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"Every signal from the body may be telling us important information. When Dr. Huang checked the physical examination report, he said solemnly to the patient in front of him, Li Qiang.
Li Qiang, a 42-year-old high school history teacher, watched a health television program at home during the May Day holiday about the importance of timely medical check-ups.
This led to a sudden increase in his concern for health issues, and he decided to take advantage of the holidays to go to the hospital with his family for a comprehensive medical check-up.
During the physical examination, Li Qiang specifically proposed to check the lymphatic system, because he noticed that he had been experiencing some frequent fatigue and occasional night sweats recently, although he himself thought that it might just be a sign of high work pressure.
However, the results of the examination were unexpected—the lymph nodes were abnormally enlarged, and after further biochemical tests and biopsies, Li Qiang was diagnosed with early stage lymphoma.
Dr Wong explained that many people mistakenly believe that lymphoma is advanced once it is detected, but this is not the case.
If you can be alert to some abnormal signals in the body, early detection and treatment of lymphoma is entirely possible.
He highlights three early signals that are often overlooked, but extremely critical:
The first is weight loss for no apparent reason.
This can be a signal that the body is automatically expending more energy without increasing the amount of exercise or changing dietary habits, often related to underlying inflammatory or tumor activity in the body.
Secondly, a feeling of fatigue for a long time.
Even after adequate rest, it is difficult to relieve, which may be due to disease activity within the body, which is depleting the energy and resources in the body.
Finally, there are recurrent night sweats.
This is a more typical symptom of lymphatic disorders, and if you sweat frequently at night without significant overheating or activity, it can be a sign of an abnormally active lymphatic system.
Dr Huang also provided some specific data to support his view.
According to a study that included thousands of patients, the five-year survival rate for patients with early detection of lymphoma was as high as 82 percent, while in patients found at an advanced stage, the number could be as low as 30 percent.
This underscores the importance of early diagnosis in improving prognosis.
In addition, Dr. Huang further illustrates this point by recounting the cases of other patients.
For example, a middle-aged man who often ignores health signals and has persistent fatigue and night sweats that do not attract enough attention, when he finally seeks medical attention, lymphoma has progressed to a later stage, and the difficulty and complexity of treatment have greatly increased.
Through these discussions and case studies, Dr Wong hopes to raise public awareness of these "invisible" symptoms and encourage people to seek medical attention when they experience similar symptoms, rather than simply blaming them on life stress or fatigue.
At the end of the article, Dr Huang asks the question, "Given the differences in individual perceptions of disease, how can we more effectively popularize awareness and understanding of these early symptoms to improve early diagnosis rates?"
This question has led to a broader discussion about how public health education can be used to raise awareness of the early symptoms of potentially serious diseases.
Strategies to address this issue may include increasing resources for health education, using the media and public lectures, and raising health awareness, especially in low-income and low-education areas, where inadequate access to information may delay diagnosis and treatment.
In this way, the health risks due to ignoring early symptoms can be minimized.
What do you have to say about this? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section!