Symptoms of headaches in people with brain cancer and coughs in patients with lung cancer may become more severe in the morning, right after waking up.
Cancer symptoms are often vague and unclear, making the disease difficult to diagnose. According to Dr Deborah Lee, from the University of Southampton Medical School, symptoms first thing in the morning such as a cough or headache can be warning signs that should not be ignored.
Brain tumors typically present with severe morning headaches, she said. After a night’s sleep, cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain as the tumor blocks its natural circulation, causing headaches, Dr. Lee said. The pain tends to improve during the day.
According to research published in the journal Neurology, around 77% of brain cancer patients suffer from tension headaches. The National Health Service (NHS) explains that the main sign of a tension headache is pain on both sides. However, Dr Lee stresses that not everyone who has a morning headache has a brain tumour. Other telltale signs of the disease include seizures, constant tiredness, personality changes, sleepiness, memory loss, numbness or weakness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking and vision changes.
Dr. Lee recommends seeing a doctor or getting screened if you have all of these symptoms along with a headache.
A woman has a headache when she wakes up in the morning. Photo: Freepik
Along with headaches, coughing is also a common symptom of lung cancer. This symptom may be worse in the morning. According to Dr. Lee, the body's cough reflex helps prevent infectious organisms from entering the lungs.
In people with cancer, tumors can partially block the airway and produce mucus overnight. Many lung cancer patients are smokers, and they often have a cough due to this habit. Symptoms also get worse in the morning.
“At night, when you sleep, your mouth and upper airways can dry out, becoming uncomfortable,” explains Dr. Lee.
However, like headaches, not all people who cough in the morning have cancer. Dr. Lee recommends seeing a doctor if you have the following additional symptoms: persistent cough, chest pain, irreversible hoarseness, coughing up blood, wheezing, difficulty breathing, unexplained weight loss, etc.
According to experts, detecting cancer at an early stage will increase the overall survival rate. About 6 out of 10 people with lung cancer survive 5 years if diagnosed at the earliest stage. This rate drops to 1 in 10 people if diagnosed at a later stage.
Thuc Linh (According to Express )
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