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Symptoms » Pancreas symptoms » Diagnostic Tests
 

Diagnostic Tests for Pancreas symptoms

Diagnostic Test list for Pancreas symptoms:

The list of diagnostic tests mentioned in various sources as used in the diagnosis of Pancreas symptoms includes:

  • Physical examination
    • Examine for signs of complications of Diabetes mellitus including cataracts, diabetes retinopathy, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, Candida skin and genital infections and peripheral neuropathy
    • Examine for signs of secondary causes of hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar) - e.g. Cushing's syndrome, hemochromatosis, Conn's syndrome, cystic fibrosis, Acromegaly.
    • Examine for signs of acute pancreatitis including fever, increased heart rate, pale skin, sweating, anxiety, weakness, tenderness in the upper abdomen, reduced bowel sounds and sometimes distended abdomen
    • Look for evidence of jaundice - e.g. yellows skin and sclera of eyes - may suggest cancer of the pancreas or chronic pancreatitis.
    • Abdominal examination for tenderness - e.g. tenderness in epigastric area (midline below ribs) may suggest acute or chronic pancreatitis, peptic ulceration of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, cancer of the pancreas.
  • Blood tests
    • Fasting blood sugar level. Diagnosis of Diabetes mellitus requires fasting blood sugar level to be greater or equal to 7.0 mmol/L
    • Random blood sugar level. Diagnosis of Diabetes mellitus requires random blood sugar level to be greater or equal to 11.1 mmol/L and the person must also have symptoms of elevated blood sugar including frequent urination, excessive thirst and unexplained weight loss
    • 2 hour post 75g Oral glucose tolerance test for diagnosis of Diabetes mellitus in borderline cases or for diagnosis of gestational diabetes with a blood glucose level of greater or equal to 11.1 mmol/L
    • All pregnant women should be advised to have a screening oral glucose tolerance test at around 26-30 weeks gestation
    • Diagnosis of "Impaired glucose tolerance" requires fasting blood glucose of less than 7.0 mmol/L AND 2 hour post 75g Oral glucose tolerance test with a blood glucose level of greater than or equal to 7.8 mmol/L and less than 11.1 mmol/l
    • HbA1C - measures the average blood glucose level over the past 3 months.
    • Electrolytes ( looking for signs of dehydration due to any of the causes of diabetes-like symptoms; look for reduced potassium seen in Conn's syndrome)
    • Renal function test - to detect any damage to kidneys.
    • Fasting blood lipids, including total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides
    • Iron studies and liver function tests if suspect hemochromatosis as a secondary cause of elevated blood sugar (look for elevated ferritin and a transferring saturation of greater than 60%)
    • If suspect Acromegaly as a secondary cause of elevated blood sugar, test for increased fasting growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1
    • If suspect Conn's syndrome as a secondary cause of elevated blood sugar, test for an inappropriately elevated aldosterone and a reduced plasma renin activity. A plasma aldosterone (PA) : plasma renin activity (PRA) ratio over greater than 20 suggests Conn's syndrome
    • If suspect Cushing's syndrome as secondary cause of elevated blood sugar, test for a suppressed Dexamethasone suppression test
    • Serum amylase and lipase are elevated in acute pancreatitis
    • Gastrin levels, if multiple peptic ulcers to help diagnose Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
  • Urine tests
    • 24 hour Urine microalbumin - to check for any damage to the kidneys due to diabetes.
    • If suspect Conn's syndrome, test for increased 24 hour urinary aldosterone
    • If suspect Cushing's syndrome, test for increased 24 hour free cortisol
    • If suspect phaeochromocytoma, test fro increased 24 hour urinary free catecholamines and increased urine metadrenalines and normetadrenaline
  • Stool tests
    • 24 hour Stool analysis of fecal fat, if steatorrhea is present (i.e. fatty, pale colored, extremely smelly stools that float in the toilet and are difficult to flush away due to excess fat in the stool). Steatorrhea may be due to chronic pancreatitis or cystic fibrosis
  • Radiological investigations
    • Upper abdominal ultrasound and CT scan, if suspect acute or chronic pancreatitis or cancer of the pancreas
    • CT brain, if suspect Acromegaly or Cushing's disease, looking for pituitary tumor
  • Sweat sodium concentration - elevated in Cystic fibrosis.
  • Liver biopsy, if suspect hemochromatosis
  • Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy - may be required to diagnose peptic ulcers of Zollinger - Ellison syndrome.

Home Diagnostic Testing

These home medical tests may be relevant to Pancreas symptoms causes:


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