8-year-old girl with excessive thirst, frequent urination, and weight loss. Cind
ID: 91268 • Letter: 8
Question
8-year-old girl with excessive thirst, frequent urination, and weight loss. Cindy Mallon. an 8-year-old girl in previously good health, has noticed that, in the past month, she is increasingly thirsty. She gets up several times a night to urinate, and finds herself gulping down glassfulls of water. At the dinner table, she seems to be eating twice as much as she used to. yet she has lost 5 pounds in the past month. In the past three days, she has become nauseated, vomiting on three occasions, prompting a visit to her pediatrician. At the doctor's office, blood and urine samples are taken. The following lab results are noted: blood glucose level = 545 mg/dl (normal = 50- 170 mg/dl) blood pH level = 7.23 (normal = 7.35 - 7.45) urine = tested positive for glucose and for acetone/acetoacetate (i.e. ketone bodies) (normally urine is free of glucose and ketone bodies) A. Why is her blood-glucose level elevated? B. Why is her blood pH level decreased? C. At the office. Cindy is breathing rapidly and taking deep breaths. What physiological purpose does this serve? D. Cindy has a fruity odor to her breath. Why? Explain why this is occurring. E. Explain why Cindy is urinating so frequently. F. How is Cindys condition like that of starvation? Address the role of glucagon in your answer. G. How do you think the pediatrician is going to treat Cindys condition? Are there any risks or potential complications to her treatment?Explanation / Answer
Answer to A:
All the mentioned conditions are the symptoms of Hyperglycemia.
Hyperglycemia is a chronic metabolic disorder.
Hyper means high, gly refers to glucose and emia refers to blood (High blood sugar).
Body needs glucose for proper functioning. Hyperglycemia may be either because the body does not utilize glucose properly or because insulin hormone is not produced by pancreas.
Answer to B:
Her blood pH level is decreased due to Ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis is a symptom of hyperglycemia where ketone levels are high in the blood.
When ketone levels are increased, the body becomes more acedic. Thus her blood pH level is decreased.
Answer to C:
The first signs and symptoms of Hyperglycemia are:
increased thirst (Polydipsia),
increased hunger (Polyphagia)
frequent urination (Polyuria)
Ketoacidosis (Ketones in blood) and
Ketonurea (Ketones like acetone and acetoacetic acid in urine)
The rapid breathing and taking deep breaths by the girl can be considered as the first signs of Hyperglycemia.
Other symptoms of Hyperglycemia includes restlessness, fatigue, blurred vision, poor wound healing, dry mouth, frequent infections.
Answer to D:
The fruity odor is due to Ketoacidosis. The ketones, especially acetone in blood is the reason for sweet and fruity odor of the breath.
Answer to E:
Cindy is urinating so frequenty because of Polyuria (explained above), a symptom of hyperglycemia.
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