Medical Conditions Doctors Miss
So you're sleepy a lot and maybe a little blue, and your blood pressure is
on the high side. It could be stress, or these and other common symptoms could
be signs of serious medical conditions that doctors sometimes overlook.
By
Dulce Zamora
WebMD Feature
Reviewed By
Brunilda Nazario, MD
My grandmother Ima would always have something baking in the oven every time
I came home from school. My favorite treat was a pastry with generous portions
of butter, sugar, and cheese. What I would give to have another whiff of that
homemade marvel and to have Ima hand me my warm afternoon snack.
Ima passed away a few years ago from complications related to Parkinson's
disease. Family and friends didn't know she had the disorder until it was too
late. I wonder if it could have been better managed had we known about the
ailment. Of course, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, and treatment
strategies are simply geared toward relieving symptoms. Still, I wonder, as
loved ones do, if something could have been done to give us more time with her.
Guesswork may not bring people back into our lives, but awareness and action
could possibly help us and loved ones live healthier days. How important is
diagnosing a disease before it's too late to change its course? For example,
wouldn't it help to know you have high blood pressure and high cholesterol
before your first heart attack?
To help in the timely and proper diagnosis of illnesses, patients need to be
active advocates for themselves, says Mary Frank, MD, president of the American
Academy of Family Physicians and a practicing family doctor in Rohnert Park,
Calif. She says it's important to be direct and honest with doctors. This open
communication helps screen for diseases.
"A lot of times patients are embarrassed about things, like, for example,
when they snore," says Frank. "That could be nothing, or that could be a symptom
of a problem like sleep apnea. No need to be embarrassed. Doctors hear those
things all the time."
Sometime patients minimize symptoms. They may visit a physician and report
they've been feeling tired, but then brush it off by saying 'Oh, but I've been
working long hours.' Minimizing symptoms can hinder or delay a doctor's effort
to find out the truth. Even if a person is certain of the cause of the symptom,
if it's affecting your life, it's worth bringing up, says Frank. In the case of
fatigue, it is a symptom of many ailments, including chronic kidney disease,
depression, and underactive thyroid.
It also helps to educate yourself on various health issues. Frank says the
availability of medical information in the media can help people start a
dialogue with their doctors.
To further promote a dialogue between patients and doctors, WebMD has put
together information about five conditions that are commonly underdiagnosed.
This compilation is by no means exclusive, but it does bring up possible reasons
why some illnesses aren't recognized earlier. A greater understanding and
consciousness of these disorders could perhaps sooner identify some health
problems before they become life-threatening conditions.
Sleep Apnea
Snoring
is not usually described as breathtaking, but it can be. The grunting or
snorting sound could be a sign of a serious condition called sleep apnea. The
condition involves regular interruptions in breathing during sleep. People with
sleep apnea experience pauses in breathing that could last 10 seconds or longer
for up to 60 times per hour.
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Sleep apnea disrupts sleep and causes excessive daytime sleepiness, which
could result in a greater risk of being involved in a car accident, memory
problems, irritability, and a diminished desire for sex. Left untreated, the
condition could lead to many medical problems including high blood pressure,
heart disease, diabetes, depression, and death.
An estimated 18 million people have sleep apnea, and only 2 million of them
know it, says Edward Grandi, executive director of the Sleep Apnea Association.
He says the disorder is often overlooked because symptoms can be seen as
commonplace and not so serious.
Symptoms of sleep apnea may include:
- Loud, heavy snoring (often interrupted by silence and then gasps)
- Restless sleep
- Nighttime choking spells
- Morning headaches
- Daytime sleepiness
- Trouble concentrating
- Mood or behavior changes
- Anxiety or Depression
-
Obesity
- Impotence
Many times, only symptoms of sleep apnea are treated and the disorder is
overlooked, says Grandi. For instance, when people with sleep apnea complain of
being tired and in a bad mood all the time, they often are diagnosed with and
treated for depression.
Barbara Phillips, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky
College of Medicine, cites the frequent association between sleep apnea and
obesity as an example.
"Physicians confronted with a very obese patient are having to deal with lots
and lots of issues, like diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, and heart disease,"
Phillips explains. "Doctors tend to go for the low-hanging fruit and try to do
the doable, and the most cost-effective things, and I sure don't blame them."
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