The rapid pace of life, the workload at work, daily household chores, and just a negligent attitude towards our health lead to the fact that we postpone the visit to the doctor for a long time, writing off the deviations in the body’s work for fatigue, physical and emotional overload.
Moreover, initially many try to diagnose themselves and prescribe treatment on their own using information found on the Internet.
But some symptoms cannot be ignored since they signal serious malfunctions in the body, fraught with severe complications and even death.
Consider the signs that you need to see a doctor immediately if they appear. And let’s start with the pain syndrome.
1. Abdominal pain
Acute pain localized in the lower right abdomen can be caused by increased gas production and a more serious pathology – a ruptured appendix.
With appendicitis, pain syndrome is most often combined with nausea and vomiting.
These symptoms cannot be ignored since the rupture of the appendix can lead to the development of peritonitis, sepsis, and abscesses.
2. Chest pain
Sharp stabbing pain in the left side of the chest does not go away on its own within half an hour and does not stop with nitroglycerin. It is also accompanied by nausea, severe weakness, and dizziness of the leading symptoms of a heart attack.
In addition, the so-called precursors of a heart attack are distinguished, which can appear both a few hours and a day before the onset of an attack. These signs include:
- dyspnea;
- feeling short of breath;
- sharp sweating (throws into cold, clammy sweat);
- lack of coordination.
3. Strong headache
Headache can be a symptom of many diseases, including nervous or physical exhaustion. But there are conditions in which it can signal deadly pathologies.
So, an intense headache accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and loss of consciousness can be a sign of a cerebral hemorrhage (hemorrhagic stroke). And this condition requires urgent surgical intervention.
Ischemic stroke is an equally dangerous condition with the following symptoms:
- sharp headache;
- illegibility of speech;
- partial paralysis;
- numbness of the face;
- visual impairment.
- A dangerous disease that annually takes away thousands of children and adults’ lives is meningitis. The patient suffers from severe headaches (especially in the back of the head), which pain relievers do not cope well with.
Loud sounds and bright lights increase the pain sensation many times over. Often the pain is so severe that nausea and vomiting appear in its background.
In any case, a constant headache is already a reason to consult a therapist for advice, especially if an increase in body temperature accompanies it!
4. Heat
A huge selection of antipyretic drugs helps to cope with high fever effectively.
But if the thermometer readings have passed the 40C mark, immediately call the ambulance team without waiting to develop a hyperpyretic fever.
This condition is characterized by an increase in body temperature above 41C, which has a devastating effect on the central nervous system, causing convulsions and respiratory arrest, leading to death.
5. High pressure
Blood pressure 200/120 is not just a bell, but an alarm is announcing that a person is on the verge of a hypertensive crisis and his heart is working with its last strength.
This pressure increases the likelihood of a stroke, so an ambulance should be called urgently.
If the tonometer shows a pressure of 180/110, a visit to a doctor is also necessary (it is recommended to visit a therapist or cardiologist during the day).
6. Vomiting blood
Vomiting with an admixture of blood is a sign of internal food, stomach, or intestinal bleeding. This symptom is dangerous with significant blood loss, loss of consciousness, and damage to internal organs.
Therefore, urgently call an ambulance, before the arrival of which, take a lying position and raise your legs not to lose consciousness and ensure blood flow and, accordingly, oxygen to the brain.
7. Bloody urine
If the urine contains blood, it may indicate kidney damage, as well as urinary tract damage caused by kidney stones, urinary tract infection, and cancer.
Do not postpone a visit to the doctor if you find this symptom!
8. Coughing up blood
Sputum streaked with scarlet blood can be observed with pneumonia, lung abscess, tuberculosis, lung cancer. All of these diseases are deadly and therefore require immediate treatment!
In addition, coughing or vomiting blood are signs of liver cirrhosis and peptic ulcer disease.
9. Black feces
The cause of blackening of feces is intestinal bleeding, provoked by an ulcer or malignant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Delay in such a situation increases the risk of severe complications and death.
Important! Black feces can also become due to the intake of drugs that include iron and bismuth. But with intestinal bleeding, the feces have a viscous consistency and a fetid odor.
10. Dramatic weight loss
Are you not on a strict diet? Don’t go to the gym regularly? But at the same time, week after week, for some unknown reason, are you losing weight? Do not blame your weight loss on an accelerated metabolism or stress!
The following diseases can cause a sharp decrease in weight:
- stomach or ovarian cancer;
- diabetes;
- hyperthyroidism;
- stomach ulcer;
- pulmonary tuberculosis;
- Crohn’s disease;
- cirrhosis of the liver;
- HIV infection.
Agree; it is better to identify these pathologies on time and start treating them or confirm your theory about the fault of stress in weight loss than to subsequently fight not only the disease itself but also its complications.
11. The blueness of the face
Cyanosis (or blue skin) is a sign of life-threatening diseases.
So, with diseases of the bronchi and lungs, the skin acquires a purple hue and mucous membranes. In addition, shortness of breath, wet cough with wheezing, fever, and excessive sweating are associated symptoms.
In heart disease, blue skin is one of the leading symptoms. If the face or nasolabial triangle turns blue, this may indicate a heart defect requiring urgent examination.
12. Loss of limb sensitivity
Numbness and burning of hands or feet, feeling of “creeping” under the skin – all these manifestations can be a consequence of diabetes mellitus, brain tumour, or precursors of stroke.
If the loss of sensitivity is accompanied by impaired coordination, deterioration of vision and speech, urgently contact a therapist or neurologist.
13. Memory losses
If you cannot remember what you did last night or ate in the morning for breakfast, if “blackouts” in memory occur regularly, this indicates brain problems with atherosclerosis of blood vessels, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia.
The sooner these diseases are diagnosed, the longer it will be possible to maintain the ability to work and a clear mind.
