Question

• 24 year old Ethiopian male, newly arrived from a refugee camp on the Ethiopia-Eritrean border (3 weeks ago)

• You are part of a medical team set up by Canada Health to examine and treat new immigrants to Canada • Mr. Kenta comes with his translater, who is also his sister-in-law • He has a cough and low grade fever which he has had for several weeks. Sometimes he coughs up blood. • He also complains about night sweats and says that he thinks that he has lost weight since his pants are loose. • Denies IV drug use, drinking, smoking and extramarital sex • He has multiple carious teeth and is in bad need of some dental hygiene and treatment!
So- what would you do first?
A. Send him to the dentist/dental hygienist to remedy his oral health
B. Schedule him for a bronchoscopy
C. Do a tuberculin skin test
D. Take blood specimens for analysis of virus and bacteria
E. Take an x-ray

Answer 1

The first step in evaluating Mr. Kenta's symptoms would be to conduct a tuberculin skin test and take an x-ray of his chest to determine if he has tuberculosis or any other respiratory infection.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the symptoms described, Mr. Kenta may be suffering from a serious respiratory infection. One possible cause of his symptoms could be tuberculosis (TB), a bacterial infection that can cause persistent coughing, night sweats, weight loss, and the coughing up of blood. To determine if Mr. Kenta has TB, a tuberculin skin test should be conducted. This test involves injecting a small amount of purified protein derivative (PPD) under the skin of the forearm and then monitoring for a reaction.

Additionally, it would be prudent to take an x-ray of Mr. Kenta's chest. This can help identify any abnormalities or signs of infection that may be present in the lungs.

The dental issues that Mr. Kenta is experiencing are separate from his respiratory symptoms and should be addressed separately. As a result, the first step in his medical evaluation would be to perform the tuberculin skin test and take an x-ray of his chest.