Question

A 55 year old male present to the clinic for evaluation of progessive symptoms of increased fatigue, thirst, urination, and appetite of several weeks to months duration.

what are your primary concerns for this patient and what assessment and interventions would be associated with you concerns and why ?

Answer 1

There are many medical condition nassociated with the above given symptoms.

My primary concern for this patient is too look for the possibility of diabetes as incresed fatigue, hunger thirs and appetite are the classic sign of diabetes, following are the reason behind these symptoms.

Fatigue-Two common reasons for tiredness or lethargy are having too high or too low blood sugar levels. In both cases, the tiredness is the result of having an imbalance between one's level of blood glucose and the amount or effectiveness of circulating insulin.

Increased appetite-In diabetes glucose from the blood cannot enter the cells – due to either a lack of insulin or insulin resistance – so the body can't convert the food you eat into energy. This lack of energy causes an increase in appetite.

Thirst and urination-

kidneys are forced to work overtime to filter and absorb the excess glucose. When kidneys can't keep up, the excess glucose is excreted in the urine, dragging along fluids from the tissues, which makes person dehydrated. This will usually leave patient feeling thirsty.

Assessment-

Assessment of the patient include -

Capillary blood glucose

level, glycosylated haemoglobin,weakness, fatigue,

muscle cramps, decreased

muscle tone, insomnia,tachycardia, tachypnea, dizziness, headaches, numbness/ tingling, decreased level of consciousness, or change in consciousness, seizure,visual impairment.

Intervention-

​​​​Observe for infection,Provide education on management of hyperglycemia, including administration of medications ,Dietary education, Weight loss

Education on symptoms of diabetic keto acidosis.