SHORTNESS OF BREATH

moja

Mr. AF a 57 years old man presented to the outpatient clinic in Hospital Pekan with a three month history of increasing shortness of breath and decreased tolerance.

Assalammualaikum, hye there,i m a medic student in uia,and the statement above is my pbl (problem based learning) question.could anyone tell me what medical phenomenon could it be.the only hint i have is the name of the disease is similar to the patient's name.for this case, AF.Could anyone tell me AF is stand for what.Thanks.

drm

Hi Moja, Apa khabar?
What year are you in?
AF probably stands for atrial fibrillation, a condition which occurs when the atrial myocardium does not contract as one unit but "fibrillates". The most prominent feature on physical examination is an irregularly irregular pulse and this can be confirmed on ECG with an irregular rhythm without a P wave as there atrial depolarization does not occur.
Aside from this, as in all pbls, the main thing to learn is the differential diagnosis of "increasing shortness of breath and decreased tolerance" as it can be caused by many conditions. Mostly cardiac or respiratory related but also think of non-cardiac causes such as anemia.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you need further guidance. Have fun learning.

Mahathir

moja

hi,saye 1st year mdc student,still adapting with this new thing,huhu.Thank you so much for your information,you are really helful,but can you explain more on decreased tolerance.btw,do you by any chance had an experiences in pbl?if so,any tip regarding  what should i bring to the table for the first session.thanks

moja

hi,saye 1st year mdc student,still adapting with this new thing,huhu.Thank you so much for your information,you are really helful,but can you explain more on decreased tolerance.btw,do you by any chance had an experiences in pbl?if so,any tip regarding  what should i bring to the table for the first session.thanks

hypnose_s

hi moja...
AF might be the hint but as a first year n still adapting..
i suggest what u should do first is find the causes of SOB-shortness of breath (which is a long list) n find the causes of decreased effort tolerance..
after that,u try to combine the causes that match with the symptoms given...

i was having prob also with my pbl during my 1st year...sebabnya----> xpaham konsep...
in pbl,imagine as if u are the doctor and anggapla one of your friend is your patient...
so,ape lagi info yg u nak tanya patient u?that's what u have to think...
in your case u maybe nak tau :

-dia punya SOB tu masa tgh rest or tgh buat exercise...ada associated with orthopnea n PND ke...
-any cough?
-any fever?
-any swelling on lower limb or face or abdomen?
-etc...

** i suggest u to buy 'little book of causes' to help u...murah je...