Anosmia is a condition that describes failure of our sense of smell. Although there are many other conditions that can cause anosmia, it has become well-known since the pandemic started, as it was classified as one of three typical symptoms of COVID-19 before people were vaccinated. Loss of sense of smell occurs during the acute COVID illness but can last long after you have since recovered. Your ability to smell is closely linked to your taste buds so it can make your food taste bland or alter your smell so that things either don’t smell of anything or smell very different. You may detect a charred or burning smell, and can have a knock-on effect on your appetite. You may only be able to smell or taste a little – partial anosmia – or you may find certain smells or tastes unpleasant. You may experience a bad smell all the time, like smelling smoke or petrol, even if it’s not present.

Vertigo the sensation that you are in motion, even when you are standing still, or that everything around you is moving. It feels similar to being on a boat, and can result in the same feeling of loss of balance, nausea and vomiting. The attack typically lasts from a few seconds to minutes, but it can last days. Effects range from minimal to severe enough to affect your daily life, but it's more than just dizziness. Vertigo has nothing to do with a fear of heights. This is a popular misconception that started from the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name. Acrophobia means fear of heights, but it may cause a spinning sensation when looking down from a high place that is similar to some aspects of vertigo.

You have clusters of lymph nodes all over the body, and people often refer to these as glands. Most people have experienced them swelling at the time of a cold or tonsilitis, just under the jawline on either side of the neck. When you’re well, you can’t usually feel lymph nodes (although it is possible to feel ones that are close to the surface of the skin!). They swell up in a normal response to infection, which is when you can feel them more prominently in the neck, armpits or groin. They also sit in the chest and tummy. There are some occasions when one or more lymph nodes may be concerning, and need to be checked out.

Swelling in the ankles, feet or legs is often caused by fluid build-up and we call it oedema. Your legs might look puffy, shiny or stretched, and they might feel a bit sore or heavy and cause difficulty walking. It's quite common in very warm weather, especially if you've been on your feet all day. It often goes away on its own within, but it’s reasonable to see your doctor if it does not improve after a few days or your symptoms are getting worse.

Sweaty palms are also known as palmar hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis, a condition characterised by excessive sweating beyond what is necessary for thermoregulation, can significantly impact the quality of life physically, emotionally and psychologically. Sweating is one of the key ways our body regulates its temperature and effectively cools down. Overactive sweat glands cause individuals to sweat more than needed - this can lead to the experience of sweaty palms. Sweaty palms do not usually indicate a serious problem but on occasion, it can be caused by an underlying condition.

As doctors, we talk about seizures, but the general public use the terms seizures and fits interchangeably. Most people think of a seizure as when someone falls to the ground and their body starts shaking and jerking uncontrollably. But seizures can be more subtle, affecting just one side of the body or one limb, or even repetitive finger or eye movement, or there may be no visible signs, and in an absence seizure a person zones out for a few seconds or minutes without movements. Seizures all have in common a disruption to normal brain activity, and the person affected is unable to control a seizure, put it off, bring it on, or pull themselves out of one. Some occur in sleep, others while awake, some people may become unconscious during a seizure, which can cause a dangerous drop in oxygen levels. Some last momentarily, whilst others last for longer. If you have two or more seizures more than 24 hours apart, this is considered to be epilepsy until proven otherwise. Any seizure which lasts longer than five minutes is a medical emergency and needs immediate medical attention. Medications are used to help control the symptoms as best as possible.

Seizures occur when the brain’s normal communication of electrical activity is interrupted. Seizures in children can occur for several reasons, and the first time they need to go to the emergency department for urgent assessment as to why they’ve had a fit. If no clear cause is found and they have two or more seizures, this is diagnosed as epilepsy.

Nosebleeds are also known by their medical name epistaxis and are extremely common. In most cases, nosebleeds are not concerning and tend to stop on their own within a couple of minutes or with the help of self-administered first aid. The majority of nosebleeds are caused by damage to the lining of the inside of the nose due to picking it or minor damage when you blow your nose. Other causes of a nosebleed include suffering trauma to the nose or head, high blood pressure, poor blood clotting (this can be due to medication or medical conditions), or pregnancy where changes of hormones lead to increased blood flow in your nose and an increased chance of getting a nosebleed. Nosebleeds are also more common in young children and the elderly due to the lining of the nose being more fragile.

If you have a kidney stone stuck, you are likely to know about it. The stones are solid lumps, often with a high calcium content (think limescale clumps). They cause no problems when small or sitting in the kidney. But they cause excruciating pain if they get stuck moving from one of your kidneys, down a tube called the ureter, to your bladder. Most people describe the pain as coming in sharp or cramping waves, causing them to double over until the spasm passes after a few seconds or minutes. This is when your ureter is blocked but this muscular tube is trying to force the stone down by squeezing. You'll feel this from one side of your lower back, round to the front lower part of the abdomen. It sometimes radiates to the vagina, testicle or tip of the penis. This is called loin-to-groin pain. Stones then have to move from the bladder via another tube, the urethra, and out in your urine. This may correspond to more painful spasms as the urethra contracts.

Generalized seizures are a common type of seizure in which abnormal electrical impulses affect the whole brain, temporarily preventing it carrying out its usual function. These are different from another type of seizure known as focal (or partial) seizures, where only a part of the brain is affected. Symptoms of general seizures can vary, and may cause someone to lose consciousness, their bodies and limbs may become rigid and they may have jerking movements. Afterwards, they may feel very sleepy and take some time to regain their full level of consciousness. Epilepsy is the most common condition causing seizures an fits – around 1% of the UK population has it - and is diagnosed if you suffer persistent seizures and are likely to continue getting seizures. Anti-epileptic medication is available to reduce the chance of future seizures. There are 6 main types of generalised seizures; Absences.** These mainly affect children (but can occur in adults) and cause the person to become unaware of their surroundings, sometimes looking as if they are staring into space or daydreaming. This typically lasts for 10-15 seconds and afterwards they have no memory of the event, which can happen several times a day. This means that things like school performance and tasks such as crossing the road can be affected. Myoclonic seizures.** This type of seizure often happens in the hours after waking and causes the body and limbs to twitch for a few seconds. You remain awake the whole time if this occurs. Clonic seizures.** The symptoms here are the same as with myoclonic seizures, but they last longer – for a minute or two – and you can lose consciousness with this type of seizure. Atonic seizures.** These are sudden and cause all the body muscles to instantly relax, meaning you can fall to the ground without warning. Tonic seizures.** In this type, unlike with atonic seizures, all the muscles of the body suddenly become very stiff. This means you can also fall to the ground suddenly as a result of losing your balance. Tonic-clonic seizures.** This is the type of seizure that most people would call ‘an epileptic fit’ and has two stages. First, the body becomes very stiff, and this is followed by generalised twitching of the arms and legs, sometimes with incontinence of urine (wetting yourself). It causes you to become unconscious, and usually lasts a minute but sometimes longer. People may have warning signs that a seizure is about to happen, and this is called an aura. This is because abnormal electrical activities can start in one part of the brain before spreading to the whole brain. If seizures last longer than 5 minutes this is a medical emergency and you need to call 999 for urgent medical attention. If this is a first seizure for someone, they should also get an ambulance to hospital urgently. What triggers a seizure? Many people who have seizures can’t identify any particular triggers, but others can be sensitive to certain conditions – either within themselves or the environment – that make a seizure more likely. Poor sleep, stress, certain medications, alcohol and street or party drugs and flashing lights are all well-known triggers for a seizure. Keeping a diary can be helpful in identifying potential triggers.

A febrile seizure (sometimes called a febrile convulsion or febrile fit) happens when some babies and toddlers have a high temperature (a fever.) It can be alarming and scary to see, but it's usually harmless, and most children make a complete recovery. It’s best to get your child checked out the first time this happens, so take them to the nearest hospital or call an ambulance if your child is having a seizure. Children aged between 6 months and 3 years are most commonly affected, and around 5% of children have a febrile seizure before the age of 6. It doesn’t affect every child, but once they’ve one febrile convulsion, they have a higher chance of having a seizure with the next feverish illness – the chance is about 1 in 3. They are rare under the age of 3 months and after the age of 6.

A faint means a momentary loss of consciousness and is often referred to as a blackout. Doctors sometimes call it syncope or a vasovagal attack, and it’s very common, affecting up to 40% of people at least once in their lives. It usually first happens before the age of 40 (usually in the teens) and typically doesn’t have a serious cause although if it occurs for the first time after middle-age it can be a sign of an underlying health problem.