Q: I am a 20 years old engineering student. My problem started year and a half back when I felt very dizzy and got fever 101 with body pain. I recovered from pain and fever the next day but was feeling dizzy so I checked with doctors. At that time my BP was high about 140/90 and haemoglobin was 11 but I still kept feeling dizzy off and on. After a couple of months during my exams, I felt palpitations, trembling of hands, tingling muscles and short breath. I immediately went to the hospital and my ECG and CT (head) and chest X ray was done but no problem was found. From that time onwards I have been feeling chest pain or discomfort on the left side of my chest regularly. I also have disturbed sleep, depression, feeling of loneliness & sadness , faulty digestion, dizziness and my nails have become yellow. In between I again checked my BP which was 120/80, 120/80, 110/70, 140/80, 120/80 and haemoglobin was 12. I am really worried, please help?

A:The symptoms of aches and pains, dizziness and a temperature since long suggests a flu like illness and, as one would expect, they settled. The symptoms of trembling, palpitations etc. later (at the exam time) are typical of an anxiety state. This is not an unusual response to a stressful situation. You should try and relax and concentrate on the studies rather than on the feared result. Go for a walk in between the studies and ease up on cofee, tea and coke consumption; they all contain caffeine which stimulates the heart and causes palpitations. There are two issues that remain and need to be looked into. Although your blood pressure of 140/90 can also be explained by your anxiety, you need to have frequent checks of it, perhaps weekly. You are too young to have high blood pressure so have it checked again. Do you have any family history of a high blood pressure? The other issue is a lowish haemoglobin level of 11 and 12g/dl in a healthy, young man. This will need further checks and, if low, then further investigation. You may be deficient in iron or there may be some other reason for a lowish haemoglobin level. Do discuss it with your doctor.