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Sarah's Sickness

The Diagnosis and Treatment of an Infectious Disease

By Catherine Dana Santanello, Scott J. Bergman

Sarah's Sickness


 

Abstract

This story is based on the true account of a student who suffered years of misdiagnoses of her illness while she was in a professional school. As the case evolves, students follow the course of Sarah's illness. Part I of the case details the signs of her initial illness, with students being asked to identify a potential list of disorders that could be plaguing her. Part II describes the results of her physical exam and initial laboratory tests. It also introduces medication therapy management options and monitoring for side effects of drugs. Part III reveals the complication of a co-infection and ties concepts of immunology with the pathophysiology of her condition. This case works well as an interrupted case that can be assigned to individual students or it can be used with student teams. It was written for a School of Pharmacy microbiology and immunology course, but could be used in a medical or nursing microbiology course, an infectious diseases course, or a medication therapy management course.

   

Date Posted

02/21/2014

Overview

Objectives

  • Assess the potentially complicated issues that emerge when diagnosing and treating disease states that could be caused by numerous etiological agents.
  • Review (or discover) the life cycle of two common pathogens.
  • Describe the basic symptoms caused by various etiological agents and the body's immune system response to specific pathogens.
  • Compare and contrast therapeutic options and understand the potential side effects of the drugs.

Keywords

Aspergillosis; aspergillus fumigatus; allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis; ABPA; allergens; fungal spores; fungus; giardiasis; infectious disease; voriconazole; itraconazole; exogenous antigen processing; entero-test; innate and adaptive immunity

  

Subject Headings

Epidemiology
Medicine (General)
Microbiology
Pharmacy / Pharmacology

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

Graduate, Professional (degree program), Clinical education

  

FORMAT

PDF

   

TOPICAL AREAS

Scientific argumentation

   

LANGUAGE

English

   

TYPE/METHODS

Debate, Dilemma/Decision, Discussion, Interrupted

 

 

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