Case Study Of Health Problems

Running Head: CASE STUDY 1
Ted’s Case Study
Name of Student
Name of Professor
Institution Affliation
Date

CASE STUDY 2
Question 1
Biopsychosocial and spiritual factors
Biological
There are very several biological factors contributing to the current health problems that
Ted is facing. Research indicates that colorectal cancer and other diseases affecting large
intestines are caused by genetic factors as well as environmental factors. The pathology of
colorectal cancer manifests itself in three forms which include; hereditary, family and sporadic.
Inheritance and family predisposition occurs when the tumours develop through well-defined
stages, beginning with adenomatous lesions to the manifestation of a malignant tumour. This,
therefore, means that there is a significant possibility that Ted illness is inherited. The incidence
of this disease is higher among people above the age of 65 years. The other conditions that Ted
is suffering from, such as diabetes and obesity, are also closely linked to genetic factors. A
research carried out by Song et al., (2019, p. 71-79), indicated that 24% of children whose
parents had obesity and diabetes are likely to develop the same conditions in future.
Psychological
Ted's wife died approximately three years ago, and he lived alone for that duration until
he later moved to a retirement village. He has two children, but one of them lives abroad while
the other lives in a city far away. Living alone could have contributed to the worsening of the
diabetes condition due to lack of social companion ( Costa et al., 2017, p. 352-360). The death
of his wife of many years could have also contributed to the decline in his health. Also, Ted has a
partner by the name Gwen who is 78 years old. They met in the retirement village, and hence this

CASE STUDY 3
indicates that Ted is having a good social life since he moved to the retirement village, and this
will be very critical as he recovers from the surgery.
Spiritual factors
There is no indication that Ted is a religious person. This, therefore, means that
spirituality could not have had any impact on his health or on his family in any way.
Question 2
From the description provided in the case study, it is clear that Ted has colorectal cancer.
This is because the biopsy and the colposcopy tests indicated the presence of malignant mass,
which shows the presence of disease. This is the top priority health problem for Ted. Colorectal
cancer(CRC) is a severe health problem which is very common in Western countries, and it
mostly affects males. Research indicates that CRC is closely associated with lung and prostate
tumours among males while in females, it is closely associated with breast cancer (Drott et al.,
2019, p. 40-48). Statistics also indicate that there are approximately one million new cases of
CRC each year globally. Some of the risk factors associated with CRC include a diet low in fibre
and rich in red meat and seafood, lack of physical exercises, sedentary lifestyle and inflammatory
intestinal conditions( Lashbrook et al., 2018, p. 23-39). Old age and diabetes are also associated
with increased risk of CRC.
Ted is also suffering from cardiovascular disease, which includes hypertension and heart
failure. This is severe medical condition and can easily lead to death if not managed
appropriately. High blood pressure is a situation where the strength of the flow of blood in the
body is higher than usual due to the narrowing of the arteries (Park, Kim & Lee, 2020). The
arteries become narrow as a result of the accumulation of excess fat in the body which clogs the

CASE STUDY 4
arteries. The high blood pressure makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood to all the areas of
the body and hence the heart struggles beyond its capability. This, therefore, makes the heart to
become large and consequently resulting in inefficiency. This, therefore, leads to heart failure,
which can be fatal. Heart failure interferes with the ability of the kidney to dispose off sodium
and other waste from the body and hence increasing oedema. The decrease in the flow of blood
to the kidneys stimulates the release of renin which catalyzes the production of angiotensin and
thus causing vasoconstriction. Production of aldosterone increases and therefore resulting in salt
and fluids being retained in the kidney and thus leading to kidney failure. The risk of suffering
from heart failure increases with age. People who are 55 years and above are likely to suffer
hypertension and heart failure as compared to younger individuals. Being overweight or obese as
well as lifestyle factors such as smoking of tobacco and alcohol consumption increases the risk
of heart diseases.
The third priority problem is diabetes. Ted has been taking Metformin 500g Mane,
which is the most common medication for diabetes type two. This condition occurs where the
body does not produce enough insulin to absorb glucose into the bloodstream or where the body
produces excess glucose and hence resulting to excess blood glucose level Cradock et al.,( 2017,
p. 1800-1810). Insulin is provided in the pancreas, and its role is the absorption of glucose into
the bloodstream. When persons body cells release excess glucose, it builds up in the
bloodstream and hence causing beta cells to release more insulin. These cells eventually get
damaged, and they fail to make enough insulin and therefore to result in excess accumulation of
glucose in the body. The risk factors of diabetes type two include excess body weight, lack of
physical activity, family history, prediabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome. This condition
leads to adverse effects such as amputation of the lower foot, increase in the risk of