Practice Paper 2 Flashcards
(123 cards)
What are the most common causes of an elderly patients acute confusion?
Infection: UTI and upper respiratory infection
Which conditions are associated with HLA B27 ?
Crohn's Psoriasis UC Uveitis Ankylosing Spondylitis
What signs do you expect on examination of a HF patient?
Hepatomegaly Pitting oedema Pulsus alternans Raised JVP Ascites Tricuspid regurg Bilateral basal crackles s3 gallop
Whats the Glasgow score? What is it used for?
It’s used for the assessment of acute pancreatitis
+1 for each of the following:
Age >55 WCC Urea Glucose Arterial pO2 Albumin Calcium Lactate dehydrogenase
Whats the alternative name for Giant cell arteritis?
Temporal arteritis
Define Giant cell arteritis
Granulomatous inflammation of large arteries, particularly branches of the external carotid artery, most commonly the TEMPORAL ARTERY
Whats the aetiology and RF for temporal arteritis?
UNKOWN
Whats the epidemiology of temporal arteritis?
More common in FEMALES
Peak age of onset: 65M70 yrs
Recognise the presenting symptoms of giant cell arteritis
- Subacute onset (usually over a few weeks)
- Headache
- Scalp tenderness
- Jaw claudication
- Blurred vision
- Sudden blindness in one eye
- Systemic: malaise, low-grade fever, lethargy, weight loss, depression
- Symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica - early morning pain and stiffness of muscles of the shoulder and pelvic girdle (present in 20% of presentation) §
o NOTE: 40-60% of GCA has polymyalgia rheumatica
How does a classic presentation of temporal arteritis present?
Acute visual loss Headache before that - severe Headache worst on talking and eating (jaw claudication) Lethargy the past few weeks Shoulder stifness No relevant PMH
Identify appropriate investigations for giant cell arteritis
BLOODS
o High ESR
o FBC - normocytic anaemia of chronic disease
TEMPORAL ARTERY BIOPSY *
o Must be performed within 48 hrs of starting corticosteroids
o Negative biopsy doesn’t necessarily rule out GCA
Define Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Chronic myeloblastic leukaemia is a malignant clonal disease characterised by proliferation of granulocyte precursors in the bone marrow and blood, distinguished
from AML by its slower progression
Explain the aetiology/risk factors of chronic myeloid leukaemia
• Malignant proliferation of stem cells
• 95% of cases have a chromosomal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 to form the Philadelphia chromosome
• Variants of CML include:
o Ph-negative CML
o Chronic neutrophilic leukaemia
o Eosinophilic leukaemia
Whats the pathogenesis of CML? (regarding the philadelphia gene)
o The Philadelphia chromosome results in the formation of the BCR-ABL fusion gene
o The product of this gene enhances tyrosine kinase activity and drives cell replication
What are the 3 phases of CML?
• THREE phases of CML
o Relatively stable chronic phase (4-6 yr duration)
o Accelerated phase (3-9 months)
o Acute leukaemia phase - blast transformation
Summarise the epidemiology of chronic myeloid leukaemia
- Incidence increases with age
- Mean age of diagnosis: 40-60 yrs
- 4 x more common in MALES
Recognise the presenting symptoms of chronic myeloid leukaemia
• ASYMPTOMATIC in 40-50% of cases M diagnosed on routine blood count
HYPERMETABOLIC SYMPTOMS:
o Weight loss
o Malaise
o Sweating
BONE MARROW FAILURE SYMPTOMS: o Lethargy o Dyspnoea o Easy bruising o Epistaxis * o Abdominal discomfort and early satiety
o Rare symptoms:
• Gout
• Hyperviscosity symptoms (visual disturbance, headaches, priapism)
o May present during a blast crisis with symptoms of AML and ALL
Recognise the signs of chronic myeloid leukaemia on physical examination
• SPLENOMEGALY - most common physical finding (90% of cases) • Signs of bone marrow failure: o Pallor o Bleeding o Ecchymosis
Identify appropriate investigations for chronic myeloid leukaemia
BLOODS o FBC • High WCC • Low Hb • High basophils/neutrophils/eosinophils • High/normal/low platelets • High uric acid • High B12 and transcobalamin I
BLOOD FILM
o Immature granulocytes
BONE MARROW ASPIRATE OR BIOPSY
o Hypercellular with raised myeloid-erythroid ratio
CYTOGENETICS
o Show the Philadelphia chromosome
Define Osteoarthritis
Age - related degenerative joint disease when cartilage destruction exceeds repair, causing pain and disability
Whats the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis
o Synovial joint cartilage destruction
o Eventually, there is loss of joint volume due to altered chondrocyte activity
o Patchy chronic synovial inflammation
o Fibrotic thickening of joint capsules
Summarise the epidemiology of osteoarthritis
- COMMON
- 25% of those > 60 yrs
- More common in FEMALES, CAUCASIANS and ASIANS
Recognise the presenting symptoms of osteoarthritis
- Joint pain and discomfort - which is use related
- Stiffness or gelling after inactivity
- Difficulty with certain movements
- Feelings of instability
- Restriction walking, climbing stairs and doing manual tasks
- Systemic features are usually absent
Recognise the signs of osteoarthritis on physical examination
• Local joint tenderness
• Bony swellings along joint margins
o Heberden’s Nodes - DISTAL interphalangeal joint
o Bouchard’s Nodes - PROXIMAL interphalangeal joint
- Crepitus and pain during joint movement
- Joint effusion
- Restriction of range of joint movement