According to Crawford and Davies, (1994), an adaptive response is the ability of organisms, cells or tissues to resist damage in subsequent exposures as a result of early inferior exposure. The same definition is reinforced by Dimova, Bryant and Chankova, (2008), with the emphasis on the fact that the previous inferior exposure to a genotoxin is what activates the organism’s resistance to a future higher concentration of the same genotoxin. The understanding of the various pathophysiology, associated alterations, and the patients’ adaptive responses by the human body in response to various ailments is vital for correct diagnosis and treatment. This paper discusses the pathophysiology, associated alterations, and the patients’ adaptive responses presented in three different patients’ scenarios. The three scenarios presenting cases of tonsillitis, contact dermatitis, and stress response respectively. It will further present a mind map for tonsillitis that includes its epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnosis of the disorder, and any adaptive responses to alterations.
Scenario 1: Tonsillitis
Scenario 1 presents a case of a two years old called Jennifer. According to Jennifer’s mother, she has been of an unhealthy condition for three days. Her symptoms include a fever off and on with temperatures ranging anywhere between from 101 0 F and 103.2 0 F. The only medication she has received is ibuprofen; a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory drug. A physical examination reveals that she is acutely unwell. She presents a hot and dry skin, a slightly reddened tympanic membrane on the periphery, an erythematous throat with more than four tonsils and diffuse exudates. Other symptoms include readily palpable anterior cervical nodes that are tender to touch on the left side. According to "Tonsillitis and Peritonsillar Abscess Clinical Presentation: History, Physical Examination, Complications", (2019), the pathophysiology associated alterations of tonsillitis are; a sore throat, more than four tonsils with diffuse exudates, fever, enlargement of tender anterior cervical nodes, difficulty swallowing, erythematous throat, decreased appetite, fussy, and a slightly reddened tympanic membrane. The pathophysiology associated alteration corresponds to all the symptoms presented by Jennifer. The adaptive responses to the alteration are; active immunity, activation of B cells, activation of t-cell, production of antibodies and development of tonsils which forms the bodies first line of defense.
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Scenario 2: Contact Dermatitis
Scenario 2 presents a case of a 27 years old male called jack. For the past two weeks, he reports having experienced redness on both hands. The hands are also flaky and are sometimes hot. His medical history points to a recurrent ear infection as a child with no traumatic injury or exposure to injuries. However, it turns out that in his place of work, he is constant contact with abrasive solvents that he sometimes handles without protective gloves due to their short supply. According to Rycroft, Menné, and Frosch, (2001), contact dermatitiss pathophysiology associated alterations includes an erythematous and pruritic skin lesions, itching and discomfort, bullae and skin flares. The presented pathophysiology associated alterations compares to Jack's red and flaky hands. The adaptive response for contact dermatitis includes; inflation as a result of the activation of t-cells.
Scenario 3: Stress response
Scenario 3 presents a case of Martha who is 65 years of age. In the recent past she has recorded numerous changes in her life that includes retirement from her administrative assistant job and taking care of her highly dependent mother. As a result she reports continued loss of sleep and wonders what could be the problem. Though happy with the current changes in her life except for the loss of sleep, Martha is likely suffering from stress response. Some of the pathophysiology associated alterations include, difficulty sleeping or relaxing, muscle tension and headaches the adaptive response to stress includes the bodies release of catecholamine that facilitates the bodies readiness for a fight or flight mechanism. As such, the body experiences anxiety increased heart rate and increased alertness (Huether & Mccance, 2016) .
Mind Map for Tonsillitis
The mind map below represents a mind map for tonsillitis that includes its epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnosis of the disorder, and any adaptive responses to alterations.
References
Crawford, D., & Davies, K. (1994). Adaptive response and oxidative stress. Environmental Health Perspectives , 102 (suppl 10), 25-28. doi: 10.1289/ehp.94102s1025
Dimova, E., Bryant, P., & Chankova, S. (2008). Adaptive response: some underlying mechanisms and open questions. Genetics And Molecular Biology , 31 (2), 396-408. doi: 10.1590/s1415-47572008000300002
Huether, S., & Mccance, K. (2016). Understanding pathophysiology . St. Louis, Mo: Mosby.
Rycroft, R. J. G., Menné, T., & Frosch, P. J. (2001). Textbook of contact dermatitis . Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
Tonsillitis and Peritonsillar Abscess Clinical Presentation: History, Physical Examination, Complications. (2019). Retrieved from https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/871977-clinical
