Assignment Prompt & Instructions
**Discuss the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of your assigned disease process. Which clinical manifestations observed in Bayani’s case could be explained by the pathophysiological mechanisms?**
Cirrhosis can have multiple etiologies including hepatitis, metabolic syndrome (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease), and alcohol abuse over a long period of time (Mayo Clinic, 2025). Cirrhosis is the process of the liver being injured and forming scar tissue, which then impairs it’s function (Mayo Clinic, 2025).
**Analyze Bayani’s clinical manifestations in the context of your assigned disease process. Do these findings support a diagnosis of your assigned disease process? Why or why not?**
Bayani’s clinical manifestations of abdominal pain and altered mental status are consistent with cirrhosis; however, most of his symptoms are not related to cirrhosis. Clients with cirrhosis usually have ascites, which would make their abdomen appear taut and distended, rather than soft and non-distended. Additionally, frequent urination, foul smelling urine, and drinking more water than usual are not common findings in cirrhosis, but rather diabetes and a UTI as evidenced by the increased water intake, foul smelling urine, and frequent urination. Patients with diabetes are more likely to develop urinary tract infections and experience complications related to urinary tract infection (Ahmed et al., 2023).
**Identify and justify the diagnostic tests (including labs, imaging, or other diagnostic tests) that would be most appropriate for investigating a diagnosis of your assigned disease process in Bayani. What could the results of these tests look like in your assigned disease process?**
Diagnostics for cirrhosis include labs for liver function, including alanine aminotransferase, aspartame aminotransferase, and Y-galactosyltransferase which would all be elevated (Rogers & Brashers, 2023). You would also expect elevated bilirubin levels. In a patient with cirrhosis, you would anticipate decreased levels of albumin and longer prothrombin times (Rogers & Brashers, 2023). A liver biopsy can be done if needed to confirm cirrhosis; however, it is invasive and not always necessary (Rogers & Brashers, 2023). While these tests are appropriate for a patient with suspected cirrhosis, they do not seem appropriate for Bayani, as his clinical manifestations do not align with cirrhosis.
References
Ahmed, A. E., Abdelkarim, S., Zenida, M., Baiti, M. A., Alhazmi, A. A., Alfaifi, B. A., Majrabi, R. Q., Khormi, N. Q., Hakami, A. A., Alqaari, R. A., Alhasani, R. A., Alajam, R. A., Alshehri, M. M., Alenazi, A. M., Alqahtani, B., Alshamrani, M., Alhowimel, A., & Abdelwahab, S. I. (2023). Prevalence and associated risk factors of urinary tract infection among diabetic patients: A cross-sectional study. _Healthcare_, _11_(6), 861. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11060861
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2025, February 22). _Cirrhosis_. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cirrhosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351487
Rogers, J. L., & Brashers, V. L. (2023). _McCance & Huether’s pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children_. Elsevier.
– 2 years ago