Differential Diagnosis Paper

As an advanced practice nurse (APN), it is necessary to make differential diagnoses for patients. In this scenario, there are several factors to consider in making a diagnosis. The scenario presents several factors to consider age, gender, history, weight, and occupation. The first differential diagnosis is osteoarthritis. Her age of 64 puts in at risk for this condition. According to Watt (2015), older women have hormonal considerations that impact hand osteoarthritis. The subjective complaint of increased stiffness and joint pain in her hand which supports this differential diagnosis. The second differential diagnosis is cardiovascular disease. The patient is 64 year old female. According to Hrycek and Wojakowski (2011), age is an important risk factor for diagnosis and prevention of cardiovascular

Other heart disease risk factors include gender, age, and weight. The patient is female which is conducive to heart disease. In women, heart disease presents with symptoms that are not obvious (Shirato & Swan, 2010). For this reason, heart disease a differential diagnoses for the patient. The third differential diagnosis is hypertension. She has been overweight most of her life. According to Booth and Nowsom (2010), a lifestyle that results in being overweight results in hypertension which is preventable. The fourth differential diagnosis is sleep apnea. Weight is a risk factors for sleep apnea. According to Tuomilehto, et al. (2009), weight is a factor that must be addressed to effectively treat sleep apnea. Given that this patient is overweight, it is reasonable to include this as a differential diagnosis. The fifth differential diagnosis is diabetes. With a history being overweight during the adult years, diabetes is a disease process to consider. According to Zhao, Ford, Li, and Mokdad (2009), diabetes is a disease process that is heavily impacted by weight. These are the five differential diagnosis for the patient that has