Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Diabetes-like symptoms.
These may include a physical examination or other medical tests.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you had diabetes-like symptoms?
Why: to determine if acute or chronic.
- What is your age?
Why: e.g Type 1 diabetes patients are usually younger and lean, Type 2 diabetes patients are usually older and overweight.
- Are you pregnant?
Why: may suggest gestational diabetes.
- Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes mellitus?
Why: e.g. previous impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glycemia test; Aboriginal and Torres strait Islanders aged 35 years and over; certain high risk non- English speaking background groups aged 35 years and over (such as Pacific Islanders, Indian subcontinent, Chinese); people aged 45 years and over who have one of more of the following risk factors including obesity with BMI of greater or equal to 30, high blood pressure or first degree relative with Type 2 diabetes; previous heart attack, angina or stroke; previous gestational diabetes; obese women with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
- Past medical history?
Why: e.g. polycystic ovarian syndrome, cirrhosis, cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, hemochromatosis, pancreatic cancer, Cushing's syndrome, Acromegaly, thyrotoxicosis, phaeochromocytoma, Friedreich's ataxia, myotonic dystrophy - are all conditions which can cause secondary diabetes.
- Past surgical history?
Why: e.g. pancreatectomy (removal of the pancreas) may cause secondary diabetes.
- Medications?
Why: some medications may cause elevated blood sugars e.g. thiazide diuretics, corticosteroids, estrogens, beta agonist medications.
- Cigarette smoking?- cigarette smoking further increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes
- Alcohol history?
Why: alcohol has many effects on the body, especially if you have diabetes e.g. increases the risk of hypoglycemia, makes diabetic control more difficult, increases weight, worsens peripheral neuropathy, worsen diabetic eye disease, increases blood pressure and blood triglycerides; chronic alcohol abuse increases risk of chronic pancreatitis which may cause diabetes mellitus.
- Family history?
Why: e.g. type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus, hemochromatosis, cystic fibrosis.
Questions your doctor may ask about related symptoms:
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition. These may include:
- Symptoms of Diabetes mellitus?
Why: Diabetes, particularly Type 2 diabetes is the most common cause of elevated blood sugars and diabetes-like symptoms e.g. frequency of urination, excessive thirst, weight loss (especially in Type 1 Diabetes mellitus), tiredness, fatigue, increased infections especially of the skin and genitals, blurry vision.
- Symptoms of complications of Diabetes mellitus?
Why: e.g. staphylococcal skin infections, tingling or numbness of the feet, impotence, heart attack, intermittent claudication due to peripheral vascular disease - these complications may be the presenting features of diabetes.
- Symptoms of Diabetes insipidus?
Why: e.g. abrupt onset of frequency of urination, excessive thirst, dehydration.
- Symptoms of hemochromatosis?
Why: e.g. fatigue, painful joints, impotence, bronze discoloration of skin.
- Symptoms of cystic fibrosis?
Why: e.g. recurrent chest infections, failure to thrive, weight loss, fatty oily stools.
- Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis?
Why: e.g. recurrent abdominal pain, fatty oily stools, weight loss.
- Symptoms of Acromegaly?
Why: e.g. coarse oily skin, large tongue, increased teeth spacing, increased shoe size, thick enlarged hands, deepening of voice.
- Symptoms of phaeochromocytoma?
Why: e.g. episodic periods of headache, feelings of fear, palpitations, sweating, nausea, tremor, weight loss.
- Symptoms of Cushing's disease
Why: e.g. muscle wasting, thin skin, stretch marks, truncal obesity, easy bruising, fluid retention, moon-face, poor wound healing.
- Symptoms of Conn's syndrome?
Why: e.g. weakness, frequency of urine, excessive thirst.
- Obesity?
Why: Type 2 Diabetes is often associated with truncal obesity. Cushing's syndrome is also associated with truncal obesity.
» Next page: Types of Diabetes-like symptoms
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