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Chronic Fatigue Case Paper

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Case Stem:
Patient is presented to the ER with her mother after having been referred by her pediatrician. Mother complains nine month old patient is exhibiting symptoms she herself had been experiencing over the last year and a half or so. Mother and daughter share symptoms of intermittent fevers, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss/inability to gain weight, extreme fatigue with nocturnal wakefulness. The mother said she also experienced some muscle pain, confusion at times and possible personality changes. The mother told the ER doctor she attributed her symptoms to pregnancy but they continued after giving birth. They started off very mild but have been becoming more severe over the last year. During physical examination patient states having …show more content…

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-Extreme fatigue, impaired concentration, malaise, muscle pain, and joint pain
B. Fibromyalgia- Chronic neck/back pain, chronic fatigue, sleep disorders, memory and concentration problems, and headaches
C. African Trypanosomiasis- headaches, muscle and joint pain, fevers, malaise, itching of the skin, CNS involvement, personality changes, swollen lymph nodes
D. Chronic Epstein-Barr virus- fatigue, fever, inflamed throat, swollen lymph nodes, rash
Explanation:
A. No, Chronic Fatigue is only diagnosed with the absence of any organic disease. Because a parasite was found it cannot be CFS.
B. No, to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia you must meet a criteria of a certain number of tender spots and this was not met. Also, this disease deals with soft tissue only and since the patient complained of moderate joint pain fibromyalgia is unlikely.
C. Correct! The biggest finding was that the patient had traveled to a region of the world where this disease is commonly found
D. No, Epstein-Barr is highly contagious and no one else had been infected that she had been in contact with. Blood tests were ran and there was no sign of the virus.

The patient was infected by a parasite. How was it transmitted?
A. Water
B. Insect

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