Pathophysiology

Pathophysiology Study Guide

©2018 of 131 together due to inflammation. The consequence is that the spine becomes rigid and the posture becomes hunched forward. In extreme cases the ribs get affected and the person suffers from difficulty in normal breathing. There is no specific cause of this abnormality and it can be due to a hereditary factor that is the presence of a gene called HLA-B27. Signs and symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis include stiffness and pain in the hips and lower back area, mostly during rest. It is not possible to treat this disease but medications and treatment can ease the pain associated with it. Neuromuscular Disease Neuromuscular diseases are the diseases in which the neuromuscular system, comprising the muscles and nerves, are compromised. The neuromuscular system is responsible for the effective movement of the body and the signs of these diseases involve weakness, numbness, pain, spasticity, cramping, and paralysis. Some of these diseases are studied below. Guillain-Barre Syndrome Guillain-Barre syndrome is a disease in which the nerves are attacked by the immune system of the body. The exact etiology of this disorder is not known, but it is said to occur after an infection of the respiratory or digestive tract. Rare causes include surgical complications and immunization. The initial symptoms involve a weakness and tingling effect, which grows and causes a paralyzing effect in the whole body. Other symptoms involve prickling sensations in the fingers, toes, ankles, and wrists; spread of weakness from the legs to upper body; difficulty in movement and climbing stairs; difficulty with vision and movements; worsening of pain and cramps at night; difficulty with bowel functioning; tachycardia; hypotension or hypertension; and shortness of breath. Myasthenia Gravis Myasthenia gravis is the neuromuscular disorder characterized by the breakdown of the normal connection between the nerves and muscles. The patient suffers from muscular weakness and rapid fatigue. Generally, myasthenia gravis is caused when the immune system of the body produces the antibodies that lead to the destruction of the muscle receptor sites. These receptor sites are responsible for relevant signals to the muscles. Another cause for this disorder is the abnormal increase in the size of the thymus gland that impairs the production of antibodies to block acetylcholine. Congenital factors also lead to myasthenia gravis. Symptoms of myasthenia gravis include the dropping of one or both eyelids, double vision, altered speaking, difficulty in swallowing, problems, chewing, limited facial expressions and weakness in the arms and legs. Pickwickian Syndrome/Sleep Apnea Also known as obesity-hypoventilation syndrome, Pickwichian syndrome is characterized by obesity, somnolence, erythrococytosis, and hypoventilation. An obese person has trouble breathing, which causes the levels of oxygen to fall and carbon dioxide to increase in the bloodstream. The cause of this syndrome is a defect in the control of the brain over breathing. Further, obesity makes it difficult to draw enough oxygen quickly. Symptoms of this disorder include poor quality of sleep, sleep apnea, depression, headache, tiredness, shortness of breath, and getting tired quickly. Achieve Page 68