A 45-year-old woman presents with fatigue, cold intolerance, and constipation. She also mentions recent weight gain and depression. On examination, her skin is dry and coarse. What are the potential diagnoses, and what are the next steps?
The symptoms of fatigue, cold intolerance, constipation, weight gain, depression, and dry skin are suggestive of hypothyroidism. Other potential causes could include other endocrine disorders, depression, or chronic fatigue syndrome. The next step would be to order a thyroid function test, including serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (T4) levels, to confirm the diagnosis.