Pathophysiology

Pathophysiology Study Guide

Pneumonia Pneumonia is the occurrence of infection in either one or both lungs, which is caused by fungus, bacterium, or virus. The alveoli in the lungs gets inflamed and filled with pus cells or fluid causing difficulty in normal breathing activity. The most common cause of pneumonia is the attack by the bacteriumbelonging to species of Streptococcus pneumoniae , chlamydophila pneumonia, or legionella pneumophila. Respiratory viruses can also cause pneumonia, but usually only last for a short period. Other microorganisms that can cause this infection are mycoplasma pneumonia and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. The general signs and symptoms of a person developing a pneumonia infection are pain in the chest, shaking and chills, fever, dry cough, wheezing, pain in muscles, nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, and shortness of breath. Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is a serious bacterial infection that infects the lungs and is contagious, as it spreads from tiny droplets from coughs and sneezes. Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium species called Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Tuberculosis is accompanied by the formation of tubercles, which are nodules on the lung tissue. The tubercle has a soft, cheese like center and is surrounded by layers of macrophages and T-lymphocytes. Major symptoms of tuberculosis are coughing over three weeks, blood while coughing, chest pain mostly while breathing or coughing, unintentional weight loss, fatigue, fever, sweating at night, chills, and loss of appetite. 4.7 Neoplasia Small (Oat) Cell Small cell lung cancer, also known as oat cell cancer, is a kind of lung cancer that grows rapidly and spreads quickly; it is associated with distinct para-neoplastic syndromes. Major causes of small cell lung cancer are tobacco smoking, secondhand smoking, exposure to uranium, exposure to radon, and exposure to asbestos. This type of cancer can take various forms: local growth of the tumor spread to nearby areas, spread to distant areas from the origin, and para-neoplastic syndromes. The signs for local growth of tumor include chest pain that worsens during deep breathing, blood while coughing, and shortness of breath. When the cancer spreads to the nearby areas, the symptoms involve hoarse voice, shortness of breath, difficulty in swallowing, and swelling on the face and hands. If the cancer spreads to the brain, it causes headache, blurredness in vision, vomiting, weakness in limbs, mental changes, seizures, and nausea. If it spreads to vertebral column, it causes back pain. In the spinal cord, it causes paralysis, bowel loss, and improper functioning of the bladder. Moreover, if it spreads to the bone, it leads to pain in the bones. If spread to the liver it leads to pain in the upper right portion of the abdomen. Signs and symptoms due to para-neoplastic syndromes include weakness in muscles, fatigue, unintentional weight loss, loss of appetite, trouble with balancing and walking, changes in mental status, and change in color and textures of the skin and facial features.

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