Differential Diagnosis Coursework Example

Differential Diagnosis of Presented Symptoms
Name
Institution
Differential Diagnosis of Presented Symptoms
Introduction List of Differentials
A differential diagnosis refers to a list of illness that could be present from the identified or availed symptoms. The list of likelihood or diseases probability is placed in order after interviewing and examining the patient. First, life-threatening conditions are studied and once they are off the table, the differentials are ranked using tests and probability, then treated accordingly (Buttaro, Trybulski, Polgar & Sandberg-Cook, 2017). Below is a list of differential diagnosis that can be obtained from the case study of the middle-aged female.
• Pediatric Diphtheria
• Retropharyngeal Abscess
• Peritonsillar Abscess
Pediatric Diphtheria
Diphtheria is a toxin-mediated illness known to be caused by mild Nontoxigenic strains or Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Usually, diphtheria organisms attach themselves to the surface layers of skin lesions causing an inflammatory reaction (Mohammadi, Miller & Ashurst, 2016). The bacteria cause local tissue necrosis once the protein synthesis gets inhibited. The foci of this infection are on tonsils and pharynx, where nose and larynx mark the common sites. Fever is very high as a symptom as well as a headache, though they are not prominent features. Typically, diphtheria symptoms begin with a sore throat.
Retropharyngeal Abscess
Retropharyngeal Abscess is a bacterial infectious disease that affects areas of the throat.

Though this illness is rare, it comes on quickly and can affect both children and adults, leading to serious complications including death. Accompanied symptoms include experienced pain when swallowing, stiff neck, fever and sometimes noise when breathing. In other cases, there is throat pain, drooling and coughs. Typically, the disease occurs after a type of a trauma to an area, and this includes injuries, dental work or other medical procedures.
Peritonsillar Abscess
Peritonsillar Abscess, on the other hand, is also an infection caused by bacteria and typically emerge as a complication of untreated tonsillitis or strep throat (Mohammadi, Miller & Ashurst, 2016). The disease is common to both children and adults, mostly occurring during winter seasons when illness such as strep throat is most widespread. The illness becomes uncommon when antibiotics like penicillin are used in strep throat treatment processes. Infection from tooth and gum can also cause peritonsillar abscesses infection, though in some cases, it is possible for the disease to occur without any infections.
Role of Patient’s history and medical exams
Patient history together with physical exams played a significant role in identifying the actual illness from the list of differentials. From the symptoms provided by the patient in the case study, an analysis was made by relating the known facts of differential diagnosis to the test and information given. In that way, patient history helped eliminate unlikely illness using an evidenced-based approach like laboratory tests and patient-doctor interaction. The nature of illness identified as a primary diagnosis through medical examination is Peritonsillar Abscess. A supporting evidence is that the patient reported that she had a strep throat before and takes no medication since she is allergic to penicillin. Such finding match with an information peritonsillar abscess infections occurs due to untreated illness like a sore throat, and failure to take antibiotics enables the disease to re-occur. The symptoms are exactly as the one experienced by the patient like a headache, fever, neck pain, throat pain or dehydration.
Diagnosing Peritonsillar Abscess Infections- Treatment Plan
Specific exam (s): Not applicable
Screening tools: Computed Tomography (CT), neck radiography and ultrasonography (Wang, Gao, Xu & Xiang, 2014).
Test, cultures, lab work: Mono spot test. Complete blood count and electrolytes. Fluid from needle culture to aid in the selection of antibiotics. Taking throat and blood culture to diagnose the condition.
Prescription: Analgesic, throat washes and broader spectrum antibiotics like second and third oral cephalosporin generation
Intervention/ lifestyle changes: Not applicable
Referrals: Pharmacological therapy for empiric antibiotics and adjunctive steroids
Follow up: Not applicable
Education: Patient to avoid contamination and prevent spreading infection by washing hands, control sneezing or coughing direct to other people and avoiding sharing toothpaste, eating utensils. When the throat is sore, it is good to use liquid nourishment like drinks with high proteins.
References
Buttaro, T. M., Trybulski, J., Polgar Bailey, P., & Sandberg-Cook, J. (2017). Primary care: A collaborative practice (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Mohammadi, L., Miller, A., & Ashurst, J. V. (2016). Quincke’s disease. Journal of Family Medicine & Primary Care, 5(3), 677-679. doi:10.4103/2249-4863.197308
Wang, B., Gao, B., Xu, G., & Xiang, C. (2014). Images of deep neck space infection and the clinical significance. Acta Radiologica, 55(8), 945-951. doi:10.1177/0284185113509093