Symptom Finder - Weakness or Fatigue
Weakness or Fatigue
It is necessary to begin with a good general physical examination. Particularly, the physician should look for signs of weight loss, a thyroid
or abdominal mass, hepatosplenomegaly, and lymphadenopathy. Look for other signs of hypothyroidism (e.g., tremor, diaphoresis, exophthalmos),
hyperthyroidism (nonpitting edema, coarse thick nails), and Addison disease (hyperpigmentation of the skin and buccal mucosa). Clubbing may
be a sign of carcinoma of the lung or cyanotic heart disease. A smooth tongue may indicate avitaminosis or pernicious anemia. Do not forget to
perform a neurologic examination to exclude peripheral neuropathy, dementia, and other degenerative neurologic diseases. Recent weight gain,
acne, hirsutism, and purple striae may indicate Cushing syndrome. Although many of these cases wind up in the psychiatrist’s or
psychologist’s office, one should not give up on them too easily.
It is necessary to begin with a good general physical examination. Particularly, the physician should look for signs of weight loss, a thyroid
or abdominal mass, hepatosplenomegaly, and lymphadenopathy. Look for other signs of hypothyroidism (e.g., tremor, diaphoresis, exophthalmos),
hyperthyroidism (nonpitting edema, coarse thick nails), and Addison disease (hyperpigmentation of the skin and buccal mucosa). Clubbing may
be a sign of carcinoma of the lung or cyanotic heart disease. A smooth tongue may indicate avitaminosis or pernicious anemia. Do not forget to
perform a neurologic examination to exclude peripheral neuropathy, dementia, and other degenerative neurologic diseases. Recent weight gain,
acne, hirsutism, and purple striae may indicate Cushing syndrome. Although many of these cases wind up in the psychiatrist’s or
psychologist’s office, one should not give up on them too easily.