Rheumatic Arthritis Patient,asthma,severe Osteoporosis,loss Of Appetite

Posted on Wed, 16 May 2012

Question: My mother is 65 yrs of age. She is rheumatic arthritic patient from last 15 yrs and asthamatic from last 20 years She got her knee replaced one by one from Dr. XXXXXXX Delhi in 1999-2000. She was fine and got hip replaced in 2004-2005. Due to severe osteoprosis her right leg got fractured. After that she got surgery done by local surgeon in Jalandhar and it didn't worked. After that her right knee was again replaced and got septic after a year due to an asthametic attack now it is acute and is oozing from the lower right knee. the patient is very irritable and has lost 15kgs after that because she has no diet due to the antibiotics. Suggest what should be done to recover the patient?

Answered by Dr. Vidya Muralidhar (15 hours later)

Hi

Thanks for your query.

On reading your query about your mother, I would want to share a few factors which mandate an immediate examination for her condition

1. Her age being 65 years: old age itself is a risk factor for many health conditions , bones being one in the list. Since she already has a significant past history of surgery and osteoporosis complete recovery will not be expected.
2. Asthma: since she also has asthma, this will add on to her problems, which will increase generalized weakness and problems with appetite, increased chances of chest infections, irritability, etc
3. Low immunity: due to old age, the time taken for recovery is also prolonged and there are many chances to pick up infections as well.

Since there is oozing from the right knee, this may suggest an underlying infection in the knee and if ignored she may go into a septic condition involving the whole body.

Do not wait any longer, please see a doctor soon for an examination and start the antibiotics as early as possible if it is an infection.Keep her well hydrated by giving her good amount of fluids, water, and frequent small meals.

I hope I answered your questions

I am available to answer any further queries
Disclaimer: The Expert’s advice is provided for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, as a complete assessment of an individual has not taken place. Please consult your nearest physician before acting on it. The advice is not valid for medico-legal purposes also.

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar