Afflictions of the Brothers-In-Law
Simple and Greenstick are the most common types of these - which occur in the radius or ulna of children and adolescents from falling from heights or playing contact sports.
What is broken arm / arm fracture?
This manifestation shows up as non-elevated ST segments on an electrocardiogram and affects the subendocardium but is not completely transmural. In men, it presents with the chest-clutching "Levine sign", but in women the presentation is more subtle - sometimes mistaken as eating "too much thyme".
What is heart attack or NSTEMI?
Acquired in the infectious cyst form from freshwater sources (rivers, creeks, streams), this parasite turns into the trophozoite form in the body and causes GI upset with steatorrhea.
What is Giardia Lamblia?
This disorder occurs while sleeping and is characterized by increased sympathetic tone - causing nocturnal hypoxia and laryngeal obstruction while the body tries to inhale. Symptoms may include daytime sleepiness and snoring.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Abigail was the first in the family to be diagnosed with this - via a polymerase chain reaction test that scans for viral DNA. Symptoms include cough, fever, lost of taste and smell, and pneumonia in severe cases.
What is SARS-Cov-2 or COVID-19?
This type of fracture commonly occurs in lower extremity bones in adults, such as tibia or femur - brought on by more long-term weakening rather than acute trauma.
What is a stress fracture?
Calcium oxalate is the most common chemical makeup of this and often appears as envelope-shaped under light microscopy. It elicits pain after a buildup of fluid distends and dilates the renal calyces.
What is Kidney Stone?
Prompted by mast cell degranulation in the body to a benign trigger such as eggs, bees, cotton, etc., this causes acute itching, numbness, rash, and even airway blockage.
What is Allergy / Type 1 Hypersensitivity Reaction ?
In the family of obstructive lung diseases, this is characterized by transient bouts of air trapping in the lung - making it progressively more difficult to exhale air.
What is Asthma? (if COPD was guessed, I'll give half credit BUT that's not a disease of someone in our family so I cannot give full credit).
This bacteria is gram positive, and symptoms include fever and a hallmark sore throat. It wishes it were as scary as Staph aureus but it runs and hides at even the thought of penicillin. Left untreated, it can affect the heart and kidneys.
What is strep throat or Streptococcus pyogenes?
Degeneration over time of this tendon connecting the knee cap to the tibia bone causes increasing pain and may eventually require surgery for debridement or repair. Fun fact: this is actually a ligament, but is commonly named as a tendon.
What is the patellar tendon? (really the patellar ligament though).
Often a consequence of increased nucleotide breakdown in the purine salvage pathway, this presents with painful monoarthritis in the distal extremities because of monosodium urate crystal deposition.
What is gout?
In the Paramyxovirus family, this disease causes bronchiolitis in infants - presenting with cough, shortness of breath, and interstitial pneumonia in some cases.
What is RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)?
Characterized by non-caseating granulomas in the hilum of the lung, this disease can present with shortness of breath, cough, and eye inflammation. It can lead to restrictive lung disease or go into remission.
What is sarcoidosis?
What is Epstein-Barr Virus (Infectious Mononucleosis)?
This pathology can be diagnosed by passively raising the person's outstretched leg when lying in the prone position which elicits a painful, often "electric" response. It is commonly brought on by a radiculopathy of the L5-S1 vertebrae, impinging on the nerve.
What is sciatica?
This consists of fibrin and gives off degradation factors (d-dimer) in the blood. It commonly results from the risk factors listed in Virchow's triad: stasis, hypercoagulable states, and endothelial cell damage. It presents with back/chest pain, shortness of breath, and hypoxia. It is commonly treated with an inhibitor of factor Xa of the coagulation cascade.
What is pulmonary embolism (blood clot in lung)?
Although the pathogenesis for this disease is poorly understood, it is thought that it might be a reactivation of Roseola virus. It typically presents with a red, scaly, inflamed "herald patch" on the skin in the chest. Within a week, small spots spread throughout the skin of the entire trunk and self resolves in 1-2 months.
What is Pityriasis Rosea?
This disease occurs when the body makes autoantibodies attacking the post-synaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the neuro-muscular junction - causing temporary bouts of paralysis, blurry vision, and dysphagia.
What is Myasthenia Gravis?
This disease is a member of the herpesviridae family. It is a reactivation of a childhood illness brought on by immunocompromised states such as organ transplants, aging, or pregnancy. Symptoms include fever and a painful vesicular rash following a linear dermatomal pattern.
What is Varicella Zoster Virus (Shingles)?
This syndrome affects a specific distal portion of the median terminal branch of the brachial plexus, which gets impinged inside a canal between a ligament and a group of small bones. It leads to numbness and stiffness in the distribution of the median branch - including the first 3 1/2 phalanges.
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
This disorder is due to resistance to or absence of a peptide hormone that catalyzes the conversion of glucose-6-phosphate to glycogen - a form of energy storage in the liver and muscle. It can be complicated by non-enzymatic glycation in various tissues - leading to neuropathy and nephropathy.
What is Diabetes Mellitus?