Final answer:
The patient's symptoms of reduced ejection fraction, coarse facial features, and enlarged fingers suggest acromegaly, possibly with cardiomyopathy. Diagnosing acromegaly involves hormonal blood tests, oral glucose tolerance tests, and imaging to identify a pituitary tumor. Cardiac function is evaluated with echocardiography.
Step-by-step explanation:
The patient with reduced ejection fraction (EF), coarse facial features, and enlarged fingers may be suffering from acromegaly, which is a disorder resulting from excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The reduced EF suggests that the patient might also have cardiomyopathy, which is a common complication of acromegaly. In acromegaly, tissue growth can lead to organ enlargement, including that of the heart, potentially leading to reduced cardiac function.
Tests that can help diagnose acromegaly include measuring growth hormone levels in the blood and conducting an oral glucose tolerance test where growth hormone levels are expected to decrease following glucose intake. Imaging studies like an MRI may also be used to identify a pituitary tumor producing excess GH. Cardiac function can be evaluated using echocardiography to assess the ejection fraction and structural cardiac abnormalities.