MRCP revision battle 55.1: Trypanosomiasis
MRCP revision battle 55.2: Hypokalaemia
MRCP revision battle 55.3: Cryoglobulins
MRCP revision battle 55.4: Cold agglutinins
MRCP revision battle 55.5: Lateral medullary syndrome
MRCP revision battle 55.6: Purtscher retinopathy
MRCP revision battle 55.7: Optic atrophy
MRCP revision battle 55.1: Trypanosomiasis
Trypanosomiasis = diseases causes by parasitic protozoa trypanosoma.
2 main divisions:
1. African = sleeping sickness
- spread by tsetse fly
- caused by
- t. rhodesiense - east africa - quicker
- t.gambiense - west africa - slower
- classical presentation
- fever, rigors, headache, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy
- sleepy during day, awake at night
- meningoencephalitis
- look for chancre and posterior cervical nodes (=Winterbottom's sign)
- diagnosis is by microscopy
- treatment:
- IV pentamide
- IV melarsoprol
2. American - Chagas disease
- carried by triatomine bugs
- caused by t. cruzi
- classical presentation
- fever, rash, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy
- myocarditis
- meningoencephalitis
- megaoesophagus/megacolon
- look for:
- chagoma (=indurated, erythamatous nodule at site of infection)
- periorbital oedema (=Romana's sign)
- diagnosis is by blood culture
- treatment: benznidazole
Now for some low potassium....
