D027 E-Portfolio: Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations

D027 E-Portfolio: Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations

Student Name

Western Governors University

D027 Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations

Prof. Name:

Date

MSN Core Word E-Portfolio Template

Instructions

To meet the course requirements, completion of the CPE Record is necessary. You can find the CPE Record under “Supporting Documents” within your Assessment Task Overview, which details all required deliverables. These deliverables must be incorporated into this e-portfolio. Your written submissions, such as reflections, can be entered directly into this template. Additionally, you may insert previously created Word or PDF documents by following these steps:

1. Place the cursor where the document is to be inserted.

2. Select Insert, then click the arrow next to Object.

3. Choose Text from File.

4. Find and double-click the file you wish to insert.

5. Repeat as necessary for additional documents.

1a. CPE Schedule Table

This table is designed to help organize your workload and manage time effectively. Copy this table into your e-portfolio and complete it with estimated time and target completion dates.

1b. Feedback and Synthesis Improvement Plan

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no known cure. It primarily affects memory and cognitive functions, beginning with mild memory loss and eventually impairing basic daily activities. The brain shrinks as nerve cells die, leading to severe cognitive decline. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognize Alzheimer’s as one of the top 10 causes of death in the United States and the leading cause of dementia in older adults (Kumar et al., 2024).

What are the Pathophysiological Features of Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s is marked by two primary pathological changes in the brain: neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.

• Neuritic plaques consist of extracellular amyloid beta-peptides surrounded by swollen axonal endings. These plaques are primarily located within the cortical gray matter, forming multifocal plaque structures.

• Neurofibrillary tangles are intraneuronal fibrillary inclusions made up of abnormally folded tau proteins. Normally, tau proteins stabilize microtubules critical for intracellular transport. In Alzheimer’s, tau becomes misfolded, aggregates, and disrupts neuronal function. These tangles typically first emerge in the hippocampus, which is essential for memory, and progressively spread through the cerebral cortex (Kumar et al., 2024).

What Are the Clinical Manifestations of Alzheimer’s Disease?

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s vary but generally follow a progression:

• Early: Memory difficulties, trouble finding words, visual-spatial challenges, and impaired judgment.

• Moderate: Increased confusion, disorientation, personality changes, and behavioral issues.

• Severe: Loss of ability to perform basic self-care, swallowing difficulties, often leading to complications like aspiration pneumonia—the common cause of death in advanced stages (NIA, 2022a).

How Is Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosed?

Diagnosis involves a multi-faceted approach:

• Clinical assessment of cognitive symptoms, daily function, and behavioral changes.

• Memory and cognitive testing to evaluate reasoning, attention, language, and problem-solving abilities.

• Laboratory tests and urinalysis to exclude other causes.

• Brain imaging such as CT, MRI, or PET scans to detect structural changes and amyloid plaque deposition (NIA, 2022b).

2b. Feedback and Synthesis Improvement Plan

What is Heart Disease?

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death globally and includes conditions such as coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease (PAD), and aortic atherosclerosis. It results primarily from reduced blood flow to the myocardium causing ischemic symptoms like angina and potentially myocardial infarction (Lopez, 2023).

What Is the Pathophysiology of Heart Disease?

The main mechanism is atherosclerosis—progressive thickening of artery walls due to lipid accumulation, inflammation, immune responses, and endothelial dysfunction. This process begins early in life and leads to plaque formation from lipid-laden macrophages and smooth muscle proliferation, causing stenosis and impaired blood flow (Lopez, 2023).

What Are the Clinical Manifestations?

How Is Heart Disease Diagnosed?

What Are Common Treatments and Lifestyle Changes?

Medications such as beta-blockers, diuretics, statins, aspirin, and anticoagulants are frequently prescribed. Lifestyle changes are essential, including diet control, regular exercise, stress reduction, weight management, smoking cessation, and monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol (Lopez, 2023).

3b. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Synthesis

Patient Case Overview

Ms. O’Connor is a 55-year-old female presenting with exacerbated COPD symptoms, including bronchospasms, fatigue, and a productive cough with rust-tinged sputum. Despite attempts with nicotine replacement therapies, she continues smoking 3–5 cigarettes daily since age 15. She has no allergies and uses a home spirometer showing FEV1 of 1.37L. Family history includes a father who died from heart attack and mother from pneumonia linked to smoking. She has gained 30 pounds in the past two years.

What Is the Pathophysiology of COPD?

COPD is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways due to long-term exposure to harmful particles or gases such as cigarette smoke. This inflammation leads to airway narrowing, impaired lung recoil, excessive mucus production, and airflow obstruction. Thickening of airway walls causes air trapping and hyperinflation (Agarwal, 2023).

What Are the Signs and Symptoms?

How Is COPD Diagnosed?

Diagnosis relies on:

• Symptom evaluation and history of risk factors

• Spirometry and pulmonary function tests to assess airflow limitation

• Imaging like chest X-rays and CT scans to observe lung structure

• Arterial blood gases (ABG) to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide levels

• Testing for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in selected cases (Agarwal, 2023)

What Are Common Treatments?

Management includes:

What Are Possible Side Effects of Medications?

Reflection Summaries

Phase 1 Reflection

I selected Alzheimer’s disease due to personal experience with a family member. My research revealed the hallmark features: neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles composed of amyloid-beta peptides and tau proteins respectively. Feedback from an intensivist highlighted that my original synthesis was overly detailed and complex, so I streamlined the content to improve clarity and comprehension.

Phase 2 Reflection

Heart disease was chosen to refresh my knowledge. During research, I found abundant useful information but struggled to balance detail without overwhelming the synthesis. Feedback emphasized clarity and conciseness, which helped improve the quality of my work.

Phase 3 Reflection

For Phase 3, I focused on Ms. O’Connor with COPD. This interactive assessment allowed me to develop a treatment plan incorporating medication and lifestyle advice. Educating the patient on medication side effects and adherence was a crucial aspect. Challenges included organizing subjective and objective data accurately and navigating system constraints during documentation.

References

Agarwal, A. K. (2023, August 7). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559281/

Kumar, A., Sidhu, J., Lui, F., et al. (2024). Alzheimer Disease. In StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499922/

Lopez, E. O. (2023, August 22). Cardiovascular disease. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535419/

National Institute on Aging (NIA). (2022a). What are the signs of Alzheimer’s disease? https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimerssymptoms-and-diagnosis/what-are-signs-alzheimers-disease

D027 E-Portfolio: Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations

National Institute on Aging (NIA). (2022b, December). How is Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed? https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimerssymptoms-and-diagnosis/how-alzheimers-disease-diagnosed

American Lung Association. (2024b, May). Understanding your COPD medications. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/treating/copd-medications