Hubbard: Fatigue Flashcards
What is fatigue?
Difficulty initiating or maintaining voluntary mental/physical activity.
- Its important to distinguish fatigue from what?
- How is this done?
Perform a ROS to distinguish fatigue from;
- True muscle weakness
- Excessive sleepiness
- DOE
- Exercise intolerance
What are common benign disorders that cause fatigue?
- Psych diseases (depression and anxiety)
- Neuro disease (patients may “feel weak” ; MC = MS)
- Sleep disorders
- Liver and kidney dissease
- like everythinggg fuck
What type of fatigue can occur before a migraine?
Episodic fatigue before the migraine
- Describe the fatigue in Obstructive sleep apnea
- How do we evaluate to diagnose?
- Excessive daytime sleepiness + fatigue
- Overnight polysomnography, esp in those snoring, obesity, other RF
Fatigue + true muscle weakness + hair loss + dry skin + cold intolerance
= Dx?
HypOthyroidism
Fatigue + sweating + palpitations + heat intolerance
= Dx?
HypERthyroidism
MC drugs to cause fatigue
- 1. Antidepressants
- 2. Antipsychotics
- 3. Anxiolytics
- 4. Opiates
- 5. Antispasticity
- 6. Antiseizure meds
- 7. Beta blockers
Cardiopulm causes of Fatigue
1. CHF
2. COPD
Common malginant causes of fatigue
- 1. Leukemia/lymphoma
- 2. Plasma cell disorders
- 3. Metastatic solid tumors
- 4. Paraneoplastic disorders
- 5. Secondary hematologic causes (anemia)
1st step in diagnosing fatigue
-
History and context of onset: OOOLDCAAARTS
- Demographics/ethnicity
- Menstrual status
- Diet
- Social status/living conditons
- PE
If fatigue + bleeding (GI/GU/mucocutaneous), what are DDx?
- GI/GU = Defective clotting factors
- Mucocutaneous = platelet disorders
Fatigue + dyspnea.
What is the DDx?
- 1. Pleural effusion
- 2. Pericaridal effusion
- 3. Anemia
- 4. LAD
- 5. Constrictive pericardial disease
Fatigue + petachiae and purpura on PE.
DDX?
Thrombocytopenia: TTP, HUS, DIC
Fatigue + hemarthrosis
= Dx?
Severe hemophilia
Fatigue + telangiectasias
= DDx
CT disease or Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasias
Disorders that cause
↓ reticulocyte count
Non-hemolytic processes
- Iron-deficiency anemia
- Anemia of Chronic Disease
- Aplastic Anemia
- Chronic Kidney Disease (renal failure)
- Chronic diseases and marrow infiltration
- Megaloblastic Anemia (Vit B12/folate deficiency)
Disorders that cause
↑ reticulocyte count
Hemolysis (↑ destruction)
- PNH
- PK
- Hereditary Spherocytosis
- G6PD
- Spherocytosis
- Sickle Cell Anemia/HbC
- AIHA/MAHA
- Infection: Malaria, Babesia, Bartonella
- March Hemoglobinuria/Sports & Cardiac Anemia
- Lead/copper poisoning
- Portal HTN
If a patient presents with anemia, what is the most important work-up you should perfom?
If you were on a deserted island and could perform 1 test, what test would you perform?
Benefits/drawback?
Reticulocyte count:
- Benefit = tells you how well BM is working/responding
- Drawback = only a snapshot of what the BM is doing at that time; have to make sure if patient is on any medications to tx anemia
What are reticulocyte counts in the following disorders?
- Iron deficiency anemia
- low
2.