Week 5 Case Study: Mrs. R.
Chamberlain University
NR 601: Primary Care of the Maturing and Aged Family July 2018
Week 5 Case Study: Mrs.
... [Show More] R.
The case study scenario introduced the class to Mrs. R., a 56-year old Hispanic female who reported to the office clinic with complaints of extreme fatigue and experiencing a gradual weight gain. The onset of her symptoms started three months ago. She exercises twice a week by walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes in an attempt to lose weight but has been unsuccessful. The intention of this paper is to examine the analysis of the subjective and objective findings that was collected to diagnose and create a management plan for Mrs. R. In addition, the application of national diabetes guidelines will be included into the patient’s management plan.
This paper will also discuss the assessment of the primary, the secondary, and the differential diagnoses for Mrs. R., as well as the management plan for treatment of the primary, the secondary, and the differential diagnoses, which consists of diagnostics, medications, education, referrals, and follow-up care. This paper also includes a discussion on medication costs of all prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) medications.
Assessment
According to the information provided by Mrs. R., she has symptoms of major concerns, which includes extreme fatigue, the inability to lose weight regardless of her attempts to exercise, her increase in thirst, hunger, and urination. Per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention BMI calculator (CDC) (2015), her calculated BMI of 29.7 showed that she is overweight for her given height. The result from her urine analysis showed glucose and small concentration of protein. Her HgbA1C is 6.9% and her fasting glucose is 126 mg/dL, which according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) (2018), she meets the conditions for the diagnosis of diabetes. Mrs. R’s CBC values, TSH and Free T4 levels were unremarkable, which
ruled out hypothyroidism and anemia. Her lipid panel results revealed she has hyperlipidemia. Her elevated cholesterol places her at risk for a stroke and cardiovascular disease (AACE, 2017). Primary diagnosis
Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (DM2) (E11.9). Type 2 diabetes or DM2 is referred to as adult-onset diabetes and is indicated by hyperglycemia, insulin deficiency, insulin resistance that can lead to the development of vascular and neurologic complications (American Diabetes Association [ADA], 2018). According to Goroll (2014), there is an insufficient amount of insulin being excreted by the pancreas to meet the metabolic needs of the body causing hyperglycemia. Goroll (2014) also states that the disease is more apparent later in life in most cases, with fatigue as the leading sign. Manifestations of DM2 consist of polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, and weight gain (Goroll, 2014). Some pertinent positives include: extreme thirst (polydipsia), extreme hunger (polyphagia), frequent urination during the day (polyuria), extreme fatigue, difficulty losing weight regardless of exercise, obesity, her age, and Hispanic ethnicity. Her lab results, which includes Hemoglobin A1c=6.9%, fasting plasma glucose=126, and elevated cholesterol levels are indicative of diabetes mellitus type 2. Per Pippitt, Li, and Gurgle (2016), DM2 can lead to blindness, renal failure, amputation of the limbs, vascular and cardiac disease.
Rationale. The diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type 2 is chosen as the primary diagnosis due to Mrs. R.’s symptoms of fatigue, her inability to lose weight regardless of incorporating exercise in her lifestyle, her increased frequency of urination, and increased thirst and hunger. Also, her lab results, which includes her HA1c, are indicative of the diagnosis of diabetes type 2. Additional risk factors associated with Mrs. R. is her age, and her Hispanic ethnicity. According to the ADA (2018), the factors, such as obesity, age, and certain racial/ethnic subgroups, which
includes those with Hispanic/Latino background can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The ADA (2018) also states that the excess of weight can cause some degree of insulin resistance. Over the past 3 months, her presentation of excessive hunger, excessive thirst, frequent voiding, weight gain, and extreme fatigue maybe an indication of slow progression of diabetes.
Secondary diagnosis
Hyperlipidemia (E78.5). Hyperlipidemia, which is referred to as dyslipidemia is termed as elevated concentrations of lipids that could potentially block blood flow due to plaques build up in the arteries (Dunphy et al., 2015). Hyperlipidemia is a heterogenous metabolic disorder that increases the risks of atherosclerosis involving levels of lipids and lipoprotein (Dunphy et al., 2015). Desirable values for cholesterol according to Dunphy et al. (2015) are as follows:
triglycerides (TGs) ¿ 150 mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) ¿ 100 mg/dL, high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) ¿ 60 mg/dL and a total cholesterol (TC) ¿ 200 mg/dL. Patients may
initially present without symptoms but often exists concurrently with coronary artery disease (CAD) or hypertension (HTN) (Dunphy et al., 2015).
Dunphy et al. (2015) also states that obesity, DM, nephrotic syndrome, end stage renal disease (ESRD), hypothyroidism, hepatic disorders, too much alcohol consumption, estrogen administration, Cushing’s syndrome, and glycogen storage disease are secondary causes of dyslipidemia. Secondary causes of hyperlipidemia should be assessed prior to initiating a treatment because treating the primary disorder often corrects the dyslipidemia (Dunphy et al., 2015). Some pertinent positives include: elevated triglycerides (TGs=232mg/dL), elevated LDL (144mg/dL), decreased HDL (38mg/dL), elevated total cholesterol (TC= 230mg/dL), gender, ethnicity, generalized fatigue, tired, feeling of no energy, weight gain, increased hunger, diabetes [Show Less]