Question

Your patient is c/o abd pain, which increases when she walks. To avoid this increased pain, she shuffles when she walks. She also c/o fever, chills, N/V. What is she most likely experiencing?

Answer 1

The patient likely has gastroenteritis, indicated by abdominal pain that worsens with walking, fever, and shuffling gait, combined with a regional outbreak of similar symptoms.

Step-by-step explanation:

The patient is complaining of abdominal pain which increases when she walks, leading to a shuffling gait, accompanied by fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting (N/V). Considering additional symptoms such as watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps, fatigue, and the spike in cases of acute gastroenteritis-like symptoms in the local hospital, it is likely that the patient is experiencing a form of gastroenteritis. This condition is characterized by inflammation of the stomach and intestines, often leading to vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort. Other serious causes such as appendicitis, urinary tract infections (UTI), and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) should also be considered, but the symptoms are more closely aligned with a gastroenteritis outbreak, especially with a background of similar cases in the region.