Liver Disease or Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
Write a 1-page paper that addresses the following:
- Explain your diagnosis for the patient, including your rationale for the diagnosis.
- Describe an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed.
- Justify why you would recommend this drug therapy plan for this patient. Be specific and provide examples.
Case study
Week 4 Assignment
DC is a 46-year-old female who presents with a 24-hour history of RUQ pain. She states the pain started about 1 hour after a large dinner she had with her family. She has had nausea and one instance of vomiting before presentation.
PMH: Vitals:
HTN Temp: 98.8oF
Type II DM Wt: 202 lbs
Gout Ht: 5’8”
DVT – Caused by oral BCPs BP: 136/82
HR: 82 bpm
Current Medications: Notable Labs:
Lisinopril 10 mg daily WBC: 13,000/mm3
HCTZ 25 mg daily Total bilirubin: 0.8 mg/dL
Allopurinol 100 mg daily Direct bilirubin: 0.6 mg/dL
Multivitamin daily Alk Phos: 100 U/L
AST: 45 U/L
ALT: 30 U/L
Allergies:
- Latex
- Codeine
- Amoxicillin
PE:
- Eyes: EOMI
- HENT: Normal
- GI:Nondistended, minimal tenderness
- Skin:Warm and dry
- Neuro: Alert and Oriented
- Psych:Appropriate mood
Nursing
Name
Institution
Course
Date
Nursing
The patient presents with symptoms that suggest she has liver disease or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). RUQ pain arises when a person has a problem with the liver (Mantovani et al., 2018). The labs also support the diagnosis. The patient’s ALT level is average at 30 U/L even though the AST level is elevated at 45 U/L. The normal range is between 15-37 U/L. The high level suggests a presence of an infection or damage to the liver. The white blood cell count is 13,000/mm3 which is over the normal range and indicates an infection (Mantovani et al., 2018). The patient is also obese, with a BMI of 30.7. The history of hypertension and Type II diabetes mellitus are risk factors that support the diagnosis that they are suffering from NAFLD.
The appropriate drug therapy involves empagliflozin 10mg orally once per day. The dosage can go higher to 25mg once daily if the patient tolerates treatment and needs additional treatment for glycemic control. It is often prescribed to obese or overweight people who also have diabetes. The drug is an oral anti-diabetic medication that does not react with the current medications that the patient is taking. It can still be used alongside other medicines to reduce blood sugar levels. For instance, studies by Østergaard et al. (2021) suggest that lisinopril and empagliflozin have a therapeutic effect and either enhance the impact of the other medication.
NAFLD can quickly become severe, becoming n...
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