus nerve by ingesting crushed ice or valsalva maneuver
4.Indirect stimulation of the pharynx (C3-5 dermatome stimulation by tapping or rubbing the back of the neck).
Note. All these should be done in the health center if the hiccups are persistent.

23/09/2024

NEUROPATHIC PAIN
This is the pain that occurs as a result of damage to nerve tissue.
Which present in two ways that is Stabbing pain and burning type of pain.

ANOREXIA.
Is loss of desire to eat.

CACHEXIA.
Is a complex metabolic syndrome, characterized by profound loss of lean body mass especially is terminal illness.
Can be caused by sore mouth,mouth tumors, malodour, uraemia,liver failure,some medications, Depression, Constipation, gastrointestinal obstruction, hypercalcemia, hyponatremia, nausea and vomiting

29/07/2023

Menopause is a cessation of the flow in female and usually spontaneously occurs at the age 45-55. Peri-menopause is the time around menopause and can last a few years untill the menopause has set in.
Menopause can also be caused by surgical removal of the ovaries.

It can present with
- HOT FLASHES( sudden unanticipated, unpleasant wave of body heat;can range from mild to intense).
-Night sweats, palpitations,headaches,insomnia,tiredness.
-Irregular menstruation till cessation.
-Vaginal atrophy and dryness, loss of libido,painful in*******se
-Bladder irritability, incontinence,UTIs.
-Weight gain(sometimes)
-Skin changes;dryness,thinning,loss of head hair, increase or loss of body hair.
-Mood swings, emotional changes
-Osteoporosis, denture problems
- Lack of concentration, failing memory.

24/06/2022

SICKLE CELL DISEASE PART 1.

Its a genetic heamoglobin disorder in which red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body change shape from a smooth doughnuts shape into a crescent or half moon shape.

It's caused by a defect in beta chains where a given amino acid is replaced by another( scientifically the substitution of valine for glutamic acid) at position 6 of the chain.This change creates abnormal heamoglobin called HbS. That's why you should know your genotype or the kind of an S you have before thinking about Having children my dear.

As I was saying

It presents with;
It's symptoms usually appear from age 3 to 6months: anaemia,dactylitis(swelling of fingers),lobar pneumonia, recurrent severe bacterial infections.This results from the reduction of foetal haemoglobin F(HbF),and increase in HbS in the blood

To be continued.
Ps please know your genotype 🙏

22/06/2022

BIPOLAR DISORDER (MANIA).
This is a disorder of mood control characterised by episodes in which the person's mood and activity level are significantly disturbed: in some occasions, there is an elevation of the mood and increased energy and activity (mania) and in other occasions, there is a lowering of mood and decreased energy and activity (depression).

The causes mostly depend on biological, environmental and genetic factors.

A person can have acute manic episodes, depression episode or in between the episodes.

You can imagine the confusion to both the patient and the rest of the sane people watching from the side lane😏

Mania presents with;
.Elevated,expansive or irritable moods.
. Speech is increased with flight of ideas(more bubbly than the person is normally)
. Increased self image, restlessness,over-activity
.Auditory and visual hallucinations like hearing voices and seeing thing which ain't real.
. Decreased need for sleep.
. Increased appetite but with weight loss due to increased activity. Yeah I know it's confusing 😂😂😂
. Delusions of grandeur like believing your friends with the pope or your the queen of England hmmmm, and increased libido.

DEPRESSION presents aslow mood most of the day, almost every dayLow interest or pleasure in activities that are normally pleasurable Associated lack of energy,body weakness or easily fatigued
Ps these symptoms happen for atleast two weeks Difficulty in concentrating,reduced attention
.Reduced self esteem and self confidence
.Poor sleep,poor appetite.
. Bleak and pessimistic view of the future
. Multiple body pains or other medically unexplained somatic symptoms
.Ideas or acts of self harm which occurs in upto 65%of patients
. Feeling of guilt and unworthiness.
and adolescents usually present with irritability, school phobia,poor academic performance,drug abuse,alcohol and truancy.

It's can be misdiagnosed as Organic mental state, chronic psychosis, thyroid dysfunction,adrenal dysfunction( Addison's disease), anxiety disorder, dementia even stroke yeah sometimes depression stupor episodes can be pretty serious.

Please avoid self medication and diagnosis. But don't keep quiet mental illness is real and every life matter.

Work on your esteem, get a solid psychosocial support. Your not a lone in this.

AWARENESS IS THE FIRST STEP
SHARING SAVES LIVES.