Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Medicine & Health

Understanding How Work Affects Health

Work can impact health in several ways:

• Exposure to hazardous or toxic agents can lead to health issues in the short, medium, or long term.
• The physical and psychological demands of work, such as workload and stress, can increase the risk of developing diseases or illnesses.

Occupational Risk Factors

Occupational risk factors refer to the possibility of a worker suffering harm as a result of their work.

Sources and Types of Risks

• Security Risks: Arising from the workplace structure, production processes, machinery, and equipment.
• Physical Agent Risks:
  • Mechanical hazards.
  • Heat or cold-related risks.
  • Risks from different types of energy.
• Chemical Agent Risks
• Biological Agent Risks
• Organizational and Workplace Adaptation

Acute Hepatitis: An Overview

Acute hepatitis is a necroinflammatory liver disease caused by infection from hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D, and E. The key difference between acute and chronic hepatitis is the duration, with the distinction typically made at 6 months.

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is caused by an RNA virus. Transmission is typically fecal-oral and can, in rare cases, be fatal, leading to fulminant hepatitis.

Epidemiology

Hepatitis A often occurs in cycles every 5 to 10 years, with seasonal predominance in childhood. The infection spreads through the fecal-oral route, often via contaminated food and water. Parenteral transmission is rare.

Symptoms

Symptoms include coluria (dark urine) followed by scleral icterus (jaundice) and hypocholia (pale... Continue reading "Understanding Acute Hepatitis, Cirrhosis, and Cholecystitis" »

Drug Administration Pathways

Enteral Routes (Oral Administration)

These routes involve administration through the gastrointestinal tract:

• Oral Mucosa: Primarily a passage for drugs during swallowing, not a significant absorption site.
• Esophageal Mucosa: Minimal absorption occurs during transit.
• Stomach Mucosa: Limited absorption. The acidic pH (2.5-3.5) favors the absorption of weak acids (pKa > 2). Absorption depends on the drug's pKa.
• Intestinal Mucosa (Small Intestine): Major site of absorption due to its very large surface area (villi) and high vascularization. The basic pH (5-8) favors the absorption of weak bases (pKa < 9).
• Large Intestine Mucosa: Less absorption compared to the small intestine and stomach. Alkaline pH. Primarily absorbs

Inhaled Corticosteroids and Bronchodilators: Administration

In a regimen of inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators, bronchodilators should be administered first. Steroids relieve symptoms but do not treat the inflammation.

Difference Between Bronchodilators and Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories

Bronchodilators act by dilating and opening the bronchus. Short-acting medications are used for immediate relief, while long-acting forms are used with scheduled corticosteroids.

Anti-inflammatories eliminate or alleviate inflammation of the bronchi. Steroids are the most widely used anti-inflammatories.

Health Education for Patients on Inhaled Glucocorticoids

• If using a combined regimen of bronchodilators and corticosteroids, inhale the bronchodilator first.

Pancreatitis: Inflammation, Causes, and Care

Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas that can range from mild to life-threatening, though it usually subsides. Gallstones and alcohol abuse are responsible for approximately 80% of cases. It is more frequently caused by gallstones or obstruction of the pancreatic duct by a gallstone lodged in the sphincter of Oddi, interrupting the flow of pancreatic juice. However, if the obstruction persists, activated enzymes accumulate in the pancreas and begin to digest its cells, causing severe inflammation.

Symptoms of Acute Pancreatitis

• A belt-like, intense abdominal pain in the upper abdomen, typically below the sternum. When pancreatitis is caused by gallstones, the

Understanding Health

Health is defined not merely as the absence of disease, but as a state of complete physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, sexual, and environmental well-being.

Diseases and Medical Specialties

Parasitology

• Cholera
• Influenza
• AIDS
• Poisoning
• Tuberculosis

Focus: Infectious and parasitic diseases.

Oncology

• Cancers
• Emphysema
• Benign and Malignant Tumors

Focus: Cancers and tumors.

Hematology

• Anemia
• Autoimmune Coagulopathies

Focus: Blood and immunological disorders.

Endocrinology

• Diabetes
• Thyroid Disorders
• Kidney Diseases
• Obesity

Focus: Nutritional and metabolic diseases.

Psychology

• Schizophrenia
• Depression
• Down Syndrome
• Trauma

Focus: Mental health disorders.

Neurology

• Alzheimer's Disease
• Meningitis
• Neuropathy

Focus: Nervous system disorders.

Otorhinolaryngology

• Retinopathy
• Otitis
• Conjunctivitis
• Blindness

Focus:

Healthcare Benefits in Spain

Healthcare aims to provide medical and pharmaceutical services conducive to preserving or restoring the health of beneficiaries. Coverage includes common or professional diseases, accidents (whether work-related or not), and maternity.

Eligibility for Healthcare Benefits

The following individuals are eligible:

• Workers, including those in the General Survey and special regimes, affiliates, and high-ranking or similar service personnel.
• Pensioners and recipients of regular benefits, including unemployment benefits or assistance.
• Relatives or carers in charge of the above, provided they meet these conditions:
  • Live with the holder and are under their care.
  • Do not perform any paid work or receive any pension.
  • Income or assets

Genetic Factors Influencing Health

Many characteristics of human genes are determined by what is transmitted from parents to children.

Genetic Diseases: Causes & Impact

Genetic diseases can develop at birth or years later and are caused by mutations affecting specific genes. Some diseases, like cystic fibrosis, follow the laws of biological inheritance. Genetic diseases can affect body structure, as in Down syndrome, or metabolism.

Congenital Malformations Explained

Congenital malformations are present at birth in an individual. They can have both genetic and environmental origins. Among other environmental factors are drug and alcohol abuse.

Genetic Predisposition to Illness

Most diseases a person develops after birth are significantly influenced... Continue reading "Health Determinants: Genetic, Biological & Personal Influences" »

Patents and Health Differences Between Countries

A patent is a set of exclusive rights guaranteed by a government or an authority to the inventor of a new product or a new manufacturing method, which could be exploited industrially for the benefit of the inventor and for a time-bound implementation.

Pharmaceutical patents relate to new medicinal products or production methods from pharmaceutical research.

The most commonly used method to reduce public pharmaceutical expenditure is the use of generic drugs, i.e., drugs that are developed after the brand-name drug's patent has expired. These are sold without a trademark, with a similar active ingredient, pharmaceutical form, composition, and equivalence to the reference brand drug.

The main advantage... Continue reading "Patents, Health Disparities, and Medical Technology" »

Vitamins and Minerals

Soluble Vitamins

Vitamin C: Protects, regulates, and facilitates chemical processes of other enzymes. Its main function is the formation of collagen, facilitates the absorption of iron, protects vitamin A and E from oxidation, and regulates cholesterol metabolism. Sources: green vegetables, citrus fruits, tomatoes. Deficiency: scurvy, irritability, bone pain, easy bleeding, poor healing. Toxicity: gastric irritation, kidney stones, false positive tests for fecal occult blood or glucosuria.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Important coenzyme in the metabolism of carbohydrates. Sources: meat, grains, legumes. Deficiency causes: alcoholism, dialysis, diet high in carbohydrates. Beriberi, Wernicke's encephalopathy.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)