Urinalysis Case Study 1
Patient Background:
Mickey River is a 27 years old female Native American. Her chief complaint is fatigue and malaise. She states she is "tired and hungry and thirsty all of the time" no matter how much she eats or drinks. She has significantly increased her food intake, but has lost 10 pounds in the last two months. She also complains of dizziness, blurred vision, and an awkward feeling of numbness in her right foot.
Her physical exam revealed the following: Her blood pressure is normal. Her temperature is normal. Her pulse is normal. Her respiratory rate is elevated.
Lab Values: see table in learning module
1. List the abnormal symptoms or conditions the patient is exhibiting
a. Fatigue, malaise, dizziness, blurred vision, numbness in the right foot, weight loss, respiratory rate elevated
2. List any abnormal lab values the patient has
Acidosis, glucose in uring, ketones in urine, and slightly higher specificity gravity
3. Explain the cause of each abnormal lab value
Acidosis is from excess production of organic acids, glucose- is not being filtered and reabsorbed, ketones – beta oxidation, large amounts in blood, cant process glucose, specificity of gravity – more solid then urine being produced
4. Explain the cause of each abnormal symptom or condition
The symptoms fatigue, thirst, blurred vision and numbness are all symptoms caused by the inability of the pancreas to create insulin and process glucose, without the insulin the body begins to think you are starving which breaks down the fat and causes the weight loss, the thirst is caused by the body attempting to rid itself of the excess urine and causes dehydration and thirst, the dizziness is due to the over production of insulin and inability to be processed properly, numbness is caused by the interference of the brains information to process nerve signals.
5. List the probable etiology (overall cause) behind the person’s condition
a. This