Don't brush these off

No one wants to think they have a health issue. So, it's common to wait to see a doctor or not mention symptoms that aren’t too bothersome. Some health problems get better on their own, but others won’t unless you treat them.

Ousama Aboushaar, MD, a family physician with Baptist Primary Care in Oakleaf, talked about the symptoms and health regimens he sees patients ignoring most and why people shouldn’t brush them off.

Unexplained changes in your body

When your body changes unexpectedly, it’s worth paying attention.

Sudden weight loss

“A lot of people will think, ‘I haven't eaten much recently,’ ‘I was sick,’ or ‘I was under a lot of pressure,’” Dr. Aboushaar said. “But if they're losing weight unintentionally, without any lifestyle changes, it could mean an underlying disease or even a malignancy.”

Consider how much weight you’ve lost and how much time it took. Twenty pounds over a five-year period isn’t a big deal; twenty pounds over a few months is.

Unexplained weight loss is often the first noticeable sign of cancer.

Fatigue

Fatigue can be confusing because it’s caused by so many things: getting over a cold, working too hard or stress. But when fatigue lasts for weeks or months, it’s time to get it checked out.

“Patients often describe something notably different from normal tiredness,” Dr. Aboushaar said. “It can affect their day-to-day activities. They come home and can't get off the couch or they have trouble staying awake.”

Don’t ignore fatigue. It can be caused by a life-changing illness like cancer, severe anemia, or a thyroid disorder.

Heart health red flags

Heart-related symptoms should never be ignored, even if they come and go.

Chest pain

A heart attack or stroke can cause chest pain, so doctors always want their patients to report it. But chest pains can also be caused by anxiety, indigestion or a strained muscle.

“A person might go to the Emergency Room and get an X-ray, an EKG and labs and find out everything’s normal,” Dr. Aboushaar said. “So, I can understand why they might ignore chest pains next time, if the last time it happened, nothing was found.”

Be sure to address chest pain that comes with exertion or is accompanied by other symptoms.

“If you get chest pain just from walking or from exercise and you have to stop for it to go away, that suggests angina, which is pain that occurs when your heart isn't getting enough blood flow,” he said. “If it's radiating up to your jaw or down your arm or causing nausea, it’s cardiac.”

High blood pressure

It can be confusing to respond to high blood pressure because blood pressure can vary. Stress, exercise or using an improper technique when taking your blood pressure can change the reading.

But ignoring high blood pressure isn’t a good idea either. Left untreated over time, high blood pressure damages the circulatory system and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

“High blood pressure in the 140s or 150s is not necessarily dangerous over a short period of time,” Dr. Aboushaar said. “Your doctor may give you a few months to try to bring it down with better eating and more exercise, before prescribing medication. But if it's symptomatic – severe headache, vision changes, dizziness, chest pain – that’s when it’s important to bring your blood pressure down within a few hours or days, as opposed to a few months.”

Monitor your health proactively

Routine blood pressure checks, blood work and regular visits with your primary care physician can help detect changes before they become serious. Tracking your numbers over time makes it easier to identify warning signs that deserve further evaluation.

“These screenings may seem unnecessary when you're feeling well, but they're important for your long-term health,” Dr. Aboushaar said. “If we detect something early, we’re able to treat it in advance, and that can be potentially lifesaving.”