Exercise 16-4 Endocrine "Mystery Cases" n this exercise you will be playing the role of endocrine detective to who has suddenly fallen ll with a mysterious malady. You will be presented a set of witnesses, each of whom will give you a clue as to the nature of the illness. Other clues will come from samples you send off to the lab for analysis. You will solve the mystery by providing the with these cases. When you have completed the cases, answer Check Your Understanding question 7 (0.444). Case 1: The Cold Colonel You are called upon to visit the ailing Col. Lemon. Before you see him, you speak with three witnesses who were with him when he fell ill. Witness statements Ms. Magenta: "Col. Lemon has been hot blooded for as long as I've known him. But I noticed that he couldn't seem to keep warm. He kept complaining about being cold..." Mr Ole "Just between you and me, I've noticed that the old chap has put on quite a bit of weight lately." Professor Purple "The colonel and I used to go on major expeditions together. Now he just doesn't seem to have the energy to do much of anything." What are your initial thoughts about the witnesses' statements? Does one hormone come to mind that may be the cause? Explain. 1€ You see the colonel and collect some blood to send off to the lab. The analysis comes back as follows: T3 (triiodothyronine): 0.03 ng/dl (normal: 0.2-0.5 ng/dl) T4 (thyroxine): 1.1 pg/dl (normal: 4-7 g/dl) TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone): 86 ml (normal: 0.3-4.0 ml/l) Analyze the results. Why do you think the T3 and T4 are low and the TSH is elevated? Based upon the witness statements and the laboratory analysis, what is your final diagnosis? Explain Col. Lemon's symptoms. Endocrine System UNIT 16
Your next call is to the home of Mrs. Nang Aso, you have the winterview Ms. Magen Between you and me, she's really let her go. She has a deposits in all of these ange places, Case 2: The Bloated Mrs. Blanc Witness statements Col. Lemom: "Not that I want to talk about vach things, but she's seemed bloated, a bit wollen, Lately. She even told me that her blood pressure has gone wpt Ms. Feather: "The poor dear. She's been sick so much lately with all kinds of infections. Personally, I think bet immune system needs boosting. But my herbal teas don't seem to help." What are your initial thoughts, based upon the witnesses statements? Does one hormone come to mind that could produce these effects? Your next step is to speak with Mrs. Blanc. During the interview you notice a bottle of pills on her nightstand. You log the pills as evidence and send them off to the lab for analysis. The lab report shows the pills to be the medication prednisone, which you know to be a glucocorticoid similar to the hormone cortisol. Is this finding significant? Why or why not? 16 Based upon the witness statements and the laboratory analysis, what is your final diagnosis? Explain your reasoning laboratory
Your last call is to the aid of Professor Purple. The witnesses are present from whom to take themes Case 3: The Parched Professor Witness statements he wast Mr. Olive. "I swear that I saw him drink a full laws of water every half an hour oday. He kepe saying, brw chiny Mrs. Blanc: "He must be going to the ... well, you know, the little boys' room, two or three times every hour!" Ms. Feather: "He's been saying lately that his mouth is dry and that he feels weak. Personally, I think he's just not following a healthy diet. He should be drinking some of my herbal tast produce these effects? Explain. Based upon the witnesses' statements, what are your initial thoughts? Does one hormone come to mind that could You interview Professor Purple and collect blood and urine specimens to be sent off to the lab for analysis. The lab reports that the urine osmolality is 150 mOsm/kg, which means the urine is overly dilute (too much water in the urine). The blood osmolality is 300 mOsmykg, meaning the blood is overly concentrated (too little water in the blood). The lab also reports that his blood glucose is completely normal. What is the significance of these clues! 16 Based upon the witness statements and the laboratory analysis, what is your final diagnosis? (Hint: Think of the hormone that is supposed to trigger water retention from the kidneys. Is there a disease where this hormone is deficient) Explain Prof. Purple's symptoms. Endocrine System . UNIT 16 -
