TB case study quiz Flashcards
(16 cards)
What are Callie’s symptoms? List all that was mentioned.
Callies symptoms are that she was tired all the time, has difficulty breathing, feels stressed, coughed up sputum, low grade fever, and lost weight as she lost appetite
Based on the symptoms presented, what are three possible respiratory infectious diseases Callie could be suffering from? Explain why.
Three possible respiratory infectious diseases are the influenza virus, Emphysema, and Pneumonia. The Influenza virus is a possibility because if one has this virus, they have a fever, are coughing a lot, have a stuffy nose, etc. The stuffy nose could cause difficulty breathing at times. Pneumonia is an option because when you have pneumonia your body temperature is either low or high and you cough up phlegm (which is sputum). The Emphysema virus is a possibility because people who have this virus have shortness of breath and trouble breathing. All of the symptoms that Callie describes are described within these three viruses.
Based on Callie’s symptoms and your answers so far, it seems Callie is having trouble with her respiratory system. Several respiratory conditions can impact gas exchange. Describe the process of gas exchange in the lung (alveoli).
Gas exchange in the alveoli is when oxygen from the lungs transfers to the bloodstream while carbon dioxide passes from the bloodstream to the lungs.
What is the causative agent for tuberculosis (TB)? How does one get tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is when bacteria attack one’s lungs. One can get tuberculosis by breathing in air from someone else. This is a transferable virus because the germs are passed on when one person coughs, sneezes, laughs, or sings.
Explain the tests used to diagnose someone with active TB (make sure to include an x-ray, sputum analysis, skin tests, and blood tests).
The tests used to diagnose someone with TB include skin tests and blood tests. When someone tests positive for either or that means they only have it and do not specify which kind or how far along it is.
Causative agent for TB
Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Symptoms
Latent TB has none
Active TB Includes Unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, night sweats, fever, fatigue, and chills. Symptoms of lungs: coughing for 3 weeks or longer, hemoptysis, and chest pain
TBT & TST
All tests will indicate TB infection but nothing more
Contagious
Latent TB is not contagious
Active TB is easily contagious
Based on the data available so far, can you tell if Callie has an active or latent TB infection? Explain your reasoning.
I think Callie has an Active TB infection because Callie has symptoms and if it was a latent TB infection, Callie would have no symptoms. Her symptoms also describe the Active TB infection symptoms.
Based on what you know and what you have just read, how do you think active TB infection impacts gas exchange in the alveoli? (Hint: think about which aspect of Fick’s law is being altered.)
Active TB impacts gas exchange since it directly impacts the health of the lungs by also affecting lung tissues, this causes gas exchange to decrease.
Based on what you know about Callie, are there any life style factors that might be contributing to her health and respiratory problems? Specifically, could something have exacerbated her condition? Explain.
Callie working in the bakery may have affected her respiratory issues. With the flour polluting the air, it goes into her and her colleague’s lungs, causing more issues with their respiratory system.
Based on the information that Callie gave her doctor, how could she have contracted tuberculosis? How is pulmonary tuberculosis transmitted?
Since Callie has active TB she most likely got it from another person with Active TB in the bakery she works at. It has also been said that an employee has been traveling back and forth from South Africa which is known for a high rate of TB.
Can a person with latent TB pass it to others?
No, a person with latent TB cannot pass it to others since it is considered noncontagious
When looking up information Callie discovered that people can have false positive results to the tuberculin skin test. Describe the tuberculosis skin test (TST) and explain why a false positive can occur.
Skin test results depend on two things, measurement in milliliters of induration, and the person’s risk of TB or the risk of progression. So a false positive can occur of recent TB vaccines or infection by non-TB bacteria and viruses.
Jeremy and all of Callie’s coworkers were identified as close contacts by the health department nurse. They all underwent tuberculosis skin testing. If Jeremy and Callie’s coworkers have positive TSTs, would you interpret them as false positives or an indication of latent TB infection?
Depending if they have any symptoms or not, they could also take a TST to back up their positive test to see if the TST was a false positive or not. If the TBT comes out negative then the TST was likely a false positive.
