Monitoring Desk
LONDON: There are some symptoms that are harmless, but some can be the harbingers of fatal diseases like cancers, but the question is how to tell the bad ones from the worse when they are mostly all the same. Here’s how.
Tiredness, bloating, or food reactions, are easily ignored but these may be symptoms of something life-threatening and hard to treat maladies. However, if even these are persistent, then you should ask for professional help.
“In most cases, it’s likely to be nothing serious, but making sure you get checked out by a doctor if you have any symptoms, particularly persistent ones, is essential,” Dr Alexandra Oliver, associate clinical director at Bupa Health Clinics told The Independent.
Dr Julie Sharp, head of health and patient information at Cancer Research UK, said: “Catching cancer early means treatment is more likely to be successful.”
Below are some symptoms which mean you may have cancer.
Continuous indigestion and heartburn
National Health Services (NHS) said that indigestion is fairly common and most people will experience it at some point. It gets exacerbated by coffee, tomatoes, alcohol, or spicy foods.
People may experience indigestion during pregnancy, smoking or being obese.
Dr Oliver said: “Occasional acid reflux can be normal, but when it doesn’t go away, it can result from gastroesophageal reflux disease, a hiatus hernia, oesophageal cancer or stomach cancer.”
If these are persistent, speak to a doctor.
Bloating
It is not serious and caused by a gastrointestinal condition, but if it is persistent for days and weeks, talk to a doctor.
Dr Anisha Patel said that something like ovarian cancer could be behind your swollen tummy — especially if you notice your bloating is constant and it’s not related to when you’re eating.
It can also occur due to other cancers, such as bowel, stomach, pancreas and uterine cancer.
Persistent tiredness
If there is something stressful, it’s normal that you feel more tired than usual but if it is occurring without any reason and is persistent, it could show that something is wrong with your health.
It may be a sign of blood cancer such as leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma because they initiate from bone marrow — a powerhouse of red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body.
Patches in mouth
Small sores and ulcers are common in the mouth and they wither away in weeks but if an ulcer or red or white patch on your mouth or tongue is there for long and not healed, you should tell this to your doctor.
They can be a symptom of mouth and oropharyngeal cancer.
Hoarseness or cough
Dr Oliver said if a cough persists for more than three weeks, it’s definitely worth getting it checked out by your doctor as there’s a small chance it could be linked to lung cancer.
The same thing is for hoarseness if it lasts over 10 days which can be a sign of laryngeal cancer.
Courtesy: (Geonews)
