Discussion Response

There is a myriad etiology that may culminate in facial pain. Therefore, to successfully curtail the progression of the ailment, it is necessary that a succinct diagnosis is applied. The differential diagnosis calls for a multidisciplinary approach. Chronic facial pain differs from acute facial pain and thus calls for a more specific remedy (Zakrzewska, 2013). A differential diagnosis that begins with the examination of the history of the patient. The history should entail the timing of the diagnosis, the location and radiation, the quality and severity and the relieving of aggravating factors. In 57-year-old adult patients, the signs under differential diagnosis include tearing, stuffy nose, pain of moderate intensity, and pain of moderate intensity (Zakrzewska, 2013). The diagnosis, in this case, entails trigeminal neuralgia. The pain attacks under this diagnosis may be accelerated by alcohol. The pain that results from the initiative lasts for a duration of 2 hours. It further occurs twice or thrice in a week depending on the frequency of alcohol consumption. [“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]

The diagnostic testing is mainly limited to the head and neck regions (Zakrzewska, 2013). The diagnosis inspection further entails the examination of the skin for swellings, skin lesions and other color changes. This diagnosis tests the head and neck muscles from which it seeks to determine the areas with tenderness. Areas with tenderness comprise the soft and painful points in the organism’s body. It further entails the mechanical movement of the temporomandibular joint (Zakrzewska, 2013). The test of the temporomandibular joints further involves the examination of the crepitus. In differential diagnosis, the cranial nerves are also tested to determine their turgidity. The test further entails the examination of the tough tissues represented by the teeth for decay. The test of oral mucosa is intended to determine soft tissue lesions. Soft tissue lesions indicate the propagation of body pain in the cavities. Disjointed areas of the body are further addressed in the diagnosis.[Need an essay writing service? Find help here.]

Response 1
Altered mental status can be diagnosed using several convalescence tools. It poses a challenge given that it is not a specific disease but a group of symptoms. The first diagnosis entails the Tomography (CT) scan (Dulay & Sharma, 2007). The Tomography CT scan enables the determination of mass lesion and further eases the process of puncturing the lumbar. However, the cost of a CT scan is prohibitive and limits the number of patients who can engage the procedure given their financial limitations. The next diagnosis entails the application of the treatment for TB meningitis (Xiao, et al., 2012). This entails the extension of bacterial medicine to mitigate the acceleration of the disease. The diagnosis is inspired by the absence of organisms in the Gram Stain. Cerebral malaria comprises the last diagnosis. In cerebral malaria, the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) is projected to be clear, and there is the presence of but a few white blood cells (WBCs).

Response 2
Brain scans comprise tests which can be used in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. It is instituted when all the other tests have failed to identify a problem. It mainly tests for dementia which is interlinked to Alzheimer’s disease. I would specifically use the MRI scan to determine the progression of the disease in the patient. This is because an MRI scan enables the determination of succinct information on the nature of the blood vessels. It gives information which may have been missed in the initial CT scans. It further assesses the shrinking of the brain which serves as an indicator of the progression of the Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia, which is indicative of the Alzheimer’s disease, is easily discernible through the employment of the MRI scan.[Click Essay Writer to order your essay]

References

Dulay, M., & Sharma, M. (2007, June). Case 7: Fever and Altered Mental Status. Retrieved November 3, 2016, from HIV Insite: http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/Insite?page=md-ccl-ca-07

Xiao, H.-y., Wang, Y.-x., Xu, T.-d., Zhu, H.-d., Guo, S.-b., Wang, Z., & Yu, X.-z. (2012). Evaluation and treatment of altered mental status patients in the emergency department: Life in the fast lane. World Journal of Emergency Medicine, 3(4), 270-277.

Zakrzewska, J. M. (2013). Differential Diagnosis of facial pain and guidelines for management.British Journal of Anaesthesia, 111(1), 95-104.