Acute Medical Conditions

Acute illnesses generally develop suddenly and are often caused by a virus or an infection, although they can also be caused by an injury resulting from a fall or other types of accident, or by the misuse or reaction to medications. Although acute conditions can sometimes resolve on their own with minimal self-care, sometimes symptoms can develop rapidly and require urgent or short-term care.

VIVAA offers same day appointments for patients suffering acute medical conditions. Instead of sitting through long wait times at emergency rooms or urgent care centers, not to mention the additional  expenses  incurred at those facilities, you can receive prompt and caring treatment at one of our offices by a doctor and staff who already know you and are attuned to your needs.

We will do our best to manage all the acute medical conditions in an office-based setting so you don't have to waste your valuable time and money in a hospital or emergency room. Our doctors are also available after normal office hours to answer your questions if you have a medical concern that you believe should be addressed immediately.

ACUTE VS. CHRONIC CONDITIONS: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

The conditions we experience are either classified as acute or chronic. As we age, our organs and immune systems go through changes, often making us more susceptible to illness. The term acute can be used to distinguish illness or injuries from a chronic variation of a condition. Acute can also be used to emphasize suddenness or severity, however, it’s important to remember that acute does not necessarily mean the illness or injury is severe enough to be lethal. A broken toe is an acute injury but it is unlikely to cause significant or life-threatening complications. An acute illness usually starts rapidly but poses more of an annoyance than anything else.

A chronic illness, on the other hand, has a slow progression that builds over time and tends to be a long-lasting problem. Some back and forth can occur between acute and chronic conditions. For example, patients can develop a long-lasting chronic disease following a sudden injury or asthma can develop after a bout of pneumonia. Similarly, a chronic condition might increase the patient’s chances of experiencing an acute illness or injury. Chronic conditions can be managed but not cured and may have warning signs or no signs at all. Common chronic conditions are arthritis, asthma, diabetes and hypertension, just to name a few.

SOME OF THE ACUTE MEDICAL CONDITIONS WE TREAT 

• Upper respiratory infections, including colds
• Ear pain/infections
• Sore throat/throat pain
• Fever/flu symptoms
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or wheezing
• Abdominal or stomach pain
• Nausea/vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Urinary tract infections, including urinary frequency and pain on urination
• Blood in urine or stool
• Boils or skin/nail infections
• Rash, Itching. Hives
• Vaginal/Pelvic/Rectal pain
• Vaginal Discharge

Treating acute illnesses or injuries in a timely manner is important so that the problem does not become chronic. In many cases, it’s important to receive a full examination from one of our doctors to determine what illness you have. Some common symptoms can have a range of causes and may require further testing if you don’t favorably respond to treatment.

COMMON ACUTE ILLNESSES

 

Clinical Symptom	Common Conditions	Less Common Conditions
Cough	1.    Upper Respiratory Infection 2.    Pneumonia 3.    Croup 4.    Bronchiolitis 5.    Bronchitis 6.    Asthma 7.    Sinusitis	1.    Cystic Fibrosis 2.    Pertussis 3.    Tuberculosis 4.    Foreign body aspiration 5.    Gastroesophageal reflux 6.    Chlamydia pneumonitis
Fever	1.    Bacteremia-occult 2.    UTI → pyelonephritis 3.    Viral illness (nonspecific) 4.    Viral exanthems (varicella, measles, fifth disease) 5.    Roseola 6.    Scarlet fever	1.    Osteomyelitis 2.    Meningitis 3.    Febrile convulsions 4.    Septic arthritis 5.    Kawasaki’s disease 6.    Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis 7.    Viral exantham (rubella) 8.    Tuberculosis
Sore Throat	1.    Pharyngitis – strep, scarlet fever 2.    Mononucleosis	1.    Rheumatic fever 2.    Cervical adenitis 3.    Peritonsillar and retropharyngeal abscesses
Otitis/Ear Pain	1.    Otitis media 2.    Recurrent otitis media 3.    Middle ear effusion	1.    Deafness 2.    Speech and language delay 3.    Mastoiditis
URI	1.    Conjunctivitis 2.    Cellulitis 3.    Allergic rhinitis 4.    Sinusitis	1.   Periorbital/orbital cellulitis
Abdominal Pain	1.    Appendicitis 2.    UTI → pyelonephritis 3.    Gastroenteritis 4.    Constipation 5.    PID 6.    Colic	1.    Vasculitis (e.g. HSP) 2.    Intussusception 3.    Gastritis 4.    Pregnancy 5.    Encopresis 6.    IBD 7.    Peptic ulcer 8.    Ovarian/testicular torsion 9.    Psychogenic abdominal pain 10.  Malignancy 11.  Incarcerated hernia
Vomiting	1.    Gastroesophageal reflux 2.    Pyloric stenosis 3.    Gastoenteritis 4.    As secondary to infections (strep pharyngitis, otitis)	1.    Volvulus/bowel obstruction 2.    DKA 3.    Increased intracranial pressure 4.    Hepatitis 5.    Pyelonephritis 6.    Pregnancy 7.    Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
Diarrhea +/- vomiting	1.    Gastroenteritis 2.    Viral 3.    Bacterial 4.    Giardia	1.    Failure to thrive 2.    Hemolytic/uremic syndrome 3.    Dehydration
Dermatitis/Rash	1.    Acute urticaria 2.    Atopic dermatitis 3.    Contact dermatitis 4.    Monilial skin infections 5.    Scabies 6.    Impetigo/cellulitis 7.    Tinea infections	1.    Anaphylaxis 2.    Drug reaction 3.    Stevens-Johnson syndrome 4.    Seborrheic dermatitis
Trauma	1.    Animal bite wounds 2.    Burns 3.    Child/Elder abuse	1.    Tetanus 2.    Rabies
Joint/Limb problems	1.    Tendonitis 2.    Infections (toxic tenosynovitis, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis) 3.    Congenital hip dislocation 4.    Injury	1.    Nurse maid’s elbow/Tennis Elbow 2.    Arthritis (JRA) 3.    Sickle cell crisis 4.    Rheumatic fever 5.    Leukemia/tumors 6.    Osgood-Schlatter disease 7.    Legg-Calve’-Perthes disease 8.    Slipped femoral capital epiphysis
Central Nervous System problems	1.    Headaches (migraine, tension) 2.    Seizure disorders, febrile convulsions 3.    Closed head trauma	1.    Increased ICP 2.    Brain tumor 3.    Hydrocephalus

Call 425-250-9999 for a same day appointment and we will try our best to get you in to the office as soon as possible.