What could be the possible causes of dry skin, fatigue, acne, hair thinning, and weight gain, despite a healthy diet and exercise?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a breastfeeding mother of two children. Despite a healthy diet and exercise, I gained 15 kg weight in three months. I have also had a persistent low-grade fever for about a year now. As a result, I do not have the energy and am always tired no matter how much sleep I get. My main concerns are dry skin, acne, fatigue, hair thinning, and weight gain. I have attached my CBC, thyroid test, and ultrasound reports.

Kindly help me.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I saw the reports attached (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity). Low energy could be due to anemia, thyroid malfunction, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout-like rheumatic diseases. Ultrasound might be requested for liver disorders, which can cause such symptoms. However, there are no abnormalities in the blood tests. In the ultrasound abdomen, there appears to be a liver cyst, which may be an incidental finding or need to be investigated further. I suggest you consult a hepatologist to interpret the same. Weight gain may be due to inappropriate diet or lack of exercise and can be responsible for metabolic syndrome, which may also be causing the symptoms. I also suggest you take the following tests:

1. Hemoglobin A1c (glycated hemoglobin), fasting blood sugar (FBS), and postprandial blood sugar (PLBS) level.

2. Lipid function tests- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and total cholesterol.

3. Serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone level.

Kindly revert to the test reports.

Thank you.