4 Diseases That Have No Symptoms Until It's Too Late
Many people wait to go to their doctor until they have a symptom or just feel ill. While this will catch most medical problems, there are a few diseases for which there are few or no symptoms until the disease becomes severe. For these, a regular visit to your medical clinic for an exam will rule out any sign of them. Here are the four most serious illnesses that you need to be aware of that rarely show symptoms.
Blood Clots in the Legs
This is called deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and starts as a blood clot in a deep vein of your legs. The clots will stay indefinitely, and many will cause no problems. If a clot has enlarged to where it restricts the blood flow in your leg, you may have some pain and swelling above the clot.
The most dangerous aspect of DVT is when they break away from the side of the blood vessel and flow up through the bloodstream. These clots may stop in one of the smaller blood vessels that feed the lungs, blocking its blood flow. This is called a pulmonary embolism and can cause severe pain, difficulty breathing, and even death.
Cancer of the Pancreas
This organ is responsible for regulating the blood sugar levels in your blood. When affected by a disease, it can continue to function for a long time until a large amount of the organ has been damaged. Only then will you see signs of jaundice, weight loss and abdominal pain, all indicators of pancreatic cancer.
Smokers, people who are overweight, and those with a family history of this cancer are at the highest risk. If you fall into this category, you should have a regular cancer screening.
Heart Attack
While many heart attacks are accompanied by chest pain and pressure, shortness of breath or dizzy spells, some occur with no symptoms. These cause damage to the heart muscle, too, but you may be unaware until you have other heart issues later. When the blood supply to the heart muscle is blocked, such as in an occluded carotid artery, the muscle tissue dies. This damaged area of the heart can cause it to beat irregularly. Your circulation may be so poor that you have fainting spells or shortness of breath.
Diabetes
This disease can also progress in your body without being noticed. Some of the mild side effects of early diabetes can look like other problems and may be ignored. Once diabetes is detected, it may be so advanced that your body has difficulty regulating itself without insulin injections.
These four diseases can develop in you without much warning. A thorough physical by a doctor like those at Summit View Clinic is the best way to detect early signs of these conditions. Don't wait until the signs are obvious. By then, you could be facing a serious disease from which there is little recovery.
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