lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States accounting for more than 150
000 mortalities each year it's a disease that occurs in approximately 1 in 17 adults most
lung cancer cases fail to show symptoms until the disease has spread to other parts of the
body however some early warning signs can raise suspicion and prompt individuals to see a doctor
for further testing which is the topic of this video because we're going to share the top 10
early warning signs of lung cancer that you must be aware of be sure to watch until the end because
there's one that may surprise you so if you're ready let's get into it the first early warning
sign on our list is a persistent cough now of course there are many different causes of coughing
however if you have a cough that persists and just won't go away it could be cause for concern
Studies have shown that a chronic cough is present in the majority of people with lung cancer if you
do have a chronic this is not a reason to panic as it's not always an indication of the disease
however you should consider seeing a doctor for further testing this is especially true if you
have a persistent cough that is accompanied by other symptoms on this list which leads us to
the next early warning sign and it is coughing up blood hemoptysis may occur in some cases of lung
cancer which is a term used to describe coughing up blood this generally happens when there's
bleeding in the lungs or Airways for example if there's a tumor in your lungs that continues
to expand it may eventually rupture a blood vessel leading to bleeding while this sign can
be alarming it's important to remember that it's not always indicative of lung cancer hemoptysis
May sometimes be caused by other conditions such as pneumonia tuberculosis lung infections or a
traumatic injury you might even be coughing up blood because acid reflux has gradually eroded
your lining leading to this unwanted Center them however coughing up blood is a serious finding and
should be investigated further regardless of the cause number three on our list is night sweats do
you often wake up drenched in sweat in the middle of the night if so it could be a sign of lung
cancer as this symptom is often associated with multiple types of cancer night sweats
generally are defined as several hot flashes that occur during sleep when your body tries to fight
cancer significant changes and hormone levels can trigger excessive sweating while it's not unusual
for someone to sweat if the room is a bit hot there is a difference between that and sweating
through your sheets at night therefore if you regularly experience night sweats you must see a
doctor for further evaluation next up on our list is chest pain which is another one of those more
common warning signs of lung cancer this symptom is especially worrisome if accompanied by dyspnea
and shortness of breath Studies have shown that approximately 4 40 percent of patients with lung
cancer have chest pain at the time of diagnosis however not all types of lung cancer aren't
associated with chest pain if a tumor is present in the lungs as it grows and expands it can
compress nearby structures leading to chest pain and difficulty breathing additionally if the tumor
spreads to the bones or other organs it can also cause pain in those areas of course chest pain is
a symptom associated with many other conditions such as heart disease Stress and Anxiety however
if you experience this symptom regularly you must see a doctor for further testing the next early
warning sign that we need to discuss is hoarseness if you've noticed that your voices become hoarse
or raspy it could be an early warning sign of lung cancer Studies have shown that patients with small
cell lung cancer often present with hoarseness in general hoarseness develops when the vocal
cords do not vibrate as they should creating an unusually breathy sound lung cancer is most
likely not the cause of this finding however in rare cases it may be a sign of a tumor pressing
on the vocal cords therefore if your voice has changed and you cannot attribute it to cold or
other respiratory infection it's important to seek medical help to determine the underlining cause
another early warning sign that I should mention is loss of appetite cancer cells can release
substance that alter how your body processes food leading to a loss of appetite this explains why
weight loss is a common symptom of lung cancer a study found that approximately two-thirds of
patients with lung cancer eventually develop this symptom there are some situations where it
may show up early in the course of the disease and others where it may not appear until the
later stages in any case the sooner you notice this symptom the better a loss of appetite can
quickly lead to weight loss and malnutrition which can negatively impact your health which leads to
the sign on our list and it is unexplained weight loss if patients with lung cancer have a loss of
appetite it only makes sense that they may start to lose weight as well unintentional weight loss
is a Hallmark sign of multiple types of cancer including lung cancer it has been estimated that
patients with Advanced lung cancer may suffer severe weight loss in as many as 70 percent
of cases this finding is common in patients with lung cancer because cancer cells generally divide
at a rapid Pace this means that they have a high metabolic rate causing them to absorb essential
nutrients from the body this leaves fewer nutrients available for the rest of the body
leading to weight loss so if you've recently lost a significant amount of weight without changing
your diet or exercise habits it's important to see a doctor next up is shortness of breath
as previously mentioned dyspnea and shortness of breath are two of the most common symptoms of lung
cancer studies found that more than 70 percent of patients with lung cancer eventually develop
breathing difficulties this can occur when a tumor grows and causes an obstruction in the Airways
of the lungs it can always result in inflammation leading to increased feelings of breathlessness in
addition lung cancer may cause fluid to accumulate in the space between the lungs and chest wall
this is known as pleural infusion and can cause difficulty breathing if you've never had trouble
breathing but notice that you're struggling to catch your breath it's important to see a
doctor this is especially true if the symptoms are accompanied by other signs of lung cancer
such as chronic cough or chest pain another early warning sign that you must be aware of is chronic
fatigue chronic fatigue is another Hallmark sign of multiple types of cancer including lung cancer
in fact researchers found that fatigue is the most frequently reported symptom in individuals
diagnosed with this disease that's because people with lung cancer may experience dyspnea and
hypoxemia dyspnea is a feeling of breathlessness while high hypoxemia is a condition in which the
body doesn't get enough oxygen these two symptoms can lead to fatigue making it
difficult to perform everyday tasks furthermore as previously mentioned lung cancer often leads
to malnutrition and weight loss both of which can contribute to fatigue the next early warning sign
on our list is recurrent lung infections that's because cancerous cells can weaken the immune
system making it more difficult for your body to fight off infections in addition tumors can grow
and obstruct the Airways leading to a buildup of mucus and bacteria this creates a perfect
environment for an infection to take hold again if you're suffering from recurrent lung infections
that just won't seem to go away it's important to see a doctor this is especially true if the
infections are accompanied by other symptoms and early warning signs mentioned throughout this
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I think you'll enjoy and just a quick reminder we're not doctors this video is for informational
purposes only thank you so much for watching have a blessed day and as always breathe easy my friend