Being very tired all the time

Many patients complain to their doctor that they feel tired all the time (known in the profession as TATT!). There are several medical reasons which can cause tiredness.

These include anaemia, poor diet, an under active thyroid, diabetes and even stress. Some medications can also leave you feeling tired.

A more serious cause of extreme tiredness or fatique can be cancer of any part of the body, including leukaemia (which is, in effect, cancer of the blood). However, there will usually be other symptoms present such as weight loss, loss of appetite, weakness or an abnormal swelling, depending on where the tumour is positioned.

Whatever the cause, you should get this checked by your doctor.

This article was published on Mon 7 February 2011