Medicine and Health Case Study Example

Case Study 11-2

As part of a lipid screening profile, the following results were obtained for a blood specimen drawn from a 30 year-old woman immediately after she had eaten breakfast:

Triglycerides: 200 mg/dL

Cholesterol: 180 mg/dL

Which of the following would be a reasonable explanation for these results?

1. The cholesterol is normal, but the triglyceride test is elevated; retest using a 12-hour fasting specimen, because the triglyceride test is affected by the recent meal.

This is an important indicator of the necessity to fast prior to any type of cholesterol test because the results can be easily distorted or elevated if foods have been recently consumed. Therefore, it is necessary to retest the subject and to consider her triglycerides and cholesterol after fasting for a 12-hour period in order to ensure that the patient’s readings are more accurate. It is necessary to determine accurate cholesterol levels when a patient has fasted because this will reflect a more accurate sample in order to determine if triglycerides are falsely high or are accurate. For this patient, her cholesterol is on the low range of normal; therefore, the response is appropriate for the patient and her condition.

Case Study 12-4

1. Based on the laboratory results provided, which of the following applies?

1. Absolute lymphocytosis
2. Absolute neutropenia
3. Absolute granulocytosis
4. All of the above

The answer is D because this condition could reflect a diagnosis of any of the three conditions that are mentioned.

2. Which of the following leukocyte changes would you expect to find on a Wright-stained blood film from this patient?

1. 1. Toxic granulation of neutrophils
   2. Hypersegmentation of neutrophils
   3. Variant lymphocytes
   4. Hypochronic red blood cells

The answer is C because this condition reflects an inflammatory or viral response for a condition such as mononucleosis, and the patient in question has presented with some of these symptoms.

3. The patient’s quantitative platelet count is estimated at:

1. 1. 50 to 100 x 1012/L
   2. 100 to 150 x 1012/L
   3. 150 to 350 x 1012/L
   4. More than 450 x 1012/L

The answer is A because with this condition, the platelet count is expected to be very low.

4. The estimated hematocrit for this patient would be _%

1. 1. 20-24
   2. 25-29
   3. 26-35
   4. 36-39

The estimated hematocrit is on the low side because there is an increased level of white blood cells as part of the complete blood count.

5. The disease most likely exhibited by this patient is:

1. 1. Infectious mononucleosis
   2. Leukemia
   3. Pneumonia
   4. Group A b-hemolytic streptococci infection

The answer is A, due in large part to the high white blood cell and lymphocyte count, both of which indicate infection.