A trivial ailment or a cancer? 10 symptoms you should worry about

Weakness, fatigue, bone pain, swelling, more frequent infections, constipation and arrhythmias are one of the main symptoms of multiple myeloma. The disease is also accompanied by pain in the lumbar region. Blood tests show increased levels of protein in the blood or urine, and often three-digit ESR. Multiple myeloma is extremely rare in children, adolescents and young adults. Among adults, the risk of developing the disease increases with age. Multiple myeloma is more common among men.

Frequent respiratory infections and colds that last longer than 2 weeks should not be underestimated. If the patient also has enlarged lymph nodes or is weakened, blood tests should be performed. This condition may accompany neoplastic diseases of the lymphatic system: Hodgkin’s disease or non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. Hodgkin’s disease, called Hodgkin’s disease in Poland, affects 800 to 1000 people annually. Men get sick more often. The peak incidence is observed in two age groups: between 18 and 30 and 50 and 55 years of age. The basic tests to detect lymphoma are: blood count and ESR (the norm ranges from 10 to 20 depending on gender; in the case of neoplastic diseases, the ESR ranges from 70-80 or even 100), determination of the LDH enzyme (characteristic of lymphomas). Liver enzymes, urea, creatinine, and sugar levels should also be marked. Chest X-ray, made from the front and side, and ultrasound of the abdominal cavity are also very important.

Disturbing symptoms of neoplastic diseases in children are mainly: enlargement of the lymph nodes, especially in the cervical or abdominal region, prolonged (over 2 weeks), recurrent fever not related to infection, morning vomiting with headache, swelling and / or pain in bones and joints, sometimes with a limp, pathological bone fractures, neurological symptoms such as uneven eyelid gaps or balance disorders, significant pallor and increased fatigue and weakness, high bruising and bleeding tendency, whitish reflection of the pupil of the eye, strabismus or sudden visual disturbance, progressive and unexplained weight loss, lumpy thickening of tissues or organs, investigational tumor, e.g. in the abdomen, prolonged cough. In adults, lymphadenopathy can accompany problems with the lymphatic system but also with breast lumps, especially when it affects the thoracic and clavicular lymph nodes.

The cause of heartburn are often neurotic disorders, but in the vast majority of cases, the ailment is a consequence of the backflow of the acidic contents of the stomach into the esophagus, and even in the oral cavity. This phenomenon, known as gastroesophageal reflux, is caused by impaired function of the natural barrier between the esophagus and the stomach (primarily the lower esophageal sphincter). Heartburn can also be a symptom of functional dyspepsia, malignant neoplasm, biliary tract diseases or gastritis. The latter develops as a result of an imbalance between protective factors and aggression factors, including Helicobacter pylori infection. Long-term infection with this bacterium may contribute to the development of stomach cancer. Therefore, you should not treat this symptom yourself, but go to a specialist doctor to diagnose the problem.

A severe headache accompanied by nausea or vomiting should worry us. Especially if there are also paresis, speech, vision and hearing disorders. These symptoms may suggest a brain tumor. But it is worth remembering that in the first stage of the development of a brain tumor, the only symptom of the disease may be a change in mood or behavior. It is harder for the sick person to concentrate, they may experience facial muscles twitching or have, in the seemingly innocent, memory disorders. In children, morning pain and nausea are quite common symptoms, after which the child begins to vomit. In over 7 percent children have hormonal disorders that prevent the child from growing and developing. Simple tests that determine further diagnostics are the fundus and EEG, i.e. the study of the electrical activity of the brain. If the results of these tests are not unequivocally favorable to the patient, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging of the head should be performed to confirm or rule out a brain tumor.

One of the most common diseases of the pancreas is pancreatitis. It manifests itself with sudden and severe pain in the entire abdomen, mainly in the epigastric region. The cause of pancreatitis can be dietary mistakes or gallstones. Disease is a very serious threat to human life. As a result, blood pressure drops quickly, heart rate increases and sometimes even cardiovascular collapse occurs.

Frequent diarrhea or constipation, as well as a change in the rhythm and consistency of bowel movements, may be signs of changes in the lining of the gut, including colorectal cancer. Blood in the stool should be a particularly disturbing symptom. The disease may be accompanied by: persistent, gradually worsening anemia and pale skin, weight loss, pain in the abdomen. Men over 60 are more likely to develop colorectal cancer. The causes include poor diet, genetic factors, and smoking.

The main cause of chronic cough is cigarette smoking. This cough is the result of irritation caused by the chemicals in cigarette smoke. But the same poisonous compounds that cause a smoker’s cough can also cause much more serious problems such as bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia and lung cancer. Chronic cough should always be seen as a warning sign by smokers. The accompanying symptoms are particularly disturbing: fever, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, weight loss, weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, chest pain not caused by coughing, night sweating, wheezing in the lungs.

Chronic hoarseness often accompanies cigarette smokers. Hoarseness is a sign of a weakness in the vocal cords caused by a viral infection, but it can also be caused by cancer of the larynx. Malignant neoplasms of the larynx occur mainly in men, mostly over 60 years of age. Permanent healing is achieved in about 70 percent. the total number of patients, and the cures in the early stage of cancer growth reach 96–98%. That is why early diagnosis of the disease is so important. Symptoms of laryngeal cancer are mainly: hoarseness, change of voice, a feeling of an obstacle when swallowing, pain radiating into the ear, shortness of breath, haemoptysis, enlargement of the lymph nodes in the neck, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

Frequent urination by a man is most often the result of a benign enlargement of the prostate gland. But in recent years, the incidence of prostate cancer has risen sharply, and the symptoms are very similar to those of benign lesions. Therefore, every man with the problem of frequent urination should consult a urologist about his problem. Finding prostate cancer early increases the chances of a cure. It is worth having a blood test to determine your PSA value. Its elevated level indicates pathological changes in the prostate. However, the finding of an increased concentration of PSA is not synonymous with the diagnosis of cancer. Frequent urination with blood may be a symptom of bladder cancer. The symptom of frequent urination may accompany the development of pelvic tumors: cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, etc.