Do you need to worry about these health symptoms? ? diabetes ...

Do you need to worry about these health symptoms?

You have a chronic cough, or maybe you?re experiencing hair loss. Should you be concerned? Consult this practical guide.

1. Chronic Thirst
Alarmist scenario: Type 2 diabetes.

More likely cause: Your body is telling you to drink more water. If you exercise frequently, you need extra fluid to make up for what you lose through sweat. Dry, overheated air and some medications, including diuretics, can also make you unusually thirsty.

Reality check: ?Unless you?re thirsty all the time and you urinate frequently, increased thirst doesn?t necessarily suggest diabetes,? says endocrinologist Larry Deeb, the medical director of the Diabetes Center at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, in Fla. Other symptoms of type 2 diabetes include extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, fatigue, irritability, and blurry vision.

Rx: Keep a ?water log? for a few weeks to track how much you?re drinking, then consult your doctor. Diabetes can be diagnosed with a simple urine or blood test.

2. Breast Pain
Alarmist scenario: Breast cancer.

More likely cause: Fluctuating levels of hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, which can cause breast cells to expand in the latter part of the menstrual cycle.

Reality check: ?Breast pain, in isolation, is almost never cancer,? says oncologist Richard Elledge, an associate professor of medicine at the Breast Center at the Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston. ?You don?t need to worry,? he says, ?unless you have symptoms, such as new lumps, that don?t come and go with menstruation; changes in the color or some other appearance of the skin over the breasts; or bloody discharge from the nipples.?

Rx: If breast pain is a frequent problem, limit yourself to two cups of caffeinated beverages a day. ?Some women find that cutting back reduces discomfort,? says Elledge. If the pain persists, ask a doctor about danazol, a synthetic steroid that reduces hormonal fluctuations.

3. Chronic Cough
Alarmist scenario: Lung cancer or emphysema.

More likely cause: A cold, acute bronchitis, postnasal drip from a cold or allergies, or acid reflux.

Reality check: ?Symptoms of lung cancer do not come on suddenly,? says pulmonologist Norman H. Edelman, the chief medical officer for the American Lung Association. ?Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancers, so if you don?t smoke, your risk is low.? Smoking is also the leading cause of emphysema.

Rx: If your cough lasts more than four weeks, see a doctor. ?If you cough mostly at night, avoid eating within three hours of bedtime, since gastric reflux can contribute to a cough,? says Edelman.
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4. Chronic Headaches
Alarmist scenario: A brain tumor.

More likely cause: A tension headache or a migraine.

Reality check: ?Headaches alone don?t make me look for a brain tumor,? says neurologist MaryAnn Mays, a staff physician at the Headache Center at the Cleveland Clinic. A brain tumor would typically involve symptoms such as sudden muscle weakness, headaches that wake you from sleep, numbness, personality changes, lack of coordination, vomiting, and changes in vision, hearing, and speech.

Rx: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and aspirin, usually relieve tension headaches and mild migraines. If your headaches persist for more than two weeks or if your migraines aren?t helped by over-the-counter NSAIDs, like Excedrin Migraine, see your doctor.

5. Chest Pain
Alarmist scenario: A heart attack.

More likely cause: Muscle strain following exercise or heavy lifting, gastric reflux, heartburn, soreness that results from a bad cough, or lung irritation from an upper-respiratory infection.

Reality check: Heart attacks are relatively rare in people under the age of 45. The average age among women for a first heart attack is 70.

Rx: Because getting treatment within one hour of a heart attack increases the survival rate, experts say not to ignore intense chest pain that lasts for more than five minutes. ?I?ve had female patients as young as 32 have heart attacks,? says cardiologist Richard Stein, the director of preventive cardiology at Beth Israel Medical Center, in New York City. If the pain lasts for more than five minutes, call 911.

6. Hair Loss
Alarmist scenario: The beginnings of baldness.

More likely cause: Stress, pregnancy (typically about three months after giving birth), medications (including birth-control pills and antidepressants), or being over 40.

Reality check: ?Although hair loss is a common complaint, for women under 50 it?s often likely to be temporary and due to stress or medications,? says endocrinologist Gregory Brent, a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Rx: If hair is falling out from the top of your scalp but not the back, see a dermatologist. In some cases, minoxidil (Rogaine) can help the hair regrow. If a hormone imbalance is the cause, correcting that can help.

7. A New Mole, Pigmented Skin Growth, or Spot
Alarmist scenario: Skin cancer.

More likely cause: A harmless mole, a seborrheic keratosis (a wartlike growth common in people over 40), or an age spot.

Reality check: Skin is constantly changing, in part due to sun exposure. Many changes are harmless, but ?if you?re over 30, take new moles seriously,? says Dr. Deborah Sarnoff, ?a professor of dermatology at the New York University School of Medicine.

Rx: Do monthly self-exams and get a skin-cancer check from a dermatologist every three years if you?re between the ages of 20 and 40 and annually after age 40. The ABCDE warning signs for skin cancer are a mole or a spot that is asymmetrical, has an irregular border, is unevenly colored (or has patches of red, white, or blue), has a diameter wider than a quarter inch, or seems to be evolving.

Click here for more mysterious health symptoms from Real Simple.?

TV9 LADIES CLUB ? DIABETIC FOOD ULCERS SYMPTOMS,CURE & TREATMENT????..! Diabetic Foot Ulcers : Diabetic Foot Ulcers * Diabetics are prone to foot ulcerations due to both neurologic and vascular complications. * Peripheral neuropathy can cause altered or complete loss of sensation in the foot and /or leg. Similar to the feeling of a ?fat lip? after a dentist?s anesthetic injection, the diabetic with advanced neuropathy looses all sharp-dull discrimination. Any cuts or trauma to the foot can go completely unnoticed for days or weeks in a patient with neuropathy. It?s not uncommon to have a patient with neuropathy tell you that the ulcer ?just appeared? when, in fact, the ulcer has been present for quite some time. There is no known cure for neuropathy, but strict glucose control has been shown to slow the progression of the neuropathy. * Charcot foot deformity occurs as a result of decreased sensation. People with ?normal? feeling in their feet automatically determine when too much pressure is being placed on an area of the foot. Once identified, our bodies instinctively shift position to relieve this stress. A patient with advanced neuropathy looses this important mechanism. As a result, tissue ischemia and necrosis may occur leading to plantar ulcerations. Microfractures in the bones of the foot go unnoticed and untreated, resulting in disfigurement, chronic swelling and additional bony prominences. * Microvascular disease is a significant problem for diabetics ?

Diabetes Symptoms

Article by Alex

Diabetes Symptoms

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes are often dramatic and come on very suddenly.

* Type 1 diabetes is usually recognized in childhood or
early adolescence, often in association with an illness (such as a virus) or
injury.

* The extra stress can cause diabetic ketoacidosis.

* Symptoms of ketoacidosis include nausea and vomiting.
Dehydration and often-serious disturbances in blood levels of potassium
follow.

* Without treatment, ketoacidosis can lead to coma and death.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes are often subtle and may be attributed to aging or obesity.

* A person may have type 2 diabetes for many years
without knowing it.

* People with type 2 diabetes can develop hyperglycemic
hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome.

* Type 2 diabetes can be precipitated by steroids
and stress.

* If not properly treated, type 2 diabetes can lead to
complications like blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and nerve
damage.

Common symptoms of both major types of diabetes

* Fatigue: In diabetes, the body is inefficient and
sometimes unable to use glucose for fuel. The body switches over to
metabolizing fat, partially or completely, as a fuel source. This process
requires the body to use more energy. The end result is feeling fatigued or
constantly tired.

* Unexplained weight loss: People with diabetes are
unable to process many of the calories in the foods they eat. Thus, they may
lose weight even though they eat an apparently appropriate or even excessive
amount of food. Losing sugar and water in the urine and the accompanying
dehydration also contributes to weight loss.

* Excessive thirst (polydipsia): A person with diabetes
develops high blood sugar levels. The body tries to counteract this by sending
a signal to the brain to dilute the blood, which translates into thirst. The
body encourages more water consumption to dilute the high blood sugar back to
normal levels and to compensate for the water lost by excessive urination.

* Excessive urination (polyuria): Another way the body
tries to get rid of the extra sugar in the blood is to excrete it in the
urine. This can also lead to dehydration because excreting the sugar carries a
large amount of water out of the body along with it.

* Excessive eating (polyphagia): If the body is able, it
will secrete more insulin in order to try to deal with the excessive blood
sugar levels. Also the body is resistant to the action of insulin in type 2
diabetes. One of the functions of insulin is to stimulate hunger. Therefore,
higher insulin levels lead to increased hunger and eating. Despite increased
caloric intake, the person may gain very little weight and may even lose
weight.

* Poor wound healing: High blood sugar levels prevent
white blood cells, which are important in defending the body against bacteria
and also in cleaning up dead tissue and cells, from functioning normally. When
these cells do not function properly, wounds take much longer to heal and
become infected more frequently. Also, long-standing diabetes is associated
with thickening of blood vessels, which prevents good circulation and our body
tissues from getting enough oxygen and other nutrients.

* Infections: Certain infection syndromes, such as
frequent yeast infections of the genitals, skin infections, and frequent
urinary tract infections, may result from suppression of the immune system by
diabetes and by the presence of glucose in the tissues, which allows bacteria
to grow well. They can also be an indicator of poor blood sugar control in a
person known to have diabetes.

* Altered mental status: Agitation, unexplained
irritability, inattention, extreme lethargy, or confusion can all be signs of
very high blood sugar, ketoacidosis, or hyperosmolar hyperglycemia nonketotic
syndrome or hypoglycemia (low sugar). Thus, any of these merit the immediate
attention of a medical professional. Call your health care provider or 911.

* Blurry vision: Blurry vision is not specific for diabetes but is frequently present with high blood sugar levels.

Health and Fitness. Diabetes symptom, diet, 2 diabetes typ

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/diabetes/page3_em.htm#Diabetes%20Symptoms

eMedicineHealth.com is a first aid and consumer health information site written by physicians for patients and consumers.

Source: http://beatdiabetes.us/do-you-need-to-worry-about-these-health-symptoms-diabetes-symptoms/

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