Sweat

The Case of the Sweaty Salesman

Michael is a thirty year old salesman who spends approximately 4 days each week traveling to visit with customers in his region. During his routine physical he casually mentions to his physician that he seems to be sweating more profusely than normal and most rooms that once were comfortable are now too "hot". He thought that it was simply due to the change in seasons and companies being slow to turn down the thermostats from the winter temperatures, however this problem seems to persist even when he is at home. A room that his wife and children find to be comfortable causes him to sweat profusely. Michael also reports that he seems to be loosing weight even though his appetite has increased. He also complains that he has a shortened attention span and that he always wants to be moving around. Despite the fact that he feels fatigued, Michael claims to have difficulty sleeping and seems to have more frequent bowel movements, occasionally accompanied by diarrhea. The physician checks Michael's medical history and finds that indeed he has lost 15 pounds since his last physical. Wanting to rule out the possibility of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the physician asks Michael questions about his sexual history and practices and finds that he is not at risk for HIV infection. Also in checking his chart, the physician finds that Michael has a negative history for chronic illnesses, does not smoke, and has a low risk for cardiovascular disease. He does however have a positive family history for autoimmune diseases. His father suffers from idiopathic thrombocytopenia, his mother has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and his oldest sister was recently diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Results of Michael's physical examination were within normal ranges with the exception of the following: he demonstrated tachycardia, loud heart sounds, and apparent cardiac arrhythmias accompanied by slight...