Question

ACTIVE LEARNING TEMPLATE: System Disorder STUDENT NAME DISORDER/DISEASE PROCESS Pharyngitis REVIEW MODULE CHAPTER Alterations in Health (Diagnosis) Pathophysiology Related to Client Problem Health Promotion and Disease Prevention ASSESSMENT SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS Risk Factors Expected Findings Laboratory Tests Diagnostic Procedures PATIENT-CENTERED CARE Complications Nursing Care Medications Client Education Therapeutic Procedures Interprofessional Care

Answer 1

Diagnosis:Pharyngitis is inflammation of the pharynx, which is in the back of the throat. It’s most often referred to simply as “sore throat.” Pharyngitis can also cause scratchiness in the throat and difficulty swallowing.pharyngitis-induced sore throat is one of the most common reasons for doctor visits. More cases of pharyngitis occur during the colder months of the year. It’s also one of the most common reasons why people stay home from work. In order to properly treat a sore throat, it’s important to identify its cause. Pharyngitis may be caused by bacterial or viral infections.

Pathophysiology: :With infectious pharyngitis, bacteria or viruses may directly invade the pharyngeal mucosa, causing a local inflammatory response. Other viruses, such as rhinovirus and coronavirus, can cause irritation of pharyngeal mucosa secondary to nasal secretions. ^[2]

Streptococcal infections are characterized by local invasion and release of extracellular toxins and proteases. In addition, M protein fragments of certain serotypes of GAS are similar to myocardial sarcolemma antigens and are linked to rheumatic fever and subsequent heart valve damage

health promotion and disease prevention:

Pharyngitis prevention:Maintaining proper hygiene can prevent many cases of pharyngitis.

To prevent pharyngitis:avoid sharing food, drinks, and eating utensils.avoid individuals who are sick

• wash your hands often, especially before eating and after coughing or sneezing
• use alcohol-based hand sanitizerswhen soap and water aren’t available
• avoid smoking and inhaling secondhand smoke
• RISK FACTORS:

  Risk factors for pharyngitis include the following:

• Cold and flu seasons.
• Having close contact with someone who has a sore throat or cold.
• Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Frequent sinus infections.
• Allergies.
• Attending daycare.

The incubation period is typically two to five days. Symptoms that accompany pharyngitis vary depending on the underlying condition.

In addition to a sore, dry, or scratchy throat, a cold or flu may cause:

• sneezing
• runny nose
• headache
• cough
• fatigue
• body aches
• chills
• fever

LAB INVESTIGATION:The gold standard test for detection of a group A streptococcus in the throat is culture on blood agar. The agar medium used must be enriched to support growth as streptococci are fastidious organisms and must also contain bloodto allow observation of -hemolysis.

diagnostic procedures:

Physical exam

If you’re experiencing symptoms of pharyngitis, your doctor will look at your throat. They’ll check for any white or gray patches, swelling, and redness. Your doctor may also look in your ears and nose. To check for swollen lymph nodes, they will feel the sides of your neck.

Throat culture

If your doctor suspects that you have strep throat, they will likely take a throat culture. This involves using a cotton swab to take a sample of the secretions from your throat. Most doctors are able to do a rapid strep test in the office. This test will tell your doctor within a few minutes if the test is positive for streptococcus. In some cases, the swab is sent to a lab for further testing and results are not available for at least 24 hours.

Blood tests

If your doctor suspects another cause of your pharyngitis, they may order blood work. A small sample of blood from your arm or hand is drawn and then sent to a lab for testing. This test can determine whether you have mononucleosis. A complete blood count (CBC) test may be done to determine if you have another type of infection.

Medication:medical treatment is necessary for pharyngitis. This is especially the case if it’s caused by a bacterial infection. For such instances, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionTrusted Source (CDC), amoxicillin and penicillin are the most commonly prescribed treatments for strep throat. It’s important that you take the entire course of antibiotics to prevent the infection from returning or worsening. An entire course of these antibiotics usually lasts 7 to 10 days.

Pharyngitis prevention

Maintaining proper hygiene can prevent many cases of pharyngitis.

To prevent pharyngitis:

• avoid sharing food, drinks, and eating utensils
• avoid individuals who are sick
• wash your hands often, especially before eating and after coughing or sneezing
• use alcohol-based hand sanitizerswhen soap and water aren’t available
• avoid smoking and inhaling secondhand smoke

Rest, oral fluids, and salt-water gargling (for soothing effect) are the main supportive measures in patients with viral pharyngitis. Analgesics and antipyretics may be used for relief of pain or pyrexia. Acetaminophen is the drug of choice.

• General complications of pharyngitis (mainly seen in cases of bacterial pharyngitis) include sinusitis, otitis media, epiglottitis, mastoiditis, and pneumonia.

  • Suppurative complications of bacterial pharyngitis result from spread of infection from pharyngeal mucosa via hematogenous, lymphatic, or direct extension (more common with GAS); peritonsillar abscess; retropharyngeal abscess; or suppurative cervical lymphadenitis. It is unclear if antibiotic therapy can prevent these complications as abscess isolates are often polymicrobial. Many experts believe these are actually independent entities and not related to GAS pharyngitis.

• In addition to the above general complications, nonsuppurative complications (3% incidence) specific to GAS infection include acute rheumatic fever (3-5 wk postinfection), poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, and toxic shock syndrome.

• Complications of infectious mononucleosis include splenic rupture (contact sports should be avoided for 6 wk), hepatitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, encephalitis, hemolytic anemia, agranulocytosis, myocarditis, B-cell lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Use of penicillin in cases of infectious mononucleosis results in near 100% incidence of rash.