KDKA 2 - Station Info KDKA News Radio 1020 - Station Info 93-7 The Fan - Station Info Pittsburgh-CW-Logo

Latest News

5 Symptoms Women Should Never Ignore

View Comments
(Photo Credit: AP)

(Photo Credit: AP)

(Source: KDKA-TV)

Reporting Dr. Maria Simbra

Featured Gallery
May Is Asthma Awareness Month: Celebrities With Asthma

For more trusted health

news and information,

visit CBS Pittsburgh's

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — They may seem like nothing, but those little signs your body sends you every now and then could be a warning sign of something bigger and more serious.

KDKA’s health editor Dr. Maria Simbra takes a look at five symptoms that women should never overlook.

The first is unexplained weight gain.

More common reasons can include eating too much and hypothyroidism; but once in a while, weight gain can be a sign of somethings like ovarian cancer or liver disease – Cirrhosis for instance.

“Many Americans gain weight slowly over time,” said Dr. Christine Mackey, of Allegheny General Hospital internal medicine. “But what would be unusual is weight gain, especially in the abdomen; and weight that kind of felt like fluid, rather than accumulation of fat.”

How many women feel exhausted? Everyone gets tired now and then, but sudden exhaustion could be a symptom of heart disease.

“I think a sudden onset of exhaustion with activities that you normally do, and you haven’t engaged in anything out of the ordinary and you all of a sudden felt wiped out, that’s something to keep in mind,” said Dr. Indu Poornima, of Allegheny General Hospital cardiology.

Especially, experts say, if you also have night sweats or shortness of breath.

Also, the frequent urge to urinate may be more than meets the eye.

“The classic presentation for a new diagnosis of diabetes is someone who is overweight, who begins to urinate kind of frequently,” Dr. Mackey said.

People with diabetes may also be excessively thirsty.

“They will do anything to appease this thirst. I’ve had patients come in drinking gallons of iced tea a day,” said Dr. Mackey. “One of my favorite patients was drinking his wife’s soy milk. That’s certainly not very thirst quenching, but for him, he was so thirsty, he was willing to drink anything.”

Then, there is losing your sense of smell? The most common reason is injury to the smelling nerve in your nose, but in some cases, it could indicate early Alzheimer’s disease.

“Loss of smell, that is common with certain medications. It certainly can happen with sinus infections, but it’s not one of the common ways that Alzheimer’s presents,” added Dr. Mackey.

More commonly, family members tell the doctor they are worried about memory and thinking abilities of their spouse or parent.

Finally, if you have high blood pressure and can’t get it under control, don’t blow it off. If you take a drug called an ace inhibitor, maybe all it takes is moving it to the evening.

“There are some patients who specifically have high blood pressure in the morning, and there’s no reason why the medication shouldn’t be taken at that time of the day,” said Dr. Poornima.

The most important thing is to take your medicine in the first place.

RELATED LINKS:
Allegheny General Hospital
More Health News

View Comments
  • http://health.buysmore.com/5-symptoms-women-should-never-ignore/ 5 Symptoms Women Should Never Ignore

    [...] Dr. Maria Simbra takes a look at five symptoms that women should never overlook. Read more on CBS Pittsburgh Share and [...]

  • http://loseweightday.com/lastest-weight-loss-news-16.html Lastest Weight Loss News | Weight Loss

    [...] Dr. Maria Simbra takes a look at five symptoms that women should never overlook. Read more on CBS Pittsburgh Exercise Improves Sleep and Nighttime Breathing Troubles Three new studies show that people who are [...]

  • http://easywayto.loseweightok.com/avcorp-announces-2011-first-quarter-results.html Avcorp announces 2011 First Quarter Results | Easy Way To Lose Weight

    [...] health editor Dr. Mary simbren check out five symptoms that women should never ignore. Read more on CBS Pittsburgh Exercise improves sleep and breathing problems at night Three new studies show that people who [...]

  • Barbara A Davis

    I gained alot of weight when I stop smoking.. now I need some tips on getting
    the weight off.

  • Anonymous K

    While other women are trying to lose weight, I am trying to gain.
    I assume I lost weight due to stress, or depression, or anxiety…I’m not too sure though. I eat 3 meals a day. I don’t do drugs, or drink….Whhat does the public think is wrong???

  • tigerlynx

    Anonymous K, you could possibly have hyperthyroidism…its the opposite of Hypothyroidism where your thyroid works too well that you lose a lot of weight. My mother had that several years ago.
    Barbara my suggestion is to visit Sparkpeople.com. It is not a get thin quick thing, but they are a very resourceful sight on healthy living.

  • http://www.fatloss.ca/weight-loss/lastest-weight-loss-news-41.html Lastest Weight Loss News – Fatloss.ca

    [...] Dr. Maria Simbra takes a look at five symptoms that women should never overlook. Read more on CBS Pittsburgh Weight Loss Lastest, Loss, News, [...]

  • http://awesomediabetescures.com/5-symptoms-women-should-never-ignore 5 Symptoms Women Should Never Ignore — Awesome Diabetes Cures

    [...] 5 Symptoms Women Should Never Ignore They may seem like nothing, but those little signs your body sends you every now and then could be a warning sign of something bigger and more serious. KDKA’s health editor Dr. Maria Simbra takes a look at five symptoms that women should never overlook. Read more on CBS Pittsburgh [...]

blog comments powered by Disqus
Listen Live!

TV Schedule

Full Program Grid
7:00 PM CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley
7:30 PM omg! Insider
8:00 PM Two and a Half Men
8:30 PM Mike & Molly
9:00 PM Criminal Minds
11:00 PM KDKA-TV News at 11
11:35 PM Late Show with David Letterman

Now On KDKA-TV:

follow us Now On KDKA TV: video on demand Now On KDKA TV: weatherbug small Now On KDKA TV: waitingchildsm Now On KDKA TV: ptls Now On KDKA TV: driving skills for l41d84c Now On KDKA TV:  Now On KDKA TV: heinzredzonerecipes3 Now On KDKA TV: hometownhighq Now On KDKA TV: 50261 pitts kdka local alleghenygeneralhospital extraeffort 140x85 2012 0817 Now On KDKA TV:

Select a Live Stream