Symptom 4. Persistent Fatigue: The Overlooked Sign of Hodgkin Lymphoma
Feeling drained at the end of a long day is standard. But imagine feeling perpetually tired, irrespective of how well you slept the previous night. This is the sort of fatigue linked with Hodgkin Lymphoma – an inexorable exhaustion that doesn’t budge with rest.
This isn’t just a mere feeling of being tired. It’s a profound lethargy that affects daily functioning. Mundane tasks become Herculean challenges, and concentration dwindles.
Delving into the science of it, this fatigue stems from a combination of factors. The body, in its bid to counteract the aberrant cells, expends a significant amount of energy, leading to exhaustion. Additionally, the chemicals secreted by the Reed-Sternberg cells can interfere with normal cellular functions, inducing fatigue.
It’s a double whammy – not only is the body fighting an internal battle, but the very soldiers of this battle, the Reed-Sternberg cells, produce chemicals that exacerbate the weariness.
In the symphony of Hodgkin Lymphoma symptoms, persistent fatigue is a recurring note, omnipresent yet often overshadowed by more pronounced signs. (4)
