10 Signs you shouldn’t (always) ignore.

There are certain symptoms we have and think nothing of, because sometimes, that’s exactly what they are – nothing serious.

On the flip side, some of these symptoms are warning signs to tell us to take a closer interest in our #health –  these we shouldn’t ignore as doing so may lead to dire consequences.

A list of these symptoms is by no means exhaustive, however some of the more common ones include the following:

1. Headaches

Headaches can be innocent e.g after a stressful day at work, or could indicate something sinister e.g severe hypertension.

2. Excess urination

Definitely, when one has taken in a lot of liquid, one is expected to urinate more, but on the flip side it could be an indication of diabetes.

3. Swollen feet

This could occur as a result of pregnancy, standing for too long or after a very long journey. In more serious cases it could be a symptom of cardiac disease like a heart failure or kidney problems.

4.Reduced urine

If this is marked and significant , it could be a pointer towards an acute kidney failure especially if the person has taken in enough fluid.

5. Easy tiredness

Of course, we get tired after doing a lot of work, but a pattern of easy tiredness  could be a symptom of low blood levels, if accompanied with breathlessness and leg swelling it could signify a heart failure.

6. Delayed urine

Especially in an elderly male, could signify an enlargement of the prostate gland, a condition known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (#BPH), one needs to rule out prostate cancer also when seeking treatment.

7. Vomiting blood

This is usually an #emergency and is potentially fatal if not quickly addressed, it could signify an ulcer that has perforated.

8. Slurred speech

This could be an early symptom of a stroke, watch out for a mouth deviation.

9. Coughing blood

This, more than likely could be a symptom of tuberculosis. When accompanied with breathlessness, a pulmonary embolism may be suspected.

10 Pain in right lower abdomen

This is the common location of the appendix, inflammation of which would lead to appendicitis. It could also indicate a pelvic inflammatory disease in a woman as parts of a woman’s reproductive organs are also located here.