NEET MDS Lessons
General Pathology
Streptococcal pharyngitis:
A disease of young people, enlarged lymphoid nodules and keratin plugs in the tonsillar pits is seen Complications include retro-pharyngeal abscess (quinsy)
Cellulitis of the deep tissues of the neck is Ludwig's angina
Scarlet fever ("scarlatina") is a strep throat caused by a streptococcus with the gene to make one of the erythrogenic toxins, Patients have a rash with PMNs
Streptococcal skin infections (Impetigo)
Erysipelas is a severe skin infection caused by group A strep; geographic of red, thickened, indurated areas of the skin are characteristic. Unlike staph infections, there is usually little or no tissue necrosis
Post-streptococcal hypersensitivity diseases include rheumatic fever, post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, and some cases of erythema nodosum
Herpes simplex is subdivided into type 1 and 2, the former usually developing lesions around the lips and mouth and the latter producing vesicular lesions in the genital region
- contracted by physical contact; incubation 2-10 days.
- primary HSV I usually is accompanied by systemic signs of fever and Lymphadenopathy, while recurrent herpes is not associate with systemic signs.
- dentists often become infected by contact with patient saliva and often develop extremely painful infections on the fingers (herpetic whitlow).
- Herpes viruses remain dormant in sensory ganglia and are reactivated by stress, sunlight, menses, etc.
- Herpes gingivostomatitis is MC primary HSV 1 infectionÆpainful, vesicular eruptions that may extend for the tongue to the retropharynx.
- Herpes keratoconjunctivitis (HSV 1)
- Kaposi's varicelliform eruption refers to an HSV 1 infection superimposed on a previous dermatitis, usually in an immunodeficient person.
- laboratory: culture; ELISA test on vesicle fluid; intranuclear inclusions within multinucleated squamous cells in scrapings (Tzanck preps) of vesicular lesions.
Leukaemias
Uncontrolled proliferation of leukocyte precursors (may be with associated red cell and platelet series proliferation).
Factors which may playa causal role are.
- Viral
- Radiation.
- Genetic.
Classification
1. Acule leukaemia:
a. Lymphocytic (lymphoblastic).
b. Myelocytic and promyelocytic (myeloblastic).
c. Monocytic.
d. Myelomonocytic.
e. Undifferentiated (Stem cell).
2. Chronic leukaemia:
a. Lymphocytic
b. Myelocytic
3. Miscellaneous:
a. Erythroleukaemia (De Guglielmo's disease).
b. Eosinophilic leukaemia.
c. Megakaryocytic leukaemia.
Aneurysm
An aneurysm is a localized abnormal dilation of a blood vessel or the heart
Types:
1. True aneurysm - it involves all three layers of the arterial wall (intima, media, and adventitia) or the attenuated wall of the heart.
e.g. Atherosclerotic, syphilitic, and congenital aneurysms, and ventricular aneurysms that follow transmural myocardial infarctions.
2 False aneurysm
(also called pseudo-aneurysm) is a breach in the vascular wall leading to an extravascular hematoma that freely communicates with the intravascular space ("pulsating hematoma").
E.g. ventricular ruptures after MI that are contained by a pericardial adhesion
E.g. a leak at the junction of a vascular graft with a natural artery.
Aneurysms are classified by macroscopic shape and size
Saccular aneurysms
spherical outpouchings (involving only a portion of the vessel wall, and often contain thrombi.
Fusiform aneurysms
diffuse, circumferential dilation of a long vascular segment;
they vary in diameter and length and can involve extensive portions of the aortic arch, abdominal aorta, or even the iliacs.
Aortic Aneurysm
The two most important causes are:
1- atherosclerosis : the most common cause
It causes thinning and weakening of the media. The intimal plaques compress the underlying media and also compromise nutrient and waste diffusion from the vascular lumen into the arterial wall. The media consequently undergoes degeneration and necrosis, thus allowing the dilation of the vessel
2- cystic medial degeneration of the arterial media. E.g. Marfan syndrome.
3- Other causes include: trauma, congenital defects (e.g., berry aneurysms), infections (mycotic aneurysms), systemic diseases, such as vasculitis.
Mycotic Aneurysm :
Infection of a major artery that weakens its wall is called a mycotic aneurysm
possible complications: thrombosis and rupture.
It can originate from:
(1) embolization of a septic thrombus, usually as a complication of infective endocarditis
(2) extension of an adjacent suppurative process;
(3) circulating organisms directly infecting the arterial wall
Mycotic AAAs are atherosclerotic lesions infected by lodging of circulating microorganisms in the wall
- e.g. bacteremia from a primary Salmonella gastroenteritis.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Atherosclerotic aneurysms occur most frequently in the abdominal aorta ,the common iliac arteries, the arch, and descending parts of the thoracic aorta can also be involved
Pathogenesis
AAA occurs more frequently in men and rarely develops before age 50.
Atherosclerosis is a major cause of AAA
hereditary defects in structural components of the aorta (e.g., defective fibrillin production in Marfan disease affects elastic tissue synthesis)
Morphology :
Usually positioned below the renal arteries and above the bifurcation of the aorta
AAA can be saccular or fusiform
as large as 15 cm in diameter, and as long as 25 cm.
Microscopically: atherosclerosis with destruction and thinning of the underlying aortic media
the aneurysm frequently contains a laminated mural thrombus
Syphilitic Aneurysm
Caused by The spirochetes T. pallidum
Tertiary stage of syphilis can cause obliterative endarteritis of the involve small vessels in any part of the body, including the vasa vasorum of the aorta
This results in ischemic medial injury, leading to aneurysmal dilation of the aorta and aortic annulus, and eventually valvular insufficiency.
valvular insufficiency and massive volume overload lead to hypertrophy of the left ventricle. The greatly enlarged hearts are sometimes called "cor bovinum" (cow's heart).
CLINICAL CONSEQUENCES
1. Rupture → massive potentially fatal hemorrhage
2. Obstruction of downstream vessel → tissue ischemic injury
3. Embolism → from atheroma or mural thrombus
4. Impingement and compression on an adjacent structure
5. Presentation as an abdominal mass
Cryptococcosis
An infection acquired by inhalation of soil contaminated with the encapsulated yeast Cryptococcus neoformans, which may cause a self-limited pulmonary infection or disseminate, especially to the meninges, but sometimes to the skin, bones, viscera, or other sites.
Cryptococcosis is a defining opportunistic infection for AIDS, although patients with Hodgkin's or other lymphomas or sarcoidosis or those receiving long-term corticosteroid therapy are also at increased risk.
AIDS-associated cryptococcal infection may present with severe, progressive pneumonia with acute dyspnea and an x-ray pattern suggestive of Pneumocystis infection.
Primary lesions in the lungs are usually asymptomatic and self-limited
Pneumonia usually causes cough and other nonspecific respiratory symptoms. Rarely, pyelonephritis occurs with renal papillary necrosis development.
Most symptoms of cryptococcal meningitis are attributable to brain swelling and are usually nonspecific, including headache, blurred vision, confusion, depression, agitation, or other behavioral changes. Except for ocular or facial palsies, focal signs are rare until relatively late in the course of infections. Blindness may develop due to brain swelling or direct involvement of the optic tracts. Fever is usually low-grade and frequently absent.
Cardiac arrhythmia
Cardiac arrhythmia is a group of conditions in which muscle contraction of the heart is irregular for any reason.
Tachycardia :A rhythm of the heart at a rate of more than 100 beats/minute , palpitation present
Causes : stress, caffeine, alcohol, hyperthyroidism or drugs
Bradycardia : slow rhythm of the heart at a rate less than 60 beats/min
Atrial Arrhythmias
- Atrial fibrillation
Atrial Dysrhythmias
- Premature atrial contraction
- Atrial flutter
- Supraventricular tachycardia
- Sick sinus syndrome
Ventricular Arrhythmias
- Ventricular fibrillation
Ventricular Dysrhythmias
- Premature ventricular contraction
- Pulseless electrical activity
- Ventricular tachycardia
- Asystole
Heart Blocks
- First degree heart block
- Second degree heart block
o Type 1 Second degree heart block a.k.a. Mobitz I or Wenckebach
o Type 2 Second degree heart block a.k.a. Mobitz II
- Third degree heart block a.k.a. complete heart block
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is a cardiac arrhythmia (an abnormality of heart rate or rhythm) originating in the atria.
AF is the most common cardiac arrhythmia
Signs and symptoms
Rapid and irregular heart rates
palpitations, exercise intolerance, and occasionally produce angina and congestive symptoms of shortness of breath or edema
Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is the episodic occurence of the arrhythmia Episodes may occur with sleep or with exercise
Diagnosis:
Electrocardiogram
- absence of P waves
- unorganized electrical activity in their place
- irregularity of R-R interval due to irregular conduction of impulses to the ventricles
Causes:
- Arterial hypertension
- Mitral valve disease (e.g. due to rheumatic heart disease or mitral valve prolapse)
- Heart surgery
- Coronary heart disease
- Excessive alcohol consumption ("binge drinking" or "holiday heart")
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hyperstimulation of the vagus nerve, usually by having large meals
Treatment
Rate control by
Beta blockers (e.g. metoprolol)
Digoxin
Calcium channel blockers (e.g. verapamil)
Rhythm control
Electrical cardioverion by application of a DC electrical shock
Chemical cardioversion is performed with drugs eg amiodarone
Radiofrequency ablation : uses radiofrequency energy to destroy abnormal electrical pathways in heart tissue It is used in recurrent AF
In confirmed AF, anticoagulant treatment is a crucial way to prevent stroke
Atrial flutter
Atrial flutter is a regular, rhythmic tachycardia originating in the atria. The rate in the atria is over 220 beats/minute, and typically about 300 beats/minute
he morphology on the surface EKG is typically a sawtooth pattern.
The ventricles do not beat as fast as the atria in atrial flutter
Supraventricular tachycardia
apid rhythm of the heart in which the origin of the electrical signal is either the atria or the AV node
it is important to determine whether a wide-complex tachycardia is an SVT or a ventricular tachycardia, since they are treated differently
Sick sinus syndrome : a group of abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias) presumably caused by a malfunction of the sinus node, the heart's "natural" pacemaker.
Ventricular fibrillation
is a cardiac condition which consists of a lack of coordination of the contraction of the muscle tissue of the large chambers of the heart. The ventricular muscle twitches randomly, rather than contracting in unison, and so the ventricles fail to pump blood into the arteries and into systemic circulation.
Ventricular fibrillation is a medical emergency: if the arrhythmia continues for more than a few seconds, blood circulation will cease, as evidenced by lack of pulse, blood pressure and respiration, and death will occur. Ventricular fibrillation is a cause of cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death
THROMBOPHLEBITIS AND PHLEBOTHROMBOSIS
- The deep leg veins account for more than 90% of cases (DVT)
- the most important clinical predispositions are: congestive heart failure, neoplasia, pregnancy, obesity, the postoperative state, and prolonged bed rest or immobilization
- local manifestations: distal edema, cyanosis, superficial vein dilation, heat, tenderness, redness, swelling, and pain
- migratory thrombophlebitis (Trousseau sign): hypercoagulability occurs as a paraneoplastic syndrome related to tumor elaboration of procoagulant factors