Cause | Common Features* | Diagnostic Approach |
---|---|---|
Abdominal pain, fatigue, abnormal areas of skin darkening, and light-headedness | Blood tests | |
History of excessive alcohol consumption In men, feminization, with loss of muscle tissue, decrease in armpit hair, smooth skin, breast growth In men and women, sometimes a distended abdomen due to fluid (ascites) and small purple spots on the skin (spider angiomas) | Sometimes only a doctor's examination Liver tests | |
Inappropriate fear of weight gain in an emaciated young woman or adolescent female and lack of normal periods | Only a doctor's examination | |
Often night sweats, fatigue, and fever Sometimes bone pain at night or other organ-specific symptoms | Organ-specific evaluation | |
Sadness, fatigue, loss of sexual desire and/or pleasure, and sleep disturbance | Only a doctor's examination | |
Increased appetite Excessive thirst and increased urination | Measurement of the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood | |
Drugs
| History of use | A doctor's examination Sometimes stopping the drug |
Fever, night sweats, fatigue, cough, and shortness of breath Often a history of living in or visiting an area where a specific fungus is common | Usually cultures and stains Sometimes blood tests Sometimes biopsy | |
Headache, muscle pains, jaw pain when chewing, fever, and/or visual disturbances in a person over 50 | Blood tests Sometimes temporal artery biopsy | |
Worm infections in the digestive tract | Fever, abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, and diarrhea Usually residence in or travel to developing countries | Microscopic examination of stool |
Fever, shortness of breath, cough, swollen lymph nodes throughout the body, diarrhea, and fungal infections | Blood tests | |
Kidney disease | Limb swelling, fatigue, itching, and sometimes frothy urine | Blood tests and urine tests |
Usually risk factors (for example, cranial nerve dysfunction, use of certain drugs, and aging) | Only a doctor's examination | |
Diarrhea, flatulence, and sometimes greasy or oily stools | Stool testing | |
Dental problems | Tooth or gum pain Bad breath, gum disease, and missing and/or decayed teeth | Only a doctor's examination |
Cough and shortness of breath Fever, fatigue, and swelling of lymph nodes throughout the body | Chest x-ray Sometimes chest CT Biopsy | |
Fever, night sweats, joint pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue Often in people with heart valve disorders or who inject drugs intravenously | Blood cultures Echocardiography | |
Increased appetite Heat intolerance, sweating, tremor, anxiety, rapid heart beat, and diarrhea | Blood tests to evaluate thyroid function | |
Fever, night sweats, cough, and coughing up blood Sometimes risk factors (for example, exposure to people with tuberculosis or residence in poor living conditions) | Sputum culture and smear | |
* Features include symptoms and the results of the doctor's examination. Features mentioned are typical but not always present. | ||
CT = computed tomography; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus; NSAIDs = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, OTC = over-the-counter; SSRIs = selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. |