A 45-year-old man presents with chronic fatigue, muscle weakness, and arthralgia. His initial blood tests show mild anemia and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. What could be the diagnosis?
The symptoms of chronic fatigue, muscle weakness, and joint pain, coupled with mild anemia and an elevated ESR, could initially suggest a rheumatological condition such as rheumatoid arthritis. However, given the nonspecific nature of these symptoms, they could also be seen in other conditions like hypothyroidism. Further testing, including thyroid function tests, could reveal low levels of thyroid hormone, suggesting that the patient's symptoms are due to hypothyroidism and not rheumatoid arthritis.