This project was an exploration of endocrine system diseases. Each group got a disease and had to practice acting out the systems. Next the entire class watched and performed these symptoms and went through some standard doctor questioning. Using various online resources, we took the information gathered to find the disease. In groups we made a chart detailing the symptoms we observed, the suspected culprit and the reasoning for this decision. In the end we learned about many different endocrine system diseases as well why doctors aren't going to be replaced by web MD any time soon.
Our Chart
My Disease in Detail
We each had to go into detail why we believed each patient had each disease. I settled on the disease the respiratory system had. We believe they had type one diabetes. The symptoms shown were nausea, thirsty, abdominal pain, headache, and fatigue. The patient also stated that is was a constant problem which they were born with and they had relatives who had the same thing. Going through the symptoms, the some symptoms are explained because their body cannot break down sugars. Sugars then enter the bloodstream, and if the amount of sugar is too high it can cause health problems. The excess thirst is explained by this high concentration of glucose. When a patient has a concentration of glucose above 200mg/dL, they lose the ability to reabsorb water. Most of the other symptoms are explained by ketones. This is a form of waste that is released by people with type one diabetes during times of stress. It causes nausea and abdominal pain and while it probably wasn't the primary cause of this, it also causes fatigue. They are constantly tired since they cannot break down glucose, missing out on one source of energy. They said that they have had this condition their entire life which is explained because type one diabetes is a genetic condition. This also explains why other family members had it. Their shared DNA gave them this shared disease.