Most people assume that feeling run-down, a little forgetful, or occasionally achy is just part of getting older. But a general practitioner working within the UK’s National Health Service is pushing back against that assumption, arguing that the body’s signals deserve far more attention than they typically receive in middle age. Dr. Reem Hasan shared five specific symptoms that she says should prompt anyone over 40 to book an appointment rather than wait and see, pointing out that delayed care often stems from uncertainty about whether something is serious enough to mention, rather than from a lack of concern. Her guidance was shared as part of the Signs of Clarity campaign run by Vista Health, which aims to help middle-aged adults recognize early warning signs before conditions become more difficult to treat.
The first symptom on Dr. Hasan’s list is persistent fatigue. She is clear that relentless exhaustion lasting several weeks is not a normal part of aging and should not be accepted as one. Ongoing tiredness of this kind can point to a range of underlying causes, including iron deficiency, thyroid dysfunction, sleep apnea, depression, chronic inflammation, or in rarer cases, a more serious illness. If fatigue persists for several weeks without a clear explanation, Dr. Hasan says a medical evaluation is always warranted.
Unintentional weight loss is the second symptom she highlights, and her advice on this point is unambiguous. Losing weight without trying to, particularly more than 5 percent of your body weight over a period of six to twelve months, should always be investigated. Possible causes include an overactive thyroid, diabetes, digestive disorders, infection, or cancer. Because this symptom can reflect such a wide range of conditions, from mild to serious, it should not be dismissed simply because no obvious explanation comes to mind.
Persistent or new pain is the third area Dr. Hasan addresses, with a particular focus on discomfort in the chest, abdomen, back, or bones. She acknowledges that many causes of pain are benign, but argues that pain which lingers for more than three weeks without a clear cause requires professional assessment. Depending on where the pain is located and how it presents, the underlying issue could range from heart disease, gallbladder problems, or arthritis through to fractures or, in some cases, cancer. Tolerating pain in silence is not a virtue, she suggests, but a risk.
Changes in bowel or bladder habits represent the fourth warning sign. New or persistent constipation, diarrhea, or any lasting shift in bathroom patterns should be evaluated, as should blood in the stool, frequent urination, or difficulty urinating. These symptoms can reflect benign conditions such as hemorrhoids or a urinary tract infection, but they can equally indicate bowel disease, prostate problems, or cancer. The key word Dr. Hasan uses throughout her guidance is persistent, any change that does not resolve on its own within a reasonable timeframe deserves attention.
The fifth and final symptom is changes in memory or cognitive function. She draws a clear line between the occasional forgetfulness that most people experience and the kind of worsening memory, confusion, or mental fog that starts to affect daily life. The latter should be assessed by a doctor, since the causes can range from stress, poor sleep, or vitamin deficiencies at one end, to thyroid disorders, infections, or neurological conditions at the other. Early evaluation is particularly important in this area, both to identify treatable causes and to establish a baseline for monitoring if something more progressive turns out to be involved.
The research behind the Signs of Clarity campaign offered some striking figures about how people actually respond to these kinds of symptoms. According to the study, 54 percent of adults initially ignored symptoms, waiting an average of 14 months before seeking help. The same research found that 77 percent of respondents experienced symptoms that recurred, with the most commonly reported being sleep difficulties, joint pain, persistent tiredness, unexplained aches, and digestive problems. The patterns suggest a widespread tendency to normalize discomfort rather than investigate it.
Dr. Hasan addressed this tendency directly in her commentary on the campaign. “Delaying a visit to the doctor often comes from uncertainty, not negligence,” she said. “People worry they will waste the doctor’s time, but that hesitation can have serious consequences. In some cases it can be fatal, and in others it means living longer with pain or symptoms that affect quality of life.” She went on to name specific cancers that become more common in middle age and that benefit enormously from early detection, including bowel cancer, which affects both men and women, breast cancer, the most common cancer in women, and prostate cancer, the most common in men.
Her closing advice was a call to trust the instincts that people often override in the interest of not making a fuss. “If a symptom is persistent, getting worse, or you simply feel that something is not right, see your doctor,” she said. “Trust your instincts, you know your body best and you should listen to the signals it sends you. Regular self-checks are one of the most powerful ways to detect problems early.”
From a broader public health perspective, the gap between symptom onset and medical consultation is one of the most consistently documented challenges in preventive medicine. Early detection dramatically improves outcomes across almost every major disease category, particularly for cancers where stage at diagnosis is one of the strongest predictors of survival. Campaigns like Signs of Clarity exist in part to address the psychological and social barriers that prevent people from acting on symptoms promptly, including fear of bad news, reluctance to burden healthcare systems, and the deeply ingrained tendency to rationalize uncomfortable physical changes as normal aging rather than signals worth investigating.
If any of the symptoms Dr. Hasan describes resonate with what you or someone you know has been experiencing, share your thoughts in the comments.
