Consult a health-care professional if you have any symptom that falls into one or more of these categories.
1. A symptom you don't recall having had before.
2. One that lasts more than a week or two.
3. A problem that doesn't respond to over-the-counter medication.
4. A symptom that gets progressively worse.
5. One that interferes with your daily activities.
6. One that seems like an exaggerated version of a previous problem.
Pain is also an indisputable sign that something is wrong. Some symptoms are subtle and might not arouse suspicion.
Symptoms usually attributed to one problem might in fact signal something more serious. For example:
Itching is usually assumed to be caused by an allergy. But itching that does not respond to over-the-counter creams can be a symptom of a thyroid disorder or an internal malignancy.
Vertigo, a dizzying, spinning sensation usually caused by a benign inner ear disorder, can also be a symptom of a brain stem stroke, or near stroke.
Stretch marks on the belly are often caused by rapid weight gain. But when they're reddish purple, they can be a symptom of Cushing's syndrome, an adrenal disorder.
Weight loss attributed to dietary changes or ill-fitting dentures can actually point to a serious underlying disease.
Fatigue and forgetfulness, often ascribed to aging, can be caused by potentially reversible disorders ranging from a vitamin deficiency to an underactive thyroid gland.
From Consumer Reports/Nov 2008/pg 13
1 comment:
"Stretch marks on the belly are often caused by rapid weight gain. But when they're reddish purple, they can be a symptom of Cushing's syndrome, an adrenal disorder."
Consumer Reports missed that this is also a symptom of Cushing's DISEASE, a pituitary disorder and more common than the adrenal version.
Thanks :)
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