NEET MDS Lessons
General Pathology
Q Fever
An acute disease caused by Coxiella burnetii (Rickettsia burnetii) and
characterized by sudden onset of fever, headache, malaise, and interstitial
pneumonitis.
Symptoms and Signs
The incubation period varies from 9 to 28 days and averages 18 to 21 days. Onset
is abrupt, with fever, severe headache, chills, severe malaise, myalgia, and,
often, chest pains. Fever may rise to 40° C (104° F) and persist for 1 to > 3
wk. Unlike other rickettsial diseases, Q fever is not associated with a
cutaneous exanthem. A nonproductive cough and x-ray evidence of pneumonitis
often develop during the 2nd wk of illness.
In severe cases, lobar consolidation usually occurs, and the gross appearance of
the lungs may resemble that of bacterial pneumonia
About 1/3 of patients with protracted Q fever develop hepatitis, characterized
by fever, malaise, hepatomegaly with right upper abdominal pain, and possibly
jaundice. Liver biopsy specimens show diffuse granulomatous changes, and C.
burnetii may be identified by immunofluorescence.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
a. Characterized by the rapid degeneration of motor neurons in the spinal cord and corticospinal tracts.
b. More common in men in their 50s.
c. Clinically, the disease results in rapidly progressive muscle atrophy due to denervation. Other symptoms include fasciculations, hyperreflexia, spasticity, and pathologic reflexes. Death usually occurs within a few years from onset, usually by respiratory failure or infection.
Haemolytic anaemia
Anemia due to increased red cell destruction (shortened life span)
Causes:
A. Corpuscular defects:
1.Membrane defects:
- Spherocytosis.
- Elliptocytosis.
2. Haemoglobinopathies:
- Sickle cell anaemia.
- Thalassaemia
- Hb-C, HBD, HbE.
3. Enzyme defects .deficiency of:
- GIucose -6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6-PD)
- Pyruvate kinase
4. Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria.
B. Extracorpusular mechanisms
1. Immune based:
- Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia.
- Haemolytic disease of new born.
- Incompatible transfusion.
- Drug induced haemolysis
2. Mechanical haemolytic anaemia.
3. Miscellaneous due to :
- Drugs and chemicals.
- Infections.
- Burns.
features of haemolytic anaemia
- Evidence of increased Hb breakdown:
-> Unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia.
-> Decreased plasma haptoglobin.
-> Increased urobilinogen and stercobilinogen.
-> Haemoglobinaemia, haemoglobinuria and haemosiderinuria if Intravascular haemolysis occurs.
- Evidence or compensatory erythroid hyperplasia:
-> Reticulocytosis and nucleated RBC in peripheral smear.
-> Polychromasia and macrocytes
-> Marrow erythroid hyperplasia
-> Skull and other bone changes.
- Evidences of damage to RBC:
-> Spherocytes and increased osmotic fragility
-> Shortened life span.
-> Fragmented RBC.
-> Heinz bodies.
Seborrheic keratosis
1. A round, brown-colored, flat wart.
2. Most often seen in middle-aged to older adults.
3. A benign lesion.
Biliary cirrhosis(16%)
It is due diffuse chronic cholestaisis (obstruction of the biliary flow) leading to damage and scarring all over the liver. Two types are known
1. Primary biliary cirrhosis and
2. Secondary biliary cirrhosis.
Primary biliary cirrhosis
It is destructive chronic inflammation of intrahepatic bile ductules and small ducts leading to micronodular cirrhosis.
-Typically affects middle aged women.
- Patients present with fatigue, pruritis and eventually, jaundice.
Cause:- Autoimmune. Patients have autoantibodies directed against mitochondrial enzymes (AMA).
Pathology:-
Liver is enlarged, dark green in color (cholestaisis). Cirrhosis is micronodular.
M/E :-
- Early, portal tracts show lymphocytes and plasma cell infiltrate the bile ducts and destroy them.
- Granulomatous inflammation surrounding the damaged and inflamed bile ducts is the hallmark of (PBC).
- Cholestatic changes such as bile ductular proliferation, periportal Mallory’s hyaline and increased copper in periportal hepatocytes.
- In the end stage disease, micro nodular cirrhosis occurs and the inflammatory changes subside
Secondary biliary cirrhosis:-
It is extra hepatic (surgical) cholestaisis due to prolonged extra hepatic major bile duct obstruction.
Causes - Obstruction of hepatic or common bile duct by:
- Congenital biliary atresia.
- Pressure by enlarged LN or tumor * Biliary stones.
- Carcinoma of the bile duct, ampulla of Vater or pancreatic head
Effects of obstruction:-
Complete obstruction leads to back pressure all over the biliary tract
- damage by inspessated bile
- inflammation and scarring.
Incomplete obstruction leads to acute suppurative cholangitis and cholangiolitis.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) (Brittle bone diseases)
It is a group of hereditary disorders caused by gene mutations that eventuate in defective synthesis of and thus premature degradation of type I collagen. The fundamental abnormality in all forms of OI is too little bone, resulting in extreme susceptibility to fractures. The bones show marked cortical thinning and attenuation of trabeculae.
Extraskeletal manifestations also occur because type I collagen is a major component of extracellular matrix in other parts of the body. The classic finding of blue sclerae is attributable to decreased scleral collagen content; this causes a relative transparency that allows the underlying choroid to be seen. Hearing loss can be related to conduction defects in the middle and inner ear bones, and small misshapen teeth are a result of dentin deficiency
Immunodeficiency
This may be :-
- Congenital (Primary)
- Acquired (Secondary)
Features : Complete or near complete lack of T & B lymphoid tissue. Fatal early in life Even with marrow grafting, chances of graft versus host reaction is high.
T Cell Defects :
- Thymic dysplasia
- Digeorge’s syndrome
- Nazelof’s syndrome
- Ataxia teltngiectaisa
- Wiscott Aldrich’s syndrome
These lessons show predominantly defective cell mediated immunity. But they may also show partial immunoglobulin defects cell mediated immunity. But they may also show partial immunoglobulin defects due to absence og T-B co-operation.
C. Humoral immunity defects.
Bruron type- aggammaglobulinaemia.
- Dysgammaglobulinaemias-variable immunodeficiency’s of one or more classes.
Acquired deficiency
A. Immuno suppression by :
- Irradiation.
- Corticoids.
- Anti metabolites.
- Anti lymphocyte serum.
B. Neaplasia of lymphoid system :
- Hodgkin's and Non Hodgkin's lymphomas.
- Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia..
- Multime myeloma and other paraproteinaemias (normal immunoglobulins reduced in spite of hyperglobulinaemia).
c. excessive protein loss.
- Nephrotic Syndrome.
- Protein losing enteropathy.