A Case of Weakness and Fatigue in a Teenager

Abstract

An 18-year-old white man with the chief complaint of weakness and fatigue for several months was found by his family doctor to have anemia. The patient also complained of occasional slight dizziness which occurred upon rising from a supine to a standing position. Review of systems was remarkable for a 5 pound weight loss with anorexia over three months. The patient denied nausea, emesis, change in bowel habits or abdominal pain. The patient had noted an intermittent nonproductive cough over about two weeks before admission which had resolved. He had also noted an occasional aching sharp pain in the right shoulder. Past medical history was unremarkable. His father had had tuberculosis 15 years prior to the birth of the patient that was treated with surgical collapse of the lung.