Case Study:
Diabetes and congestive heart failure
Present Illness
Mr. Tompkins is a 62-year-old Native American male. He comes in because of increasing dyspnea on minimal exertion (DOE) and swelling in his legs for the past week. He has also noticed that his lower legs are red, warm to the touch, and mildly painful—4 out of 10 on a pain scale. His blood sugars have been high: 190 fasting in the morning and 290 before evening meal. His diet has not changed, although he has been less active the past week due to the swelling in his legs. He denies chest pain, cough, fever, hemoptysis, taking any over-the-counter medications, polyuria, polydipsia, and polyphagia.
Medical History
Diabetes mellitus (DM) type II for 5 years
Family History
His wife, children, and four living siblings have DM type II. His father and two brothers, now deceased, had hypertension and DM type II; causes of deaths are not known.
Medications
Metformin increased to 1 Gm bid 30 days month ago to bring his sugars down about 20 to 30 points in the morning and evening.
Allergies
None reported
Social History
Patient does not smoke or drink.
Physical Examination
Weight 225 lbs +10 pounds since his last visit 1 month ago, BMI 30
BP – 158/100, P – 100, T - 98°, O2 sats – 94% room air at rest
S3 & S4 gallop, + JVD, bibasilar crackles, 3+ pitting edema.
The skin on his ankles to mid-calf is red, warm, slightly scaly, and tender to the touch.
Labs
TSH –5.2 (0.5– 4.5)
Free T4 - 0.8 (0.8-1.7)
Free T3 – 1.8 (2.0-4.8)
A1C – 9 (<5.7)
CBC
Hemoglobin – 12 (13.8 – 17.2)
Hematocrit – 38 (41 – 50)
RBC indices are normal
WBC – 12 (4.5 – 10.5)
BUN – 22 (7 – 20)
Creatinine - 0.6 (0.8 – 1.4)
Total cholesterol – 240
HDL – 35
LDL – 180
Triglycerides - 400
Radiology
Results of a recent chest X-ray are pending.