▲帕特爾長期被夜間盜汗所擾，不料一檢查竟被診斷出罹患罕見的何杰金氏淋巴癌。（圖／翻攝自IG）
記者葉睿涵／編譯
英國25歲男子帕特爾（Dilan Patel）生活正常，還是一名健身教練，卻長期被夜間盜汗、皮膚奇癢等症狀所擾。一開始，帕特爾對這些小毛病不以為意，不料後期卻被診斷出罹患罕見的何杰金氏淋巴癌（Hodgkin lymphoma），差點丟命。最近，他在網上分享自身經歷，提醒大眾要注意早期症狀，及早就醫。
據《每日郵報》報導，帕特爾回憶，他最初的症狀是在夜間頻繁盜汗，常常在睡夢中醒來，衣物和床鋪都濕透。起初，帕特爾以為這只是因為天氣過熱所致，並未多加留意，但盜汗的症狀卻一直持續了數個月也沒有好轉。與此同時，帕特爾的脖子還長出了腫塊，不過他以為那只是他鍛煉出來的肌肉，所以一直沒有進行檢查。
2年後，帕特爾的症狀越來越嚴重，除了盜汗外，全身的皮膚也奇癢無比，導致他去哪都要隨身攜帶乳液，靠著不斷擦拭乳液才能緩解瘙癢。於是，帕特爾決定向全科醫生尋求幫助。經過詳細檢查，醫生在帕特爾體內發現了5個腫瘤，其中一個甚至還長在了肺部，而帕特爾也被斷定患有何杰金氏淋巴癌第四期。
@dnafitnessuk You won’t believe it... I was 25 years old, living my life like any other young adult - working hard, working out, hanging with friends, and trying to figure out my future. Life felt normal. I had no reason to think anything was wrong. But then something strange started happening. I’d wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. I mean SOAKED. My clothes, my bed - everything would be wet. It happened 2-3 times every single night. At first, I just thought, ‘Maybe I’m getting too hot under the covers?’ So I brushed it off. Weeks turned into months, and the night sweats didn’t stop. Looking back now, there were other signs, too. I was exhausted all the time, but I just thought it was because I was working long hours. My skin was unbelievably itchy - so much so that I carried lotion around with me everywhere, convinced it was just dry skin. I even noticed lumps on my neck, but I thought they were my muscles growing from all my workouts at the gym. Everything had an explanation - or so I thought. But eventually, I started feeling worse so I went to the doctor. Nothing could’ve prepared me for what they told me. At just 25 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Five tumours. It had even spread to my lung. I couldn’t believe it. I’d spent so long brushing off my symptoms, convincing myself they weren’t a big deal. But my body had been screaming at me for almost 2 years. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience, it’s to pay attention to your body. Those little signs and symptoms? They’re there for a reason. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
♬ som original - LK Nostalgia
台灣癌症基金會資料顯示，何杰金氏症是所有淋巴瘤分類中生長較為快速的淋巴瘤，且比較容易發生在15至34歲的年輕人身上，不過跟大多數的淋巴癌一樣，都被認為跟免疫系統的缺失有關。在臨床上，患者通常會有淋巴結腫大的狀況，而常見症狀還包括了不明原因發燒、夜間盜汗、皮膚搔癢、體重減輕，及持續疲勞等。
何杰金氏淋巴癌的總治愈率達80%，是所有淋巴癌中治癒率最高的，不過進入晚期的患者通常預後較差。幸運的是，帕特爾在接受化療後，目前的健康狀況已恢復穩定。英國國民保健署數據顯示，當地平均每年都會新增2200宗何杰金氏淋巴癌病例，男女的發病率相近。
帕特爾向大眾呼籲，不要忽視身體的異常信號，強調即使是看似無害的症狀，也可能隱藏著重大的健康問題，「那些小症狀的存在是有原因的，千萬不要等到太遲才就醫。」
讀者迴響