You may feel completely healthy, but sometimes, you are not the best judge. As scary as it may sound, your body doesn’t always show obvious symptoms of problems. There are no warning signs every time. Some health conditions show no symptoms or even if they do, the symptoms are so mild that you may ignore them and think of them as harmless or temporary changes in your body.
Here are 5 such serious health conditions that you may not spot in the early stages when they can be treated completely.
1. Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition wherein the force of the blood flow through the blood vessels is higher than normal. Often called the “silent killer,” hypertension develops slowly and doesn’t show clear early symptoms. Unfortunately, many people are not even aware that they may have hypertension. It can increase the risk of stroke or heart disease if not addressed at the right time. Hypertension cannot be treated completely but only taken care of by making certain changes to your lifestyle.1
2. Lung Cancer
As the name suggests, lung cancer starts in the lungs and is characterized by an uncontrolled growth of cells. It is difficult to treat cancer effectively as the symptoms develop in the later stages. However, there are a few early symptoms that generally get confused with symptoms of other diseases. Hence, the survival rate of lung cancer is low.2 Some early signs of lung cancer you need to keep an eye for include wheezing, chest pain, fatigue, coughing, shortness of breath, and bloody phlegm.
3. Glaucoma
Glaucoma comprises a group of conditions that affect the optic nerve in the eye. By damaging your optic nerve, glaucoma gradually leads to loss of vision. The symptoms of glaucoma appear only when it is too late.3 However, if you experience a severe headache and eye pain, blurred vision, vomiting, nausea, redness in the eyes, or appearance of rings around a light source, keep in mind that glaucoma is a possible cause and get yourself checked.
4. Diabetes
Diabetes is a common condition caused due to increased blood sugar levels. This happens either due to insufficient insulin production or the inability of the body to use insulin. Although diabetes may show early symptoms, they are so subtle that they frequently go unnoticed. To avoid any damage to your body, ensure that you keep a watch for early signs and symptoms such as fatigue, frequent urination, weight loss, blurred vision, and headaches.
5. Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a chronic condition in which a person’s normal breathing is interrupted while they sleep. You may feel that snoring after a tiring day is normal. However, if sleep apnea is at play and you leave it untreated, it may have serious consequences on your health and daily life.
In addition to snoring, sleep apnea also causes headaches, mood changes, tiredness even after a good night’s sleep, irregular heart rhythms, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. If you feel that the disturbances in breathing are accompanied by these symptoms, visit your doctor immediately.
Living a sedentary lifestyle is easy, but know that it goes hand-in-hand with health problems that can be life-threatening. While exercising every day and staying active is a must, getting a regular health checkup will ensure that you catch any health issues at the earliest and get it treated on time.
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