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"Well, Mr. Yang, be careful when you come back from picking mulberries, some mulberries may have bacteria left by wild animals, although it is rare, but it is not impossible. ”
Dr. Wang was at the door of the local clinic, casually reminding him while sorting out his medical kit.
Yang Zhenyu, a 40-year-old librarian, was returning from an orchard in the suburbs with boxes of fresh mulberries.
Dressed in simple jeans and a loose T-shirt, he looked energetic and at ease.
This weekend, he drove to the orchard he frequented, where the mulberries were in full bloom, and the purple-black fruits hung all over the branches, which was particularly attractive.
After returning home, Yang Zhenyu did not directly enjoy the fruits himself, but put them into several small boxes and prepared to distribute them to several neighbors.
He visited several households, and finally came to Lao Liu's house, who lived downstairs.
Lao Liu has just been discharged from the hospital and has been recuperating at home during this time.
"Teacher Yang, this mulberry looks really good, thank you!" Lao Liu took the mulberry, and the smile on his face revealed exhaustion.
The two chatted for a while, and the topic unconsciously turned to Lao Liu's health problems.
Lao Liu sighed, "You may not believe it, the doctor said that I had a big problem this time because of some small symptoms that have accumulated for a long time." ”
"Oh, how do you say that?" asked Yang Zhenyu curiously.
Lao Liu shook his head, "Actually, I often felt tired and a little indigestion earlier.
In the past, I always thought it was a common problem of the elderly, and I didn't take it too seriously.
Later, the doctor found that this was an early sign of pancreatic problems. ”
This conversation made Yang Zhenyu a little surprised.
It occurred to him that Dr. Wang had mentioned that some seemingly ordinary symptoms could be a precursor to a health problem.
He decided to talk to Dr. Wong for more information on this.
A few days later, he sat down in Dr. Wang's office and asked in detail about the early signs of cancer in the elderly.
"In fact, a lot of people ignore these signs," Dr Wang explains, "such as persistent fatigue, which can be a warning of early cancer."
Studies have shown that more than 30% of cancer patients have fatigue for a long time before diagnosis. ”
Dr. Wang opened a medical journal and showed Yang Zhenyu the relevant data and research reports.
"The second sign may be weight loss for no reason.
This is observed in many cancer patients, especially pancreatic and bowel cancers.
Sudden weight loss, especially if there is no apparent cause, should cause a high degree of suspicion. ”
"Finally, there's chronic pain, especially recurring pain in a particular area, which can be a sign of something more serious in the body.
For example, long-term abdominal pain may be related to tumors related to the digestive system"
Yang Zhenyu listened to Dr. Wang's explanation, and his thinking gradually became active.
He thinks that this information is very important for cancer prevention and should be known to more people.
So he decided to use his work in the library to organize some health talks and invite doctors to explain this key health information.
A few months later, he successfully gave several lectures with great results.
Many residents who attended said they never realized that these seemingly mundane symptoms could hide huge health concerns.
If these common symptoms can be a precursor to serious health problems, why are there so many challenges in modern medicine when it comes to early diagnosis?
This question leads to an in-depth analysis:
Despite the high level of medical technology, early diagnosis, especially those based on non-specific symptoms, remains challenging.
This is mainly because these symptoms are common and can easily be overlooked or misunderstood, as experienced by Lao Liu.
In addition, different people have different constitutions and reactions, and the same symptom may represent a very different health problem in different people.
Thus, raising public health awareness and strengthening the role of primary care;
and the use of modern technologies such as artificial intelligence to assist in diagnosis, which may be a key way to improve early diagnosis capabilities in the future.
What do you have to say about this? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section!