LifestyleDoctor warns: Unexplained bruises could signal serious conditions

Doctor warns: Unexplained bruises could signal serious conditions

When should bruises concern us? / illustrative photo
When should bruises concern us? / illustrative photo
Images source: © Adobe Stock | charnsitr

2:01 PM EDT, July 23, 2024

If you often get bruises, you should be more careful. Dr. Karan Rajan, a surgeon, warns about the potential consequences. In extreme cases, such changes can be a symptom of serious conditions like blood cancer. It's important to observe other symptoms as well.

Bruises are often dismissed as minor injuries from bumping into things. However, they can sometimes be a sign of serious diseases like blood cancer, especially when they don't result from an impact. Dr. Rajan emphasizes this risk.

Doctor warns against bruises

Dr. Karan Rajan posted a video featuring one of his patients on his TikTok profile. The young woman visited his office because she felt small lumps on her neck. After tests, it was discovered that she had blood cancer.

In his recording, Dr. Rajan noted that lumps are just one of many symptoms of cancer. Other symptoms can include bruises, which we often ignore, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, unexplained weight loss, and night sweats.

When should we be concerned about bruises?

When should we see a doctor for a bruise or bruises? According to Dr. Karan Rajan, it's important to seek medical advice when bruises appear along with at least one of the above-mentioned symptoms. Although a small percentage of people are diagnosed with something serious, "public awareness about the symptoms of leukemia and lymphomas is very low."

According to recommendations published by Oxford Urgent Clinic, a clinic in Mississippi in the United States, we should see a doctor for bruises when:

              
  • they appear without an apparent reason,
  • they do not decrease or disappear within two to four weeks,
  • they look different from previous bruises,
  • they are painful and swollen,
  • a broken bone is suspected,
  • they are near the eye, causing impaired vision or difficulty moving the eye.
See also