Four Diseases Your Doctor May Missby Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger 13 Apr 2007 04:53 PM Four diseases that attack women in their twenties and thirties are often very hard to diagnose. Each of these diseases has no clear cause and a host of symptoms that may also be seen with other health issues. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome affects more than one million Americans; nearly eighty percent of them female. CFS comes with fatigue that won't go away and other symptoms like sore throat, muscle pain, joint pain, forgetfulness, insomnia, weakness, dry eyes, dry mouth, dizziness, skin problems, and weight loss. There are no diagnostic tests for chronic fatigue syndrome, and doctors aren't sure what causes it. As symptoms appear, your doctor will treat them. Fibromyalgia affects approximately seven percent of Americans and most of them are women. Chronic pain is the main symptom of this disease, whether it is all-over muscular pain or tenderness and pain at 18 different points in the body like knee and elbow joints. Secondary symptoms include fatigue, coordination problems, insomnia, skin sensitivity, headaches, anxiety, and bowel and bladder problems. There is no known cause, and symptoms are treated as they arise. Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects approximately forty million women in the United States. Symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. There isn't a test to diagnose IBS; doctors must first rule out other gastrointestinal problems before diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome. Treatment combines stress management, fiber supplements, and medication. Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease. It causes hardening and scarring on the skin and connective tissues. When multiple organs are affected, scleroderma can lead to kidney failure, high blood pressure, and heart failure. This disease affects both men and women, but female patients outnumber males four to one. Approximately one hundred thousand people in the United States suffer from scleroderma. Doctors aren't sure what causes the disease, and treatment is focused on the various complications as they occur. Learn more about Aimee Amodio  Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover... Relevanthealth tags User Comments aubkabob (45) 18 Apr 2007 01:47 PMIndeed. Thanks for keeping me in the know!  cooknwoman (112) 26 Jan 2008 10:43 PMI am so glad I found this article - THANK YOU! I was reading and see the usual symptoms until I read the secondary symptoms - I was so glad to see that, in fact I was not crazy when I complained of "skin pain" - everyone - Dr's. included - accept my husband kind of looked at me as though I was from another planet - they would tell me "I've never heard that complaint before" as they scratched their chins - gosh, it made me feel so awkward and just plain horrible - as though the pain was not enough! I have had 5 spinal surgeries including 2 cervical fusions and 2 lumber fusions due to a car accident. I had symptoms for years - since my children were born back in my very early 20's but the accident just made everything explode - now I really suffer from perm ant nerve damage to boot! If you have any suggestions for me please let me know. I cannot walk much or exercise because it causes my nerves to start up and it just gets impossible to deal with. I take a considerable amount of pain meds including 200 mg Lyrica 3 X/day. Thanks, Susie Community Tags chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, ibs, irritable bowel syndrome, scleroderma Discuss this article
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