S/s Include Easily Fatigued High Heart Rate Increases With Exertion
Question: s/s include easily fatigued high heart rate increases with exertion night sweats sometimes during the day muscle cramps extreme wt loss (over 30# in 3 months) muscle weakness (fallen three times without reason) hair loss complete thyroid studies have been done, ultra sound of heart, CT of lungs and abd colonoscopy numerous blood tests so far nothing is showing up except some small abnormalities in the blood as first noted
what further tests can be done to determine what is wrong I already filled this in why asking again?
Brief Answer:
Some possible tests and diagnosis to be ruled out explained below
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to "Ask a Doctor"service.
I carefully went through your query. I am sorry for the struggles you are having with the diagnosis of the condition you are having, it seems to be a very difficult process for the doctors to determine the case. This might mean that possibly very rare conditions might be the cause and unfortunately in these cases it might take a while before the diagnosis is settled.
I will mention some tests I did not see mentioned that might help to have a more full picture of what is going on with you.
1. Because you have weakness and have fallen without a reason it is important that you have an EMG and NCT which will try to identify if it is the muscles or the nerves supplying the muscles the source of the weakness. These tests will help rule out some conditions related to muscles and nerves and might also diagnose any of them if abnormalities are noticed.
2. because your albumin level is low, this might be an index of the liver function which might be low (the liver is responsible of producing albumin), sometimes in liver problems Zinc deficiency can happen and it might cause weight loss, hair loss, weakness and affects muscle cramps so it might be a good thing to consider with your doctor. Unfortunately blood tests are not so good in diagnosing it.
3. a good neurological examination needs to be done (probably you have done one as you have done so many tests) but checking the cranial nerves, balance tests and reflexes, muscle tone, muscle strength and sensation and checking for muscular fasciculations will help rule out some neurological conditions like ALS. You might need to ask your doctor how are these in your case.
4. MRI of the brain and spine might be better examination for evaluation of the brain and the spine (CT is best for bony structures), MRI determines neurological problems more promptly compared to CT.
These are some tests and diagnosis that were coming to my mind while reading your query, I understand this is a very rare situation and it will need some time probably till the doctors will identify the cause, I hope though, this will help to advance the steps towards the diagnosis and successful treatment.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj,
General and Family Physician
Some possible tests and diagnosis to be ruled out explained below
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to "Ask a Doctor"service.
I carefully went through your query. I am sorry for the struggles you are having with the diagnosis of the condition you are having, it seems to be a very difficult process for the doctors to determine the case. This might mean that possibly very rare conditions might be the cause and unfortunately in these cases it might take a while before the diagnosis is settled.
I will mention some tests I did not see mentioned that might help to have a more full picture of what is going on with you.
1. Because you have weakness and have fallen without a reason it is important that you have an EMG and NCT which will try to identify if it is the muscles or the nerves supplying the muscles the source of the weakness. These tests will help rule out some conditions related to muscles and nerves and might also diagnose any of them if abnormalities are noticed.
2. because your albumin level is low, this might be an index of the liver function which might be low (the liver is responsible of producing albumin), sometimes in liver problems Zinc deficiency can happen and it might cause weight loss, hair loss, weakness and affects muscle cramps so it might be a good thing to consider with your doctor. Unfortunately blood tests are not so good in diagnosing it.
3. a good neurological examination needs to be done (probably you have done one as you have done so many tests) but checking the cranial nerves, balance tests and reflexes, muscle tone, muscle strength and sensation and checking for muscular fasciculations will help rule out some neurological conditions like ALS. You might need to ask your doctor how are these in your case.
4. MRI of the brain and spine might be better examination for evaluation of the brain and the spine (CT is best for bony structures), MRI determines neurological problems more promptly compared to CT.
These are some tests and diagnosis that were coming to my mind while reading your query, I understand this is a very rare situation and it will need some time probably till the doctors will identify the cause, I hope though, this will help to advance the steps towards the diagnosis and successful treatment.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj,
General and Family Physician
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
was wondering about possible blood related causes; is it problematic to treat the symptoms ie rapid heart rate without knowing the cause?
Brief Answer:
We can treat the fast heart rate even if a clear cause is not found
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
The normal blood results that rule out rheumatoid diseases, endocarditis, and minor changes in your complete blood count reduce the chance that something related to the blood is the cause.
As for the heart rate, treatment depends on how often you get it, how long does it lasts, if it causes any chest pain or shortness of breath. If you get them here and there and last only few minutes without other symptoms, anxiety might be the cause and no treatment is needed.
ECG report, telling us about the kind of the electrical pattern of the high heart rate will contribute in this decision.
So treatment of the heart rate, if we see a clear cause, we treat the cause, if not, still we treat the high heart rate if it is frequent, lasts long, causes symptoms, or has certain patterns in ECG.
I hope this answers your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
We can treat the fast heart rate even if a clear cause is not found
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
The normal blood results that rule out rheumatoid diseases, endocarditis, and minor changes in your complete blood count reduce the chance that something related to the blood is the cause.
As for the heart rate, treatment depends on how often you get it, how long does it lasts, if it causes any chest pain or shortness of breath. If you get them here and there and last only few minutes without other symptoms, anxiety might be the cause and no treatment is needed.
ECG report, telling us about the kind of the electrical pattern of the high heart rate will contribute in this decision.
So treatment of the heart rate, if we see a clear cause, we treat the cause, if not, still we treat the high heart rate if it is frequent, lasts long, causes symptoms, or has certain patterns in ECG.
I hope this answers your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad