- Published: September 26, 2022
- Updated: September 26, 2022
- Level: Masters
- Language: English
- Downloads: 10
Running Head: Case A Hypertension Inserts His/her Inserts Grade Inserts 18, April, 2012
Hypertension case study
Dr Ally is a 49 year old professor who has been diagnosed and treated with essential hypertension 12 medication last year because he was feeling just fine. In addition, he was very busy with work and thus felt tired after work and developed dyspnea while climbing the stairs. As indicated by the case study, he suffers from mild hypertension otherwise known as uncomplicated hypertension. His blurred vision, dizziness and severe nose bleeding can be seen to be a result of the high blood pressure levels detected by his doctors which stand at 180/110. His doctor also found rales of crackles on his chest upon auscultation and this poses a risk as Dr Ally may suffer a heart failure which is his main problem. This is the reason why the doctor ordered him to take some rest and restart his high blood pressure medication to curb the impending condition (Kataoka and Matsuno, 2008).
According to the case study, Dr. Ally is undergoing pathophysiological changes in his eyes and heart owing to the fact that he recently suffered a bout of epistaxis which refers to severe nose bleeding, dizziness and a blurred vision. For instance, the blurry vision can be attributed to damaged blood vessels otherwise referred to as retinopathy and if left untreated this could result to blindness. On the other hand, the impending heart failure could be caused by damaged arteries and this could be fatal (U. S. National Library of Medicine, 2012).
According to the doctor, the patient could have developed congestive heart failure (CHF) due to hypertension, a condition that causes the heart to weaken thus rendering it unable to carry out its pumping activities normally. In this case, the patient could be suffering from left sided heart failure and this can be explained by the rales of crackles on his chest which the doctor encountered upon auscultation. In addition, his feelings of fatigue after work and his developing of dyspnea while climbing the stairs are another clear indication that he has a left sided heart failure.
Treatment for this condition includes drugs for hypertension as well as a procedure known as cardiac catheterization which is used in unblocking the heart arteries. The doctor is also likely to advise his patient to embark on a change in lifestyle where he is supposed to stop taking alcoholic substances, go soft on salt and also indulge in regular moderate exercises. Some of the medication likely to be administered includes Beta-blockers, Digitalis, Diuretics which include triamterene, furosemide, spironolactone, bumetanide and hydrochlorothiazide. Other possible medications include Epleronone, Hydralazine, ARBs as well as ACE inhibitors and lastly Digoxin (Ortiz, 2010).
The mechanisms of actions of these antihypertensive drugs include death prevention and this action is associated with the Beta-blockers. However, this medication is meant for some patients depending on their condition. Patients suffering from hypertension have a tendency of retaining too much fluid in their bodies and Diuretics are used to ensure that the extra fluid is expelled from the body. The blood pressure may either be too high or too low and Digitalis come in handy in regulating the heart beat according to Ortiz (2010).
References
Kataoka, H. and Matsuno, O. (2008). Age related pulmonary crackles (Rales) in asymptomatic
cardiovascular patients. Annals of Family Medicine, 6(3): 239-245.
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Ortiz, R. (2010). Heart Failure: Heart failure classifications. The San Diego Cardiac
Center, 4(7).
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U. S. National Library of Medicine. (2012). Hypertension. Medline Plus, 42: 51-84.
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