GCU NUR 641E Topic 7: Neurological, Musculoskeletal, And Integumentary System: Selected Pathophysiology And Pharmacologic Therapy
GCU NUR 641E Topic 7: Neurological, Musculoskeletal, And Integumentary System: Selected Pathophysiology And Pharmacologic Therapy
Topic 7 DQ 1
Apr 14-16, 2022
Choose a medical condition from the neurological, musculoskeletal, or integumentary system and explain the pathophysiology changes that may occur. What patient education would need to be included related to this disorder? Make sure that you select a different medical condition than your peers. Include the name of the medical condition in the subject line so that the medical condition can be followed. Include your references in APA style.
Replies to w
Levodopa (L-Dopa)
Levodopa is a dopamine precursor; it is beneficial for controlling bradykinetic symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and improving the quality of life in people with idiopathic PD (Gandhi KR, 2021). Levodopa may halt the course of Parkinson’s disease or provide further advantages long after the medicine is stopped.
Mechanism of Action
Levodopa is converted to dopamine in both the CNS and the periphery. Inhibitors of dopamine decarboxylase prevent Levodopa from being converted to dopamine in the periphery, allowing more Levodopa to penetrate the Blood-Brain Barrier (Gandhi KR, 2021). Once converted to dopamine, it acts on postsynaptic dopaminergic receptors, compensating for the loss of endogenous dopamine.
Hints for monitoring
Individuals on Levodopa must periodically test their BUN, creatinine, and hepatic function (Gandhi KR, 2021). (Gandhi KR, 2021). Levodopa users must maintain a healthy liver because it is where the drug is decarboxylated. It’s also crucial to assess the intraocular pressure of someone with glaucoma to make sure it’s safe. It is crucial to monitor peripheral neuropathy both before and after using levodopa to see whether it will get worse. Additionally, patients should have regular dyskinesia checks. Therefore, it is crucial to watch patients who take dopaminergic medications for psychotic behavior and hallucinations. Hallucinations can happen when people are confused or have many dreams.
Side effects
Taking Levodopa’s most common side effects are nausea, dizziness, headache, and sleepiness. Typical side effects for older people who take Levodopa are confusion, hallucinations, delusions, psychosis, and agitation.
Drug interactions
Levodopa is contraindicated when monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are used concurrently, as this might result in a hypertensive crisis (Gandhi KR, 2021). However, when transitioning from Levodopa to an MAOI or vice versa, a 14-day washout period should be observed. Patients using D2 antagonists may decrease the effects of Levodopa, which may lessen the drug’s positive benefits (Gandhi KR, 2021).
Reference:
Gandhi KR, S. A. (2021, April 30). Levodopa (L-dopa) – StatPearls – NCBI bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482140/
Topic 7: Neurological, Musculoskeletal, And Integumentary System: Selected Pathophysiology And Pharmacologic Therapy
Apr 14-20, 2022
Max Points:30
Objectives:
Describe normal pathophysiology and alterations in the pathophysiology of neurological disorders, musculoskeletal, and integumentary system disorders.
Integrate knowledge of pathophysiology and pharmacology into teaching and educational materials in diverse settings.
Describe a pharmacological intervention using an evidence-based treatment guideline.
Topic 8: Endocrine System: Selected Pathophysiology And Pharmacologic Therapy
Apr 21-27, 2022
Max Points:180
Objectives:
Describe normal pathophysiology and alterations of the endocrine system.
Integrate knowledge of pathophysiology and pharmacology into teaching and educational materials in diverse settings.
Describe a pharmacological intervention using an evidence-based treatment guideline.
