Many times we experience symptoms like headache and stomach pain that we tend to ignore. Some symptoms may subside on its own, and for others, we may take over the counter medications. You may get relieved initially, but some symptoms may aggravate later and result in a serious condition. These symptoms should be considered warning signs of potential diseases. Therefore, it’s better to give the symptoms all its dues.
Most symptoms are minor, but there are 10 symptoms that you should keep an eye on.
Unexplained weight loss
Sudden unintentional weight loss usually signals hidden health problems. If you find that you have lost about 10% of our weight in just 6 months without any planned dieting, then it’s time for you to consult your physician. Unexplained weight-loss might be due to hyperthyroidism (increased secretion of thyroid hormone from thyroid gland), liver disease, cancer, AIDS, depression, drug abuse, infection, loss of appetite, over dieting, or malabsorption of nutrients.
Persistent Fever
Fever is a temporary raise in body temperature, above normal, in response to any infection or illness. Fever below 100.4 F is not a major concern as it is the way your immune system is fighting back the viral or bacterial infection, as they cannot thrive in high temperature. Fever, most of the time is taken so lightly that we ignore consulting a doctor and follow our own home remedies. At time it works; but if you have a low-grade fever (over 102 F) that is persistent for more than 3 days or if you are running high temperature greater than 104 F, you have to rush to your doctor. Persistent fever may signal urinary infection, tuberculosis, or cancerous condition like lymphoma that is characterized by persistent high fever. But if you have immune problem or you are on immunosuppressive drugs, then fever may not be a reliable sign for the above conditions.
Shortness of breath
Shortness of breath or gasping for air is quite common after exercising or if you have a blocked nose. But if for unexplained reasons you are gasping or breathing hard or wheezing, then you should seek immediate medical attention. There are three reasons for shortness of breath: problem in heart, lungs, and others. Lung problems like asthma, blood clot in lungs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, bronchitis (inflammation of the airways that carry inhaled air to the lungs) or high blood pressure in lungs may cause difficulty in breathing. Similarly, heart diseases like leaky heart valves, fluid in lungs, holes in heart chamber, heart attack, and blood clot in heart may also be a reason for shortness of breath. Other causes include rapid weight gain, allergies, dust, obesity, chest wall compression, and panic attacks.
Unexplained change in bowel movement
A bowel movement of 3 times a day to 3 times a week is considered normal. Change in bowel movements, like constipation or diarrhea is quite common and happens time to time, but if it persists for a long time, then it might warn you against underlying health issues. If you notice any changes like – blood in the stool, dark tarry colored stool, continuous diarrhea for a week, constipation for more than 3 weeks or frequent urge for bowel movement, you should consult your physician right away. These changes may be due to bacterial or viral infection or parasite infestation. In some it may point towards serious conditions like inflammatory bowel disease or colon cancer.
Delirium
Delirium is a state of severe confusion and rapid change in brain function that is caused by severe physical or mental illness or disease. Delirium is a temporary and reversible condition. Delirium may not be so obvious, only close friends or family might notice the changes. A person in delirium might have symptoms like sudden confused thinking, change in sleep pattern, confusion about place and time (disorientation), inability to remember events before and after delirium, and sudden behavioral change like reacting aggressively, sudden drop in concentration or memory. Sudden behavioral change might also be caused by other reasons like anemia, low blood glucose, psychiatric problems, infection or medications that you have started taking recently.
Sudden severe headache
Headache is typically not a cause for concern as it is very common. Most of us ignore headache and carry on with our work as we do not consider it serious. But if you experience sudden and severe headache or a headache that does subside or a headache along with fever, rashes, stiffness, confusion and seizure, then it’s for sure a matter of concern. You should consult a doctor immediately. Other serious causes of headache might be brain tumor or aneurysm (dilation of arteries in the base of brain due to localization of blood).
Sudden weakness, loss of vision or speech
Symptoms like unexpected weakness or numbness on one side of the body, sudden blurring or complete loss of vision, difficulty speaking or understanding others, sudden dizziness and sudden severe headache are warning signs of stroke or transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke). Stroke is due to blockage or rupture of the artery that carry blood to the brain, resulting in death of an area in the brain tissue. Stroke is an emergency and quick action should be taken. The aftermath of stroke are very serious, therefore immediate medical help should be sought as every minute counts.
Flashes of light
Eye flashes or flashing lights occurs when the fluid in the eye, called vitreous gel, rubs or pulls on the retina. You may see lightning streaks or flashing lights in the vision. See your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms. Consulting a doctor immediately may avoid future consequences like permanent loss of vision.
Feeling full after eating very little
The condition where you feel full after eating less than usual is called early satiety. There is nothing to worry if it’s for 1 or 2 days but if it persists for more than a week, you should consult a doctor who will question you regarding the symptoms and duration of each symptom. The physician may perform few tests, which include complete blood count for anemia, stool test for any bleeding, and X-ray study of stomach, small intestine, and esophagus. Along with these tests stomach emptying study will also be done. Early satiety is usually accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bloating, fever, weight loss or gain. The hidden cause may be heart burn, irritable bowel syndrome, gastric outlet obstruction, and esophageal cancer or stomach problems.
Hot red or swollen joints
Are you suffering from red hot swollen joints for more than a week along with fever and chills? This might be due to joint infection by bacteria or fungus, which gains entry through break in the skin, internal bleeding due to injury, flare up of an old injury due to fluid accumulation resulting in swelling. If the swelling is for more than six weeks than the swelling might be due to arthritis; gout is also another common reason for joint swelling.
Listen to your body…
Pay heed to what your body says! Never ignore the above said 10 symptoms like severe head ache, weight-lose, long term fever, sudden change in bowel movement, breathing difficulty, delirium, sudden weakness or loss of vision & speech, seeing flashes of light, early satiety or swollen joint. Illness may arise if we constantly ignore these signals that our body sends to alert us. If we ignore it for too long, it may result in serious disease conditions. It’s better to detect a disease on time and treat it promptly, rather than waiting for it to cause complications.
