Common Yet Unknown Diseases That You Must Be Aware Of!

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This is that time of the year when virals and flu are already on your door. With this pandemic additionally, life has become hard and uneasy for almost everyone. In such situations, people tend to forget about their health, routine checkups and stay involved in their office and house chores — especially women!

Maybe they are designed to function like that — keeping others above self — which I say no to. You can’t care for others, family, work or kids if you do not care for your own health. And while you check off another task from your today’s to-do list, here I’m jotting down a few of the common yet unknown diseases that you may suffer from and remain unknown.

This is a reminder from us — to consider your health and fitness a priority!

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease, also known as coeliac disease, is an autoimmune digestive disorder triggering from gliadin or gluten. The common symptoms are diarrhoea, and others may include bloating, wind, fatigue, joint pain, low blood count, migraines, or depressive symptoms. A lot of people may not experience these symptoms initially, but if left untreated, it can lead to malabsorption of minerals and nutrients.

Osteoporosis

Another common yet unnoticed disease that doesn’t come with any signs or symptoms, Osteoporosis occurs due to bone density loss. People do not realize this condition until they have a bone fracture; a few, though, might experience loss of height or posture. The only manageable precaution is to supply enough vitamin D and calcium to your body to prevent bone damage.

Liposarcoma

A kind of cancer that grows in fatty tissue, Liposarcoma produces unnoticeable tumours which are collections of fat cells that develop below the skin. It could grow in your arm or legs for months or even years completely undetected and can reach to your lungs and livers if not treated in time.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

A group of lung diseases which is difficult to detect early on, COPD is another very common yet lesser known condition which cannot be cured. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are common diseases under that. COPD Foundation claims coughing, tightness in the chest, and breathlessness as the early symptoms which people generally consider as a sign of getting older. Smoking is known to be the major risk factor for developing COPD.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

A very common disease which affects more than 10 million Indians every year, the real cause behind the NAFLD is still not known by the researchers. It develops when fat builds up in the liver resulting in inflammation and liver cell damage or liver failure (cirrhosis). NAFLD is not caused due to the overuse of alcohol though and develops without any symptoms. It targets people who have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, metabolic disorder, or obesity.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

As common in the West, DVT is not something new in India. A handful of studies show the rate of DVT varies from 3.7% to 17%, which puts Indian at an equal risk. DVT is a serious condition which is caused by the development of blood clot in your lower leg or thigh’s vein. If the blood clot gets loosen, it can damage your lungs. Tenderness, pain, redness or swelling in the affected area may occur, but there are high chances that you might not realize. It is recommended not to sit for long periods to avoid DVT. Few simple rounds of laps or stretching can also be helpful.

Glaucoma

A disease that rarely shows any symptom, Glaucoma is estimated to affect 11.2 million persons in India. The age group is 40 years and above. According to All About Vision, Glaucoma and related eye conditions cause optic nerve damage due to which the information to your brain is not carried, which further results in the loss of peripheral vision or complete blindness. A few of the things that may cause high eye pressure and Glaucoma are hereditary predispositions, diabetes, high blood pressure, eye injury or trauma, thin corneas, and extreme nearsightedness.

What are the other common yet unknown diseases you know of or have suffered from? Tell us in the comments below, and we will share it with our audience.

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To be a sick fat woman in this world is a curse I wouldn’t wish on my enemy too. Why do I say this? Well, as if being a woman wasn’t enough already, being chronically ill with an invisible disease is the worst thing you can ask for. Because you look healthy on the outside without any visible scars or bruises, so convincing someone, at times even doctors, about your symptoms is an uphill task. Women are seldom taken seriously for their aches and pains as it is. Add to all this a fat body and voila- that suddenly becomes the reason for all your problems. As if thin people never fall sick?

I was recently diagnosed with my pain as being obese. And what did it turn or to be? A viral infection. Yes. Well, being diagnosed as fat for my symptoms is not new. I have been a victim of medical fatphobia for years. It took me years to get a diagnosis and a treatment plan for my fibromyalgia from doctors. What can you expect anyway from a disease that cannot be seen or detected through various medical tests? Conclusion- must be her weight. Also, after childbirth, women do experience backaches and joint pains, right? Wrong!

Being fat is a condition. It is not a disease. There are practically zero diseases that affect only and only overweight people, though risk factors may be higher for them. But there is no disease that affects only fat people. However, the most annoying thing here is when the doctors immediately jump to a conclusion seeing the body size as the root cause of everything before asking or taking into account the lifestyle, medical conditions, and history of the patient. So basic, right? Oh, how many times has this been overlooked? Health and weight are two different things. A fat person can be healthy and a thin person can be sick and vice versa.

Fat people already know that they are fat

Not everyone is overweight because of a sedentary lifestyle or overeating. Chances are that medical conditions like PCOD, insulin resistance, thyroid, pregnancy, and even side effects of certain medicines can lead to weight gain. While many find it easy to shed weight for many others it is not an easy thing and they may have spent years trying to lose weight through diets and exercises without much result. But the whole point is, when you go to a doctor for a problem, they have to treat you, provide relief and find the cause of your complaint regardless of your size.

“I was wrongly diagnosed by several doctors for years until in 2019 we found that I had grade 3 spondylolisthesis. Medical Fatphobia is one of the biggest problems in the world where doctors assume that everything wrong in a fat patient’s body is because of their weight. I couldn’t even get up from my bed for about 2 months in 2014 but yet not a single doctor asked me to get an MRI and just blamed the situation on a pinched nerve because of my weight. Had the issue been diagnosed properly back then itself I probably wouldn’t be suffering as much now.”

It wasn’t until last year when she met a few top spine surgeons of the country who thankfully did not focus on her weight. “In fact, one doctor in Mumbai told me that any other person with the grade 3 spondylolisthesis would have been on a stretcher by now but because I am a dancer, my core muscles are quite strong and are able to hold my body and spine. Doctors cannot generalize and treat someone on the basis of weight alone”, says Tanvi Ravishankar, a model & social media influencer who goes by the name The Chubby Twirler.

Doctors cannot dismiss a patient in excruciating pain saying “Your pain is because of obesity, lose 10 kgs and you will be fine”. This is exactly what was told to me. The red rashes on my legs were dismissed as varicose veins when they were due to some virus. And if you thought that how can doctors be like this, well here are a few more instances to tell you how deep-rooted medical fatphobia is.

Fatphobia has no place in medical industry

Your size shouldn’t decide the care you deserve. Everybody has an equal right to a fair diagnosis and healthcare and medical professionals need to drop this bias and stop pushing obesity as the cause for everything. Of course, not all doctors fat-shame or are fatphobic. It is for some truly wonderful doctors that I can say am living a good quality of life despite my many medical problems. But fear of being judged for your size should not be the reason anyone should have to refrain from seeking medical care for themselves or go around doctor shopping just to find someone who will treat them for beyond their size.

Also Read | This Big, Bold & Beautiful Influencer Is Smashing Body Stereotypes