[Solved] A 68-year-old Chronic Bronchitis Case Study

Chronic Illness Case

Some differential diagnoses should be considered for the patient, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The patient presents with a persistent cough and frequent urination that has lasted four months. He could have contracted chronic bronchitis, especially due to his smoking behavior. The condition results from long-term bronchi inflammation resulting from prolonged smoking (Rozanski, 2020, p. 393). Its primary symptoms may include coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest discomfort. The patient could also be diagnosed with emphysema. The condition damages the air sacs in the lung to cause severe symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest. The condition also interferes with hormonal metabolism to cause implications such as frequent urination (Pahal et al., 2018). Since the patient presents with frequent urination and a persistent cough, he could be diagnosed with emphysema.

Some diagnostic tests that could help to confirm the presence of chronic bronchitis include a chest x-ray and sputum examination. A chest x-ray could reveal the severity of inflammation in the bronchi, while a sputum examination could reveal any infections in the patient’s respiratory system. To help alleviate symptoms of chronic bronchitis, it would be important to prescribe fluticasone and prednisolone. To confirm the presence of emphysema, a computerized tomography scan could be performed. The test combines multiple x-ray images taken from different directions to create a cross-sectional view of a patient’s chest and reveal any damages in the lings (Junior et al., 2019, p. 50). It would be important to prescribe corticosteroids in an inhaler form to help alleviate inflammation in the lungs and reduce the severity of symptoms. Bronchodilators could also be administered to relax the muscles in the lungs and make breathing easier. Such treatments could help to ease symptoms and stimulate recovery.

References

Rozanski, E. (2020). Canine chronic bronchitis: An update. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 50(2), 393-404. https://www.vetsmall.theclinics.com/article/S0195-5616(19)30151-2/abstract

Pahal, P., Avula, A., & Sharma, S. (2018). Emphysema. https://europepmc.org/books/nbk482217

Junior, E. G. F., Costa, P. A., Silveira, L. M. F. G., Almeida, L. E. M., Salvioni, N. C. P., & Loureiro, B. M. (2019). Giant bullous emphysema mistook for traumatic pneumothorax. International journal of surgery case reports, 56, 50-54. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210261219300653