Nowadays, People are busy in their lives, not caring much about their health and ignoring minor symptoms until they get worse. Here are five signs you need to look out for that can lead to severe diseases.  

 1. Sudden Weight loss, Chronic disease or Cancer?

 Sudden, unexplained weight loss is not a good thing. You might be happy to lose a couple of pounds without any effort or hunger pangs but, beware! Sudden weight loss is a sign of some underlying chronic disease or cancer types, including leukaemia, breast, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, and lungs. Consult a doctor once you start losing weight without changing your diet or exercise habits. 

 2. Chest pain. An indicator of heart disease.

 Never take chest pain casually. Chest pain can be due to muscular spasms, anxiety, lungs infection, heartburn from acid reflux, and heart diseases. Sudden chest pain associated with sweating can signify a heart attack; always rush to the cardiac centre for evaluation. Long-standing chest pain, which increases during activity, can be a sign of underlying pathology in the blood vessels supplying the heart. If you smoke or having obese, you are at risk of cardiovascular events. A high level of cholesterol in your body starts to deposit in the vessels supplying the blood to the heart; this deposition causes the vessels to block slowly and causes angina, which ultimately leads to a heart attack. 

 Constantly evaluate your chest pain from a doctor.

 3. Swelling, an indicator of kidney or heart failure. 

 Local swelling can occur due to injury or trauma to your body. If you start to notice swelling on the ankle and leg that is not associated with any trauma or injury, it can be a sign of kidney or heart failure. These conditions produce an excess amount of fluid and retain them, which ultimately presents as swelling on your body. Call your doctor if you are facing this issue. 

 4. Shortness of breath

 With the pandemic of COVID-19 going on, nobody takes shortness of breath lightly. If you suddenly develop shortness of breath associated with fever or weakness, check your oxygen saturation with the pulse oximeter. You are safe if the level is above 92 per cent. Shortness of breath that develops gradually and is associated with exercise can be due to underlying heart disease or COPD. 

 5. Unexplained growth, rash or mass

 An unusual rash on the body could be a sign of internal infection or allergy to the newly started medicine. Inflammation or allergies occur on the genitals, check for STDs and go for screening. Yellow discolouration of the skin or eyes can be a sign of liver disease. Always look for any growth, lump, or mass on your body especially, the breast, skin, neck, and genitals. It may be due to underlying pathologies such as tumours or cancers. 

 
If you have these symptoms, the first thing is not to panic and try to self-diagnose by using google. You are not a doctor. Please consult your doctor for advice.