As you age, you realize that health is probably the most important thing in life. Hence the memes about discovering marathons, juice cleanses, and chia seeds once you hit 30.

In reality, people tend to start worrying about their health once something is really wrong. According to a recent survey by Aflac, one in four Americans skip regular checkups and wellness appointments because they feel well at that moment.

However, there are many symptoms or conditions we tend to overlook as harmless. It turns out that many of them can have detrimental effects to our health, as became evident after people started sharing things in the thread of “What is a medical condition that is more serious than people realize?”

#1

Autoimmune disease. It’s painful, silent and not easy to diagnose.

johnstonb:

It takes ON AVERAGE 10 years to get diagnosed after the onset of symptoms. In the meantime doctors are completely dismissive of your symptoms. You are tired because you are “depressed”. Your hair is falling out because “stress.” Meanwhile you feel like you’re going crazy.

ChefCarolina:

I lost 6 years of my life, was put on every anti-depressant/anti-psychotic medication, was diagnosed as Bipolar, and was eventually locked up in a mental institution.
All because it never occurred to my doctors to check my thyroid.

Image credits: Teeeeeeeenie

#2

Migraines, they can be totally debilitating and increase the likelihood of other serious neurological disorders.

faithle97:

I literally had one so bad I was begging for my husband to drive me to the hospital because I thought something had to be horribly wrong. I’ve had migraines off and on my whole life but that one came out of nowhere, was my first one with aura, was the most intense one I’ve ever felt, and had me puking nonstop for about 5 hours before my husband came home from work. They ended up doing stroke testing at the hospital because of how severe and different that migraine presented compared to all my previous ones. I was on hormonal birth control at the time and the ER doctor told me to stop taking it immediately even though all my stroke testing came back negative.

takethepain-igniteit:

My husband has had chronic almost daily migraines for almost 20 years. It’s debilitating! His life revolves around how his head feels. It’s the worst during the summer months, he spends days to weeks in our bedroom with blackout curtains drawn and an eye mask on. I feel so horrible that I can’t help him. He’s tried numerous medications, injections, supplements, diet changes, etc and nothing helps. He’s seen all different types of doctors to try to nail down the cause but no one can figure it out. I can’t imagine being in the amount of pain he is in most days, but he is still the nicest, most positive person I know.

Image credits: Quickhurryupslowdown

#3

Depression. May not be the medical but mental side more really. It’s also a silent k**ler. Check in on people once in a while it might actually save a life.

_oooOooo_:

And honestly, it’s so serious bc people have no idea what it actually is. They think its laying in bed all day crying. But it’s so much more insidious than that. It’s chronic fatigue, no interest in the regular things, it’s irritability, it’s pain, it’s isolation, which can lead to major issues like sadness, loneliness, hopelessness and suicide. It really is a silent, easily masked k**ler that more people need to know about. Being disinterested in everything isn’t normal. But its fixable if you know!

Image credits: RefrigeratorOk5465

#4

Having chronic pain.

People just can’t image never having a break from being stuck with pain… and how it affects basically anything in daily life. Directly and indirectly.

From systemic sleep deprivation to a full blown depression and all sorts of other health risks.

Image credits: Ortofun

#5

Pregnancy.

creepyging923:

It seems like people forget that women still regularly die while pregnant and during child birth.

Image credits: nomcormz

#6

HPV. Can cause cervical, uterine, ovarianand esophageal cancer. But it’s commonly looked at as “most people get it at some point in their life, it’ll go away on its own in a few years”

And HSV (herpes/cold sores) can be deadly for babies.

Image credits: Ask4Answers_

#7

Lyme disease. Doctors in my country are just starting to take it seriously.

Far-Prune-5343:

Failed lyme treatment after 20 years of undiagnosed Lyme has left me with multiple impairments, ranging from hearing loss to arthritis and chronic pain. I started trying to get a diagnosis for my mystery illness as soon as it started but got no result til 2023 when a neuro finally tested me for Lyme. I’ve spent thousands upon thousands and lost countless days of life to this condition. People have no clue how debilitating Lyme is unless they’ve experienced it. I’m sending all my best wishes for good days to you. I’m sorry you’re experiencing the brutality Lyme causes.

Image credits: Velvet_Thunder_Jones

#8

Melanoma. It’s deadlier than breast cancer yet people don’t take it seriously.

KeeksGalore:

My grandmother died of melanoma. It was a very long and painful process.

I also had my first melanoma (stage 2) at 17 (back in 2003) and at the time there were less than 50 documented cases in the US in people under 18. I’ve actually been referenced in many medical journals and textbooks which I hate.

Image credits: chantillylace9

#9

Pneumonia. It still k**ls a lot of people.

Image credits: jtd0000

#10

Tinnitus.

Kitchen_Beat_9965:

100% I developed this 2 months ago and haven’t slept more than an hour a night since. It’s absolute hell. People commit s**cide from it and I understand why.

Image credits: DCguurl

#11

Sleep apnea. Not gonna be able to breathe in one night and that’ll be the end for you.

Fit_Elk_1269:

Sleep apnea !! A lot of people brush it off as just snoring, but it can seriously mess with your heart, brain, mood, and overall energy. Left untreated, it raises your risk for stroke, heart disease, and even memory problems. It’s more than just being tired ,it affects your whole body.

Alarmed-Extension289:

Sleep Apnea, it pretty much affects you and your partners quality of life.

Image credits: dead_wax_museum

#12

Type 1 Diabetes. A lot of people have no idea that you will die without insulin.

orbit99za:

Type 1 diabetes

It really is an invisible fight.

You need injections up to 3+ times a day to survive.

You had better get your calculations right, because insulin is so potent. If wrong, you have literally killed yourself.

People confuse it with Type 2 diabetes and blame it on bad eating habits.

In all honesty, they should have named it something else.

Source: Type 1 diabetic.

Image credits: handler207

#13

Endometriosis— Some women feel Level 10 pain every month and have to miss school and work because they can’t get out of bed.

embarrassedburner:

Widespread nerve pain in various body regions, lung collapse, urinary, digestive, menstrual, sexual, reproductive, cognitive, mood, and fatigue symptoms. People have no idea how debilitating this disease can be.

Image credits: True_Caramel_6810

#14

CPTSD. It isn’t just a mental illness, it can alter your genetic expression and is basically severe nervous system injury/dysfunction resulting in a host of bodily issues and physical disorders that often leads to a shortened life span.

Image credits: Quiet_Cat_986

#15

High blood pressure. We don’t call it “the silent k**ler” for nothing.

Secure-Persimmon-421:

Oof, for real! I left my hypertension undiagnosed and untreated for numerous years. No one thought it was true for me bc I was “so young to have high bp” in my early and mid 20s. But heart probs run in my fam and I had all the high-rick behavior. When I got on meds, it was a game changer and I feel so much better.

Image credits: JoMoBloMo

#16

Dehydration. It can impair brain function and cause organ failure and death. It’s also easier than you think to become dehydrated.

Image credits: notade50

#17

In my opinion: Anorexia nervosa.

It is the deadliest Mental disorder and (at least in Germany) you need to be underweight to get treatment.

And it gets f*cking romanticized nowadays and in the past – especially in girls. (And guys don’t get taken seriously if they have it, so everyone is f*cked).

Image credits: Exotic-Fan5062

#18

Being overweight by too much.

FuzzyInterview81:

Yes, Obesity even mild obesity, made worse by over processed food options and lack of exercise. Will cause type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and extra strain on the heart, lungs, and liver. Cholesterol. . .
A very first world issue.

Image credits: Justthefacts6969

#19

High blood pressure needs to be treated and lowered right away.

It’s a ticking time bomb and many people are content to just accept they have it.

Image credits: JD054

#20

Epilepsy.

People think my life isn’t being impacted just because I’m not currently having a seizure. That’s not the only symptom. It’s so common, yet people generally know nothing about it.

Image credits: LadyPickleLegs

#21

Mold exposure/toxicity. Which leads to parasitic infections, candida, heavy metals, SIBO…not even most holistic docs will touch it or understand it, either….

Image credits: ConsciousFyah

#22

PCOS. While it’s not disabling, the symptoms have dominated my life since puberty and into my 30s and foreseeable future. It’s not just irregular periods and intense pain when it comes. It’s nearly 2 decades battle with acne that is more than “you need to wash your face and use topicals”. It’s endless frustration being told that to get rid of it I must lose weight, not understanding why the same diet and exercise regiments weren’t working for me as for my friends only to learn at 30 that PCOS gives me insulin resistance and I have to eat less and completely different. A battle to look normal.

And I don’t even have the infertility struggles and hair growth issues that other PCOS sufferers have to endure.

Image credits: Majestic_Frosting316

#23

ADHD. It’s definitely commonly recognized and treated but I don’t think most non-ADHD people truly understand how frustrating it is living with it. Your whole life revolves around it, because unless you’re always keeping it in check, you can’t live in normal society, and it’s f*****g exhausting having to always be hyper aware of everything you do. Your productivity, your memory, your sensory perception, all of that, is by default, hindered permanently compared to a neurotypical person, but unfortunately, most things are built around neurotypical capabilities (working 9-5, etc.) and it’s so mentally draining to force yourself to adapt to that culture.

Meds and good habits help but they can only do so much. No matter what you do or take, you will sooner or later fall into a cycle of procrastination, of forgetfulness, of “ADHD paralysis”, of sensory overstimulation, and it f*****g sucks because it’s so difficult to explain to people. It’s become so normalized that most people, at least the ones I’ve talked to, think you’re overplaying it or that it’s not that big of a deal.

Image credits: Frysken

#24

Urinary Tract Infections. Lots of elderly people end up with broken hips or even blood infections that begin as UTIs.

Image credits: Emergency-Economy654

#25

Anxiety. The stress on your body causes SO many other issues.

Image credits: czerniana

#26

Gum disease. Raises your risk of heart attack.

Image credits: NanaPapa2

#27

Thyroidism, hypo or hyper. It impacts the heart, the lungs/breathing, mental health, weight, hair and nails, etc. if you’re feeling super tired, out of breath doing usual task, heart palpitations, please demand a full thyroid panel. They will try and push TSH. This test only catches levels at the time of blood draw. Demand the full panel looking at T3, T4, TSH. It’s treatable with a pill a day.

Image credits: witchcraftbaddie

#28

Allergies.

Image credits: KatherineRex

#29

B12 defficiency, if not treated correct or in time it destroys your whole body. Sometimes irreversible.

Image credits: Alesdo1986

#30

Rheumatoid Arthritis. Anyone that has it will agree. People who don’t understand it think it’s like the type or osteoarthritis that comes with age and just wear and tear on your joints but it’s actually a serious autoimmune disease and affects tendons and ligaments and vital organs as well as joints. It’s a debilitating and progressive disease and treatment with serious DMARDS or biologics is not optional. There’s no cure and it’s a lifelong battle with treatments that cause side effects and suddenly stop working.

It’s not just sore joints.

Very frustrating but don’t see the ignorance or attitude changing in the near future.

Image credits: Commercial_Okra7519

#31

Heartburn…
Can cause throat cancer.

lil_squib:

I used to have GERD so bad but have thankfully been able to control it through diet changes and making sure I don’t overeat very often. It’s a hellish condition.

#32

Changes in bowel habits – don’t delay investigations.

ImpactFlimsy5376:

Seriously! And if your Dr doesn’t take you seriously, find someone else. I nearly died from fecal impaction throughout my entire large intestine and even going into my small intestine. My Dr actually had a go at me for “complaining about symptoms that were just annoying but not serious” for YEARS before referring me to a GI specialist and I would have saved myself a lot of pain and malnutrition if I’d just gotten a second opinion earlier

#33

Narcissistic personality disorder.

Affectionate_Bug8166:

Will never see my mother again because of this.

#34

ICU nurse here! Here’s some that people honestly don’t think about:

1. High blood pressure. As your blood pressure continues to be elevated your body adapts so you don’t feel the side effects meanwhile your arteries are just waiting to burst. I’ve had patients with a BP of 230/110 and be like “that’s where I’m usually at” with no headaches or anything. F*****g wild. A cough/sneeze away from a hemorrhagic stroke.

2. Diabetes. Same thing with BP. I have patients who live in the 400-500 and when I bring their sugars to 200 they become symptomatic for hypoglycemia because their body is so accustomed to hyperglycemic states, that trying to bring it to normal makes them feel all the classic hypoglycemic symptoms. It destroys your arteries and veins too because your blood becomes molasses and the sugar compounds are “sharp” and can cause microvascular cuts and tears.

3. Changes in bowel habits: this can be a plethora of causes ranging from bacterial/viral/parasitic causes, to cancer, to bowel obstruction (had a patient with a severe ileus and was vomiting feces), etc. Also had a friend who had one of the GI surgeries for weight loss, started having abnormal bowel habits a year later, ended up with a volvulus and by the time they caught it he was full blown MODS and died 24 hours later.

4. Atrial fibrillation. Patients just think it’s an abnormal heart rhythm but it can cause so many f*****g problems. It can cause your heart to create clots and throw them into *any* artery. Most common is heart attack and stroke but any artery is susceptible to infarction. Had a guy die in my ICU, uncontrolled a fib, threw a clot to the mesenteric artery, caused his bowel to die, eventually his bowel ruptured and died of MODS.

5. Melanoma. Can be very malignant and stealth. Very important to get yearly skin checks, wear sunscreen, and early treatment.

#35

Arthritis- of any kind.

#36

Fatty liver. 40% of people have it, and it can lead to cirrhosis. You don’t even need a heavy drinker.

teraflopclub:

Fatty Liver isn’t just fat in & around the liver, if you have it there you may have it around other organs. I was diagnosed with Fatty Liver, also fat around the heart and even an enlarged heart, and was close to being obese. I turned that all around. But Fatty Liver can proceed to Cirrhosis and eventually you’ll need a transplant if viable. A variety of other ailments follow an inflamed liver such as high blood pressure. Once I rid myself of Fatty Liver, I also rid myself of high blood pressure and a dozen other problems.

#37

Pediatric asthma. We’ve been to the PICU twice and she’s only 3. It’s scary how rhinovirus can trigger respiratory distress.

Frosty-Turnover-1814:

I had pediatric asthma and I am still traumatized about it. My son has it too and when he has an episode I panic so hard that I basically black out. My husband has to completely take over. It’s terrifying.

dhollifilm:

Asthma, especially for children and if uncontrolled. A bad attack can randomly onset, and it can k**l within a short space of time…sometimes in less time than it takes for an ambulance to arrive.

Asthma was weirdly made fun of in a few 80’s/90’s movies by way of an unfit nerdy kid always needing his inhaler when he got nervous. This attitude still holds sway in much of the general population.

But Asthma k**ls people every day. An estimated half-a-million souls every year. A few of these are kids.

I’ve had it since I was a little boy, a child of the 80’s myself. Had some close calls, but it’s well-controlled these days with Viani control medication. However, a bacterial lung-infection from a flu or cold can outrank the medicine, leaving the Asthma out-of-control (where not even the reliever-medicine – Salbutamol – helps). So even those with controlled asthma are still always at risk…

#38

Alcoholism. In a LOT of circles getting completely hammered every single night of the week is seen as common place and even amusing. The physical health aspect alone is disastrous not to mention the mental mental health piece is completely nightmarish. I got out of it before things got too bad for me, but I was easily heading down a road you don’t want to be on. Quitting drinking 100% saved my life in more ways than one.

#39

BPD.

Effective-Fudge5985:

It is statistically the deadliest personality disorder. Most people attempt to commit s**cide within 5 years of their diagnosis. People can downvote me to hell idc. I’m damn near an expert in this subject so they can take their projection and ignorance and vote away!!! It won’t change facts.

#40

Broken heart.

nationwideonyours:

My mother absolutely died of this when she found out my father had a long-term mistress.

#41

Hives/urticaria

From: “Oh, it just really itches” to blacking out from a massive blood pressure drop with your airway closing up.

#42

Anemia. Not only are there very serious types, like sickle cell that can be extremely painful and life threatening. But even plain old iron deficiency anemia can be extremely debilitating and difficult to treat.

I have regular old iron deficiency anemia. It’s caused by extremely heavy and constant menstruation from a combination of uterine fibroids and bilateral ovarian masses that are quite literally the size of small melons. I am scheduled for surgery in September, but I need to manage as best I can until then. The fatigue and tiredness I feel is beyond description. Some days I can barely even make myself get up to go to the bathroom. Most days I can only muster up enough energy to be functional for a couple of hours. I can’t drive long distances anymore, I’m worried it’s not safe. I’m always cold, my hair is falling out, and my skin is dry and itchy. I also get sores in my mouth and bruises that never heal. I take supplements, eat an iron rich diet, and have infusions but it’s slow going to actually see improvement. The anemia and the treatments I’ve undergone to help fix it have caused a cascade of other vitamin and mineral deficiencies that have their own side effects. I can’t be out in the sun, or I break out in hives.

Some of my issues have been caused by the bleeding itself, like dehydration and hypovolemia. People, even some doctors, don’t understand that severe cases of anemia can be debilitating. My whole life is more or less on pause right now because of these issues.

#43

Long covid.

#44

Crohn’s disease.

#45

Bipolar Disorder. Depression and mania can cause actual brain damage.

#46

Juvenile arthritis. The constant inflammation can be destructive. It can also cause uveitis. It’s a hell of an invisible ailment.

#47

Eating disorders in general, all varieties of them.

#48

Diverticulitis.

Rosy-Lee-1974:

Agreed. I had diverticulitis three times last year and ended up having 6 inches of my colon removed in December. The ironic thing is my son had diverticulitis a week before my planned surgery. He was hospitalized for 12 days. His colon ruptured while he was inpatient . Things could have gone really wrong for him. I’m thankful every day that the things happen the way they did. He was on the operating table within a couple hours of it happening. We were in the rooms next-door to each other. My poor husband just went back-and-forth between us. We’re both doing well now.

#49

Impacted wisdom teeth. I almost died from mine.

#50

Cervical cancer.

Flashy-Field-6095:

I’m currently on Hospice bc of this. Get your screenings. I was 37 when I was diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer.

#51

Progressive Scoliosis.

Sniflix:

That’s ruined my life. My pediatricians were informed of it by school and sports doctors and said “aw it’s nothing”. I just had my 6th back surgery plus 6 joint replacements because my effed up spine destroyed my gait which led to osteoarthritis throughout my body. This is from decades ago so those doctors are long gone. That’s good because I would un-live them and end up in prison.

#52

Lymphedema.

It’s not just a cosmetic issue. It can lead to loss of mobility, infection, neuropathy, and risk of clots in the limb.

#53

Psoriasis. When diagnosed I thought it was just a “rash” of sorts. Oh, how wrong I was. I miss that ignorance and bliss.

#54

Type II Diabetes. Have known people who were undetected or thought they were borderline until they had other associated issues, like heart attacks or kidney issues!!

#55

Most mental health disorders, especially those who have more than one and are undiagnosed/untreated. I feel like many people brush it off like “haha I feel so depressed” but mental health disorders can be so dangerous and silent if the person is good at masking them.

#56

Chronic stress. It wreaks havoc on the body. Mixed with poor sleep. You are asking for increased chances of stroke, heart attack, chronic conditions, obesity, addictions (food/smoking included) and it leads to depression which can worsen sedentary lifestyle and then it’s just a mess. Take good care of yourselves friends! Be in nature, drink water, weed out toxic people, don’t let people make you feel guilty!

#57

Dental care. The smallest thing can exacerbate into full blown health crisis.

#58

Cellulitis…

Most people either ignore it or just think it’ll heal up. Don’t screw around with it. That put me into the hospital twice. We’re talking hooked up to IV antibiotics for 14 to 16 hours a day. One time, doc said I was a day or two from going into sepsis.

#59

Trigeminal neuralgia. It is described as one of the most painful diseases known to medical science. It can be different for everyone. It’s pretty rare so many neurologists and neurosurgeons can go their entire career and never encounter a patient with it. It can feel like electric shocks through your head, or an ice pick in the ear. Stabbing sharp or drilling dull. It can be accompanied by a chronic migraine. Some people can’t eat or drink because it’s too painful. Even a light breeze can trigger an attack. It’s progressive so you can’t just get better on your own. Many times the d***s work for a short period of time or don’t work at all. Surgery is your only hope if it is viable. Some surgeries can last for 5 years. It’s not going to be the thing that kills you medically, but it is known as the s*****e disease.

#60

IBS and the flares sufferers have. It can absolutely be debilitating, shameful and embarrassing and very painful. And there’s no cure, just a way to manage it. And even then you may not get a proper diagnosis because the gut is quite complex.🤷‍♀️.

#61

OCD. Have watched it paralyze bright people and their families and create physical, social, and financial illness.

It is under-diagnosed and even when diagnosed, exceptionally hard to treat without highly specific therapy approaches most people can’t access. We have not found the d**g target for it.

I wonder often if eating disorders (especially severe AN) and a few other somatiform psychiatric conditions (like Munchausen and those with chronic, undiagnosable ailments) are OCD by another name.

It’s very real and very damaging, and its power is under-appreciated.

#62

Sepsis. Many think it’s just a bad infection, but it’s a life-threatening response to infection that can lead to organ failure and death if not treated quickly. Early signs like confusion, rapid breathing, or extreme chills should never be ignored.

#63

Shingles.

#64

Being knocked out with a blow to the head. TV and movies treat it like a nearly harmless off-switch. In reality, if someone loses consciousness due to head trauma it should always be treated as a medical emergency.

#65

Ulcer/ bleeding ulcer.

#66

Cushings Disease/hypercortisolism it is rare but fatal left untreated.

#67

Gout. Feels like your bones are breaking from the inside out, the pain is so much more excruciating than anyone realizes. But that’s not the serious bit- prolonged gout can permanently damage joints, and eventually lead to major kidney issues.

#68

High prolactin-have a 2cm tumor chilling on my pituitary gland. It can happen to women and men. Causes all sorts of issues, and it’s easily misdiagnosed.

#69

Gingivitis…can contribute to heart problems.

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