Health checks you can do at home

While in many cases symptoms can be due to a non-serious condition, they are sometimes an early warning sign of a problem that needs further investigation and treatment. It's better to take these symptoms seriously, than to dismiss the signs and delay an important diagnosis until it is perhaps too late.

1. Chest pain
Chest pain is caused by many conditions, some of which are serious and some not. As it is often difficult for even doctors to tell these apart, sudden chest pain should always be taken seriously and medical assistance sought without delay. Possible causes include:

• acid reflux and heart burn
• stress
• Pulled muscles/inflamed joints
• angina or heart attack
• pulmonary embolus (blood clot in a lung)
• collapsed lung
• chest infection
• lung cancer

2. Weight loss for no apparent reason
Although many people are happy to lose weight through sensible dieting, you should never ignore unexplained weight loss. It can be a sign of an undiagnosed, serious illness and is not always accompanied by loss of appetite. Possible causes include:

• anorexia nervosa
• diabetes
• over-active thyroid gland
• a hidden infection
• malabsorption - in which nutrients are not taken up from the intestines properly e.g. coeliac disease; tapeworm
• T.B. (tuberculosis)
• cancer - especially a stomach tumour
• Kidney failure

3. Any unusual thickening or lump
If you notice an unusual lump anywhere on your body, bring it to your doctor's attention. Although 9 out of 10 lumps are non-serious, it is sometimes difficult for even a doctor to tell harmless lumps from those needing urgent treatment. If there is any doubt as to the nature of a lump, it can be removed or biopsied. Most lumps are therefore biopsied biopsied and examined under a microscope for an accurate diagnosis. Possible causes include:

• a benign (non-cancerous) tumour such as a polyp, fatty lump (lipoma) or fibrous lump (fibroma)
• enlarged lymph node due to infection or cancer
• enlarged organ or gland eg liver, spleen, thyroid
• a benign cyst (eg sebaceous cyst) or malignant cyst (eg of ovary)
• cancer