Discussion: Urinary Frequency
Urinary frequency is a genitourinary disorder that presents problems for adults across the lifespan. It can be the result of various systemic disorders such as diabetes, urinary tract infections, enlarged prostates, kidney infections, or prostate cancer. Many of these disorders have very serious implications requiring thorough patient evaluations. When evaluating patients, it is essential to carefully assess the patient’s personal, medical, and family history prior to recommending certain physical exams and diagnostic testing, as sometimes the benefits of these exams do not outweigh the risks. In this Discussion, you examine a case study of a patient presenting with urinary frequency. Based on the provided patient information, how would you diagnose and treat the patient?
Case Study 1
A 52-year-old African American male presents to an urgent care center complaining of urinary frequency and nocturia. The symptoms have been present for several months and have increased in frequency over the past week. He has been unable to sleep because of the need to urinate at least hourly all day and night. He does not have a primary care provider and has not seen a doctor in more than 10 years. His father died when he was a child in an automobile accident, and his mother is 79 years old and has hypertension. The patient has no siblings. His social history includes the following: banker by profession, divorced father of two grown children, non-smoker, and occasionally consumes alcohol on weekends only.
Case Study 2
This is a 40 year old Hindu married male complaining of sudden high grade fever for the last 2 days. He is complaining of right flank pain with some burning on urination. PMH: diabetes, HTN. Current meds: metformin 500mg bid, Lisinopril 10mg QD
Case Study 3
A 52 year old woman presented to the clinic for ongoing fatigue and weight loss during the last 6 weeks. She thinks she’s loss at least “10 pounds”. For the past week and a half she’s noted some progressing ‘muscle cramping’ tetany, as well as ‘tingling’ sensation around her mouth and lower extremities. She’s also noted some intermittent colicky abdominal pain. On your exam, you noted a positive Chvostek’s sign. PMH: 20 year history of Crohn’s disease. She also tells you that she is a practicing vegan.
To prepare:
Review Part 13 and 17 of the Buttaro et al. text in this week’s Resources.
You will either select or be assigned to a patient case study for this Discussion.
Review the patient case study and reflect on the information provided about the patient.
Think about the personal, medical, and family history you need to obtain from the patient in the case study. Reflect on what questions you might ask during an evaluation.
Consider types of physical exams and diagnostics that might be appropriate for evaluation of the patient in the study.
Reflect on a possible diagnosis for the patient.
Review the Marroquin article in this week’s Resources. If you suspect prostate cancer, consider whether or not you would recommend a biopsy.
Think about potential treatment options for the patient.
By Day 3
Post an explanation of the primary diagnosis, as well as 3 differential diagnoses, for the patient in the case study that you selected or were assigned. Describe the role the patient history and physical exam played in the diagnosis. Then, suggest potential treatment options based on your patient diagnosis.
