Patient Follow-Up Procedure Student Name: Stacy McElroy

Patient Name Scott Strumello Submission Date: April 11, 2010

On my Honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment.

Please write your answers independently, though you may discuss your case with your partner and/or
Mayr. Answers should be typed and submitted on paper. Also, please forward to Mayr one copy per
group of your entire email exchange (please delete extraneous information and returns, etc.) with your
last name, your partner’s last name, and your patient’s last name in the subject line.
20 points total

1) What is your final diagnosis? How did you confirm this diagnosis? (Note that confirmation is
different from eliminating all other hypotheses – this means that you ascertained that this is
definitely what the patient has.) 2 points

-Our final diagnosis was Hepatitis C. We confirmed this diagnosis through a hepatitis viral panel test.
The results from the hepatitis viral panel test came back positive, which meant that he had hepatitis
antibodies present in his blood sample. We thought to take this test because the disease would cover
all of Scott Strumellos symptoms.

2) a) & b) Show two places you added a new hypothesis and for each explain why it was added.
4 points
-We first thought that it could have been hemolytic anemia or pancreatitis. Hemolytic anemia was a
hypothesis because we believed the symptoms matched up. We believed that it could have been
pancreatitis due to the upper abdominal pain.

3) a) & b) Show two places you eliminated a hypothesis and for each explain why it was
eliminated. 4 points

-We eliminated hemolytic anemia after we performed a blood test to get his complete blood count.
This test counts the hemoglobin and the hemotocrit. Once we got the results back, they were
completely normal which deferred us from confirming hemolytic anemia as Strumellos disease. We
also tested for Pancreatitis by performing an oral glucose tolerance test. This test is used to show
glucose levels in a patient when trying to diagnose diabetes but we were looking for levels of serum
amylase, which is an enzyme. When we saw that the serum amylase levels were normal, we knew
Strumello did not have Pancreatitis because if he did they would be high due to inflammation of the
pancreas.

4) What are the physiological effects of this disease on the body? Be sure to cite any sources you
used (name of book/URL of website is sufficient). 3 points

-The symptoms for Hepatitis C are fatigue, joint pain, belly pain, itchy skin, sore muscles, dark urine,
and jaundice, which may discolor the skin and eyes to look yellow.
http://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/hepc-guide/hepatitis-c-symptoms-types

5) What are the treatment and prognosis for your patient? Be sure to cite any sources you use
(name of book/URL of website is sufficient). 3 points

-Treatment for Hepatitis depends of the level of damage of the liver. If there is little damage to the
liver, hepatitis may not be treated but if there is damage then the doctor will prescribe a combination

1
of medicines that will fight the viral infection. No matter if you are treated for hepatitis or not, you will
still have to give frequent urine test to check on your liver to make sure your state has not worsened.
http://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/hepc-guide/hepatitis-c-treatment-overview

6) Place this disease on the genetic – environmental continuum. That is, was this a genetic
disease, an environmental disease, or a combination? Explain, using both outside research
and evidence from the patient. If you need more information about your patient to answer this,
request it by email. For example, a family history might be useful. Be sure to cite any sources
you use (name of book/URL of website is sufficient).
3 points
-This disease is caused by the environment more so
than genetics because the way a person contracts
Hepatitis-C is by coming in to contact with an infected persons blood. A person can contract this virus
through any contact with an infected person’s blood and that is the only way. Because it is a virus, it
spreads. Therefore, it is not a hereditary disease.

7) Email exchange, with students’ and patient’s last names in subject line. 1 point