- Clinical Findings & Diagnostic Criteria
- Etiology
- Pathology
- Epidemiology
- Management & Treatment
- Prevention
- Complications
- Prognosis
- Research Frontier
- Clinical Case Studies
- Study Questions
Symptoms
It presents with both nonspecific systemic signs (eg, apnea, respiratory failure, poor feeding, lethargy, or temperature instability) and abdominal signs (eg, distension, gastric retention, tenderness, vomiting, rectal bleeding, and diarrhea).
An acute distended abdomen in a neonate can lead to depletion, hypokalemia, and metabolic alkalosis). These conditions should there be determined if they are present. If present they should be treated. See: depletion, hypokalemia, and metabolic alkalosis
Obtain X-ray of Abdomen
http://www.ajronline.org/doi/pdf/10.2214/ajr.128.6.961
Pyelonephritis is caused by a bacterium or virus infecting the kidneys.
The bacterium Escherichia coli is often the cause. Bacteria and viruses can move to the kidneys from the bladder or can be carried through the bloodstream from other parts of the body.
Risk Factors
People most at risk for pyelonephritis are those who have a bladder infection and those with a structural, or anatomic, problem in the urinary tract.
The flow of urine may be blocked in people with a structural defect of the urinary tract, a kidney stone, or an enlarged prostate.
Urine can also back up, or reflux, into one or both kidneys.Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), happens when the valve mechanism that normally prevents backward flow of urine is not working properly. VUR is most commonly diagnosed during childhood.
Pregnant women and people with diabetes or a weakened immune system are also at increased risk of pyelonephritis.
Pyelonephritis is a type of urinary tract infection (UTI) that affects one or both kidneys.
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal emergencies in the newborn infant [1]. It occurs in 1 to 3 per 1000 live births. The incidence decreases with increasing gestational age and birth weight (BW), and is about 6 to 7 percent in very low birth weight infants (BW less than 1500 g). Term infants who develop NEC usually have a preexisting illness, such as congenital heart disease or sepsis.
NEC primarily occurs in healthy, growing, and feeding premature infants.
Most people with pyelonephritis do not have complications if appropriately treated with bacteria-fighting medications called antibiotics.
In rare cases, pyelonephritis may cause permanent kidney scars, which can lead to chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure, and kidney failure. These problems usually occur in people with a structural problem in the urinary tract, kidney disease from other causes, or repeated episodes of pyelonephritis.
Infection in the kidneys may spread to the bloodstream—a serious condition called sepsis—though this is also uncommon.
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A
A 75-year-old triathlete complains of gradually worsening vision over the past year. It seems to be involving near and far vision. The patient has never required corrective lenses and has no significant medical history other than diet-controlled hypertension. He takes no regular medications. Physical examination is normal except for bilateral visual acuity of 20/100. There are no focal visual field defects and no redness of the eyes or eyelids. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
The correct answer is A. You answered A.
Age-related macular degeneration is a major cause of painless, gradual bilateral central visual loss. It occurs as nonexudative (dry) or exudative (wet) forms. Recent genetic data have shown an association with the alternative complement pathway gene for complement factor H. The mechanism link for that association is unknown. The nonexudative form is associated with retinal drusen that leads to retinal atrophy. Treatment with vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and zinc may retard the visual loss. Exudative macular degeneration, which is less common, is caused by neovascular proliferation and leakage of choroidal blood vessels. Acute visual loss may occur because of bleeding. Exudative macular degeneration may be treated with intraocular injection of a vascular endothelial growth factor antagonist (bevacizumab or ranibizumab). Blepharitis is inflammation of the eyelids usually related to acne rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, or staphylococcal infection. Diabetic retinopathy, now a leading cause of blindness in the United States, causes gradual bilateral visual loss in patients with long-standing diabetes. Retinal detachment is usually unilateral and causes visual loss and an afferent pupillary defect.
Mr. Jenson is a 40-year-old man with a congenital bicuspid aortic valve who you have been seeing for more than a decade. You obtain an echocardiogram every other year to follow the progression of his disease knowing that bicuspid valves often develop stenosis or regurgitation requiring replacement in middle age. Given his specific congenital abnormality, what other anatomic structure is important to follow on his biannual echocardiograms?
The correct answer is A. You answered A.
The answer is A. (Chap. 282) Bicuspid aortic valve is among the most common of congenital heart cardiac abnormalities. Valvular function is often normal in early life and thus may escape detection. Due to abnormal flow dynamics through the bicuspid aortic valve, the valve leaflets can become rigid and fibrosed, leading to either stenosis or regurgitation. However, pathology in patients with bicuspid aortic valve is not limited to the valve alone. The ascending aorta is often dilated, misnamed “poststenotic” dilatation; this is due to histologic abnormalities of the aortic media and may result in aortic dissection. It is important to screen specifically for aortopathy because dissection is a common cause of sudden death in these patients.