From night sweats to persistent bloating… the symptoms you should never ignore

YOUR chances of curing a serious health problem are much higher if you catch the disease in its earliest stages.

However, a recent study has revealed that the UK is suffering from a chronic lack of awareness with regards to detecting and addressing health conditions and symptoms.

The research, by health insurer Cigna Europe, found that more than one in six Brits have experienced heart problems – but more than a quarter ignored the symptoms.

Similarly, it revealed awareness of detecting and addressing heart health problems was low in the UK, with only 30 per cent of people knowing their blood pressure and less than a third of Brits knowing their BMI number.

Here, Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical director of Patient.info, talks The Sun through the six key symptoms you should never ignore – as they could be a sign of something potentially serious.

1. Feeling thirsty

Raised blood sugar can lead to a combination of tiredness, thirst and needing to pass water more often, along with minor infection such as recurrent thrush or boils.

In type 1 diabetes these symptoms are often dramatic and accompanied by rapid weight loss.

But with type 2 diabetes they can be vague and are often overlooked or put down to the stresses of modern life.

2. Blood in your pee

Even if this happens just once, it needs checking out.

While cystitis can cause blood in the urine, so can bladder cancer.

In the early stages, bladder cancer may not cause blood in the urine regularly, so just because it goes away doesn’t meant it can be safely ignored.

Other issues can also lead to blood in your pee (cystitis is a good example) but with this you’ll usually get other symptoms like burning and stinging when you pee and low tummy pain.

3. Bruising for no reason

This can be due to a shortage of platelets (which help your blood clot when you cut yourself) in your blood or even to leukaemia.

Don’t panic – it’s often down to other causes such as taking aspirin or anticoagulants like warfarin – but it should still be checked out.

4. A croaky voice

Hoarseness which lasts for more than 3 weeks is something that needs checking out.

If you’re a smoker, it’s particularly important to get this checked – although there are lots of other causes, it could signal cancer.

5. Night sweats

These are very common around the menopause.

However, persistent night sweats and low-grade fever could signal the blood cancer lymphoma.

6. Feeling bloated a lot

Bloating that comes and goes after a big meal (if you’re a woman) is very common.

But if it’s there all the time, and particularly if it’s accompanied by feeling full more quickly after eating, pelvic or tummy pain that’s there at least 12 day a month, see your doctor urgently.

It could be a symptom of ovarian cancer.

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