High BP, groin pain, fatty liver, has skin pain. Could this be due to infection?
Patient: My husband has been feeling ill for almost 1 1/2 onths now. He lays block for a livng and is not a small guy. He weighs 130 and is 6 1 and has high blood pressure (recently started meds). He is a light smoker, maybe 2 or 3 a day, and he does not drink. He has recently had an internal ultrasound complaining of groin pain. They have found that he has borderline excessive fat around his liver . Now he is complaining of his skin hurting, clothes are uncomfortable. He has a ct scan scheduled for the 27th. Could he have an infection? What should I look for? What could be causing this? Thanks for any assistance. Doctor: Hello, hollicks5, Your husband is under weight for his height, considerably so. I don't know if this weight loss happened during the past month and a half. You state that he is a light smoker ,half a pack a day, but if he has been a smoker for a very long time , that is of concern. I am glad that he does not drink and we can eliminate that as a possible cause of fatty liver. Poor nutrition can cause fatty changes in the liver. Diabetes , obesity, other metabolic disorders can do this. Certain medications like NSAIDs, Ibuprofen, Naproxen,Sulfa drugs, Tetracycline family of drugs can cause fatty liver. In women, during pregnacy they can develop fatty liver. If your husband does not have fever,chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, it is probably not an infection. He seems to have developed an increased sensitivity of the skin You mention that he was recently started on medication for blood pressure. Look at all the possible side effects listed .  I am glad he is scheduled for a CT-Scan. I hope they will do a chest CT along with an abdominal CT. to rule out anything serious. I am sure that he had a complete blood work done by the doctor. Find out about his liver tests, Protein levels, and his blood count to see if he is anemic. My personal feeling is, some of these tests could be abnormal. He should be taking a good Super B-Complex vitamin along with Vit-E 800 i.u. daily. He should be on a high protein diet ,may be with some supplements like Ensure or Ensure Plus or similar drinks 2-3 times a day. I wish him well.