Pharmacology wk 4 Assgignment
Week 4: Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Disorders
Both gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatobiliary disorders interfere with the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The former encompasses infections that affect the gastrointestinal tract, while the latter comprises a heterogeneous group of illnesses that affect the liver and the biliary system. Often, these two diseases present with similar symptoms. Therefore, for advanced nurses, conducting a differential diagnosis and developing a drug therapy rooted in the disease causes rather than the symptoms is crucial (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021). In this essay, the author reviews the patient’s HL case study, explains his diagnosis, describe an appropriate therapy based on the patient’s diagnosis, medical history, and current drugs, and justify why this drug therapy was recommended.Pharmacology wk 4 Assgignment
Explain the Patient’s Diagnosis
From the information provided in the case study, patient HL likely has a GI disorder. Common symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. While patients with the hepatobiliary disease can present the same symptoms, several characteristics distinguish this disease. For instance, patients with hepatobiliary diseases have jaundice, loss of appetite, itching, and light brown urine.
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The Rationale for the Patient’s Diagnosis
Patient HL has a history of drug abuse and a possible hepatitis C. He visited the clinic with diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting as the chief complaints. These symptoms have several differential diagnoses, including food poisoning, narcotics abuse, and heat exhaustion. Currently, the patient is taking three drugs; Synthroid 100 mcg daily, Nifedipine 30 mg daily, and Prednisone 10 mg daily. Synthroid is used to replace the thyroid hormone and sufficiently regulate the body’s metabolism. It is a prescription drug that is used to treat low thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism). The drug also relieves hypothyroidism-related constipation. Nifedipine medication manages high blood pressure and angina while Prednisone suppresses the immune system and reduces inflammation, especially in diseases such as asthma and rheumatologic infections. The drug can also be used to treat GI disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease. From the data presented, the patient can be diagnosed with acute diverticulitis, a GI disorder that occurs after the diverticulum’s inflammation. According to Swanson and Strate (2018), diverticula are bulging pouches that form the digestive system’s lining. The disease presents with fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal tenderness, constipation, or diarrhea.Pharmacology wk 4 Assgignment
Appropriate Drug Therapy Plan
For patient HL, diverticulitis treatment would require a life-long diet modification (Dahl et al., 2018). However, antibiotics can also be incorporated into mainstream therapy for patients with acute diverticulitis. The patient should continue with his current regimen comprising Synthroid 100 mg daily, Prednisone 10 mg daily, and Nifedipine 30 mg daily. Additional drugs for the patient could include Flora- Q and Ciproflazin 250 mg daily. Educating the patient on the new medications and their side effects will also be appropriate.
Justification for the Drug Therapy Plan
Synthroid will be used to treat hypothyroidism, Nifedipine to manage hypertension, and Prednisone to manage psoriasis. Added drugs such as Flora Q and Ciproflaxin will be used to maintain normal flora in the gastrointestinal tract and manage diarrhea, respectively.
Conclusion
In summary, patient HL is likely suffering from acute diverticulitis, a gastrointestinal disease where bulging pouches form on the digestive tract’s lining. Common symptoms of the disease are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal tenderness. In addition to his current dosage, ciploflaxin can be added to manage the patient’s symptoms and Flora Q as a probiotic. Overall, educating the patient on the drugs’ side effects and the significance of diet modification to manage the condition is highly essential. Pharmacology wk 4 Assgignment
References
Dahl, C., Crichton, M., Jenkins, J., Nucera, R., Mahoney, S., Marx, W., & Marshall, S. (2018). Evidence for dietary fibre modification in the recovery and prevention of Reoccurrence of acute, uncomplicated diverticulitis: A systematic literature review. Nutrients, 10(2), 137. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10020137
Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2021). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants (2nd ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Swanson, S. M., & Strate, L. L. (2018). Acute colonic diverticulitis (Japanese version). Annals of Internal Medicine, 168(9), JITC65-JITC80. https://doi.org/10.7326/istranslatedfrom_aitc201805010_japanese
Pharmacology wk 4 Assgignment