Health case study

The role that genetics plays in the disease

Naloxone blocks the effect of opioids, making it useful in the cases of opioid overdoses and
substance abuse (Orman & Keating, 2009). One notable side effect of opioids is that they
slow down the breathing process; hence an overdose of the substance may cause breathing to
stop (de Vries et al., 2020). The burning pain in his left hip and forearm, as well as the
examination of the necrotic tissue over the forearm and the trochanter, is an indication of
rhabdomyolysis in the part where the sensation is felt. This is mostly seen in cases of
substance abuse. Rhabdomyolysis can further lead to the elevation of the level of the serum
potassium of 6.9 Eq/L, which is an indication of hyperkalemia. The increase in serum
potassium makes the patient have cardiac dysrhythmia, which is shown by the EKG
(Tournadre, 2020). The role of genetics in the disease may come in the form of metabolic
myopathy, mitochondrial disorders, disorders of the intramuscular calcium disease as well as
muscular dystrophies. The conditions above may make the situation worse, and that is why
people with the conditions are advised to avoid drug and substance abuse because it could
threaten their lives. People with metabolic myopathy naturally have a problem with their
metabolism because of a deficiency of the enzymes that are used in the process of
metabolism.

Why the patient is presenting with the specific symptoms described
The patient was initially unresponsive, a situation that was caused by opioid overdose. The
overdose depressed breathing and the administration of naloxone reversed its effects, which
made the patient responsive. Depressing the breathing process means that the patient will
have hardships in ventilation, and the rate of oxygen absorption into the body will go down,
leading to fatigue in the muscles. The patient felt a burning sensation on the forearm and over

HEATH CASE STUDY 3
the left hip as a result of necrosis in the region, which lead to rhabdomyolysis. It is important
to note that the left hip and forearm are mostly used as injection sites when treating the
patients (Kerrigan & Goldberger, 2020).
The physiological response to the stimulus presented in the scenario and why the

response occurred

The patient was initially unresponsive, but after receiving naloxone, the patient became
responsive. Naloxone is a non-selective and competitive opioid receptor antagonist that helps
in reversing the effect that the opioids have on the respiratory system and the central nervous
system. Naturally, the use of opioids depress the central nervous system and the circulatory
system and may have dangerous effects on the lives of the people in the case of an overdose
(Boyd et al., 2006).

The cells that are involved in this process

Opioids affected the cells of the central nervous systems that are the brain and the spinal
cord. They essentially block pain, making the person feel happy, which is a false sensation
among the people that abuse the drug. Opioids also cause changes in the nervous system and
cardiac functions. The sensory neurons, motor neurons, and the interneurons that are found
in the brain are also affected by the opioids. The effect that it has on the central and the
peripheral nervous system exerted an effect on the cardiac cells as well as the muscular cells
that are located in the different parts of the body. The cells in the lungs were also affected,
and that is why the rate of breathing was depressed. The fact that the opioids affect the
critical cells in the body of an individual means that the use of the substance may be life-
threatening, and it is important for people to stop using the substance and if it is a must they
use it then they should avoid any overdose at all costs because it will threaten their lives
(Yamanaka & Sadikot, 2013).

HEATH CASE STUDY 4
How another characteristic (e.g. gender and genetics) would change your response
Gender and genetics may change my response. For instance, a person that has metabolic
myopathy, mitochondrial disorders, disorders of the intramuscular calcium disease as well as
muscular dystrophies will have to be treated with care because of the fact that they are in a
higher risk compared to the others. In such a case, I will use a combination of interventions to
treat the condition and to make sure that the patient recovers. The fact that the people affected
by genetics are at a high risk means that they are supposed to be treated in the best way
possible. The treatment for the females will be different to the treatment applied to the males
because of the differences in the anatomies and the cellular composition.

References

Boyd, J. J., Kyttä, J. V., Aittomäki, J. V., Rosenberg, P. H., Seppälä, T. A., & Randell, T. T.
(2006). Cardiovascular changes after naloxone administration in propofol‐sedated
piglets during opioid overdose. Acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica, 50(10), 1271-
1276.
de Vries, F., Bruin, M., Lobatto, D. J., Dekkers, O. M., Schoones, J. W., van Furth, W. R., …
& Zamanipoor Najafabadi, A. H. (2020). Opioids and their endocrine effects: A
systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &
Metabolism, 105(4), 1020-1029.
Kerrigan, S., & Goldberger, B. A. (2020). Opioids. In Principles of forensic toxicology (pp.
347-369). Springer, Cham.
Orman, J. S., & Keating, G. M. (2009). Buprenorphine/naloxone. Drugs, 69(5), 577-607.
Tournadre, A. (2020). Statins, myalgia, and rhabdomyolysis. Joint Bone Spine, 87(1), 37-42.
Yamanaka, T., & Sadikot, R. T. (2013). Opioid effect on lungs. Respirology, 18(2), 255-262.