Do you know that Huntington s disease is an inherited disease? This condition leads to the progressive degeneration of the nerve cells present in your brain. Huntington's disease has severe impact on several functional abilities of an affected person and results in psychiatric, thinking and movement disorders.

Causes
Huntington s disease occurs from an inherited defect present in a single gene. It is a form of autosomal dominant disorder, which indicates that a person requires just one copy of the defective gene for developing the disorder. Except the genes on the chromosomes, two copies of every gene are inherited by a person. The affected parent may pass along the defective gene copy or the healthy copy.

Symptoms
Commonly, the symptoms of Huntington s disease start appearing during midlife. It may also affect a person during childhood. The symptoms of this disease vary from person to person. Abnormal movement and weight loss are common symptoms, which occur in all stages.

Early stage

The usual early stage symptoms include the following:

Slight coordination changes, which affect balance and make you clumsy
Uncontrollable fidgety movement
Stiffness and slowing
Irritability and depression
Problems with thinking in difficult situations
Middle stage
With passing time, the symptoms start interfering more with the patient s daily life and activities. You may start dropping things, face trouble with swallowing, and talking. Staying organized may get tough. Certain emotional changes are indicated.

Later stage
In the later stage of Huntington s disease, a patient becomes dependent on others for taking care of them. A patient cannot walk or speak, and fidgety movements are likely to become more severe or may subside.

Treatment
Huntington s disease has no fixed cure. Several measures are followed for managing the symptoms. They are as follows:

Medications are used to manage fidgety movements. Other medicines are also used for controlling any other side effect experienced.
Speech or language therapy may be beneficial in case of speech and swallowing problems.
Physical therapy may help you in improving your control movements. Assistive devices like handrails can be used for managing your changing physical abilities.
Nutritional support is used in which special utensils are used to focus on a nutrient-rich diet.
Exercise is also important for patients with Huntington s disease as it enables them to stay active and fit.
In case you experience any symptom of Huntington s disease, it is important for you to consult a doctor immediately. This is a severe disease and early diagnosis and treatment will prevent the condition from worsening.

Huntington's Disease - Understanding the Stages of Symptoms!

Vertigo is a feeling that your head or your surrounding is spinning. It is an illusion of movement. People with vertigo cannot bend down to pick up stuff, as they may feel the spinning sensation.
There are two types i.e. objective and subjective. Vertigo is said to objective when the surrounding seems to be spinning; subjective is when the person feels their head is spinning. Vertigo can be slightly mysterious to diagnose. There are, however, some causes which can help you understand it better. There are two main types of vertigo: Central and Peripheral. Central vertigo is when there is an issue in the brain that is causing vertigo. Middle ear problems leading to vertigo is known as peripheral vertigo.

Central vertigo:

Paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): Also known as, Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). These episodes are benign and occur in paroxysms or spurts. The person will feel the attack with simple actions like turning over in bed. They do not last long, often about 20 to 30 seconds.
Migraine: Known for the severe headaches, migraine can also cause vertigo.
Head trauma: This type of vertigo usually subsides with time as the person recovers from trauma.
Neck injuries: Injury to nerves and blood vessels in the neck can also lead to vertigo.
Health conditions: General health issues like arteriosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes lead to vertigo.
Stroke or blood flow blockage: When blood does not reach the base of the brain, it can result in vertigo.
Peripheral vertigo:

Middle ear infections: Labyrinthitis (either bacterial or viral) a middle ear infection can cause vertigo. Common viruses include herpes, influenza, measles, rubella, hepatitis, and EBV.
Meniere s disease: Another ear problem causing vertigo is Meniere s disease. This is known for its 3 symptoms   vertigo, ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and hearing loss. This can be caused by various factors, some of which can include ear infections, head injuries, or heredity. The exact cause of the condition is not established clearly.
Acoustic neuroma: A tumor of the nerve tissue in the inner ear may cause vertigo. The person can also have hearing loss and ringing sensation.
Other causes of vertigo include:

Pregnancy: During the first trimester, in particular, the various hormonal changes can cause vertigo. The expanding uterus puts pressure on the blood vessels, leading to reduced blood supply to the brain, which can also induce vertigo. As the baby continues to grow, lying on the back can put pressure on the blood vessels to the heart, causing vertigo.
Stress: It is known to worsen vertigo, which a person may already have. Anxiety and panic attacks are known to worsen vertigo.
Travelers: Be it ship, air, or train, some people experience a spinning sensation with any form of travel.


Vertigo In Adults - Why It Happens?

STDs or STIs are usually transmitted from one person to another through body fluids while being in a physical relationship. Herpes, Chlamydia, HIV and gonorrhea are some of the common STDs you may be susceptible to. These diseases are extremely unpleasant and usually cause long term health issues. Sometimes they might even be fatal. Here are a few ways you could use to prevent yourself from getting affected with STDs:

    Abstinence: The best and most certain way of preventing STDs is practicing abstinence. Although abstinence from any type of sexual activities including oral, vaginal or anal sex is a surefire method of prevention, it is not a very realistic method to do so. If you don't want to practice abstinence, make sure you educate yourself about other prevention methods.
    Single partner: Practicing monogamy in terms of sex is the safest kind of sexual activity. Make sure both you and your partner get tested for any STD. If you and your partner are not suffering from any STD and you both agree to practice monogamy with each other, then you automatically cut down on the risk of suffering from STDs.
    Talk: Talk to your sexual partner about his/her sexual health. Inform him/her about yours as well. Avoid having sex with someone who does not inform you with his or her sexual health information.
    Avoid taking drugs or alcohol: Try not to get drunk or take drugs before having sex. They reduce inhibitions which actually tend to make you reckless. You tend to become more adventurous and do not keep the sexual hygiene in mind at that time. Using a condom in the influence of alcohol and drugs can also result in a condom failure. Be sober enough before you have sex.
    Do not indulge with a person with symptoms: If someone shows symptoms of suffering from any kind of STD, do not indulge in any sexual activity with him or her. Refrain from having sex with him or her until he or she is treated by a doctor.
    Take precaution: Use different forms of protection while having sex to prevent pregnancy as well as STDs. But you have to realize the fact that these forms of protection are not full proof and always have a slight percentage of risk embedded in them.

Be extremely careful before you indulge in any type of sexual activity with anyone. After all, your health is in your hands.

How To Best Prevent Yourself from STDs or STIs

It might happen that you may not find your child, at twelve months to two years of age, at the same level as their peers in verbal communication. You think it's just a developmental problem they are facing and put off seeking professional advice; an intrinsically wrong step to take, because your child might be suffering from Speech Delay.
Delayed speech, or alalia, can be roughly defined as a delay in the development and use of the biological mechanisms that produce speech.
The symptoms of speech delay are roughly categorized into age related groups, generally beginning at the age of 12 months and continuing through the early adolescence, and they are:
1. Age-12 months
a. It is indeed a symptom if your child cannot point at objects or cannot manage gestures, such as waving good-bye.
b. Another symptom is that if your child does not prefer to communicate verbally as much as his/her peers.
2. Age-15-18 months
a. If your child is unable to pronounce familiar syllables or simply cannot call you even by this time, it's a worrying symptom.
b. You find your child unable to, or simply not reciprocating to 'no', 'hello', 'hi', 'bye'.
c. If your child is unable to extend his/her vocabulary up to 15 words by fifteen months, then it's a symptom.
3. Age-2-4 years
a. You find your child unable to spontaneously produce speech and words.
b. Another worrying symptom is if your child is lacking consonant sounds at the beginning and end of words while speaking.
c. If you still find your child unable to form simple sentences and words, then it is indeed a troubling symptom, confirming the disorder.
The causes for the speech delay disorder are:
1. A primary cause can be physical disruption in parts of the mouth such lips or palate, which may be deformed.
2. Another serious cause can be an oral-motor dysfunction which is the disruption in the creation of the specific area of the brain which deals with speech and communication.
3. The disorder can also be attributed to impairment in the development of the child's intellectual, receptive and expressive abilities.
4. There can also be psychological causes involving school environment and peer relationships which might lead to disruption of speech patterns and reluctance in speech expression and development.

Causes and symptoms of Delayed Speech

Improvements in medical technology and surgery techniques have made so much possible. With organ transplants becoming relatively simpler and less risky, many critical health conditions can now be resolved. Liver transplants are one of the most common and patients going through the agony of life-threatening liver diseases now have hope.

What is a Liver Transplant?

When the patient s liver is damaged to the extent that functioning is severely impaired and regeneration is not possible, a liver transplant is advised. In the transplant surgery, the diseased liver is removed and replaced by whole or part of healthy liver from the donor.

Types of Liver Transplants

Based on the type of donor, liver transplant can be classified as deceased donor and live donor transplantation.

Deceased Donor Transplants (DDLT): A "brain dead" person can be a liver donor if they had pledged their organs previously or if their relatives consent for organ donation. The healthy liver can give a new lease of life for an ailing patient.
Live Donor Liver Transplants (LDLT): A blood relative or spouse may donate a part of their liver to the patient (subject to compatibility). As the liver is a regenerative organ, the donor's liver will function normally and the recipient will have a completely new liver. At Kauvery Hospital, a detailed evaluation of the prospective donor is done to ensure that the health risks are minimized and complete recovery is achieved.
Donor Safety

Donor can lead a normal and physically active life with no restrictions. Lifelong medications are not required and women can enjoy pregnancy and motherhood.

Who Needs A Liver Transplant?

A person with end-stage liver disease is a candidate for a liver transplant. The failure can happen over a period of time or be a sudden occurrence, due medical conditions or reactions to drugs (ALF). Following are some of the common reasons for liver failure.
Alcoholism: Long term drinking can lead to end stage liver disease.
Biliary Atresia: Absence of bile ducts since birth.
Chronic viral Hepatitis: (Hepatitis B & C)
Haemochromatosis: An inherited disorder that overwhelms the body with abnormal levels of iron deposits including liver.
Liver Cancer: (Hepatocellular carcinoma) Cirrhosis increases risk of liver cancer. Transplantation early would offer potential cure.
Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: (PBC) An unusual condition with immune mediated destruction of the bile ducts resulting in failure of the liver.
Non Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis (NASH): It is a common cause of liver disease seen in those with metabolic syndrome (Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, Hypothyroidism and Dyslipidemia with or without Hypertension). Unlike alcoholic or viral hepatitis, it occurs in people with no inherent liver problem.Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: (PSC) The bile duct gets scarred and narrowed, which blocks bile drainage, ultimately leading to failure of the liver.
Wilson's disease: A very rare inherited disease that causes abnormal levels of copper deposition throughout the body including liver, ultimately causing liver failure.
What does a Liver Transplant Involve?

First stage: Evaluation: A team of specialists will evaluate the patient to determine if transplant is the best option or if any other course of action will be better. This includes review of the patient's medical history and a number of investigations.

If a patient is found to be a suitable candidate to undergo transplant, we proceed to the second stage where his or her name is placed on the waiting list if he or she opts for cadaveric liver transplant.

A scoring system based on medical criteria determines the priority. In general, sicker the patient, greater is the necessity for transplant.

Third stage: Donor becomes available. When a suitable donor has been identified, the patient is contacted and informed about donor's medical condition. If the patient consents, he or she will have to come to the hospital. Some basic tests will be repeated to ensure that the current condition is safe for surgery. Surgeons and anesthetists involved in the transplant will meet the patient and brief him or her about what to expect. Once all the test results are found to be satisfactory, we proceed for surgery.

 The Procedure

While aspects of the surgery vary from patient to patient, the procedure typically takes between 8 to 12 hours to complete. Once the surgery is over, the patient is shifted to the ICU where he or she will stay for 3 to 7 days. At this stage, various tubes are connected to the body to enable it to carry out its natural functions. These are gradually removed as and when deemed appropriate. From the ICU the patient is shifted to a room for 2-3 weeks. In total, patient spends about 3-4 weeks in the hospital while undergoing transplant.

Discharge & Recovery

Once the doctors deem that the patient can return home, he or she is discharged from the hospital.
A follow up schedule is given to the patient so that complete recovery is monitored. Before discharge, patient and family will be trained on how to take medicines and what precautions to take. The number of medications will reduce over time as the recovery progresses.
The pace of recovery depends upon several factors. In general, a patient may be able to resume daily activities by 1 month and resume work by about 3 months after the surgery.

The Liver Transplant Process!

Every organ is important for the human body to perform its functions normally. Kidneys too are vital and are responsible for removing the excess fluid and toxins from the body. If the kidney is not functioning properly, then the patient is advised to undergo dialysis treatment. In some cases, the patient is advised to undergo a transplant. However, in any case, the patient has to follow a healthy diet, for the treatment and the medicines to work positively.

Suitable diet during dialysis
Most of the patients are not aware of the diet prescribed for dialysis. Though it is always advised to consult a dietician before following any diet for the condition, it is also advisable to gain some knowledge about what the dietician might suggest, so that one is not clueless about the treatment. In a majority of the cases, food containing potassium, phosphorus, low-fat cholesterol, and sodium is included in the diet of these patients. However, these are prescribed in a limited amount and vary from patient to patient.

Sodium: The sodium level of the dialysis patients needs to be controlled; and this can be done by eating food items that have a low sodium content, not more than 2,000 mg. Hence, the quantity of snacks, pudding, and chips are to be reduced in the diet chart.
Potassium: The level of potassium also needs to be kept in check to avoid further deterioration of the kidney. Bread, certain vegetables, and grains contain a high amount of potassium. Moreover, various salt substitutes contain potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride. Large intake of these foods may affect the kidney permanently. Hence, these are majorly excluded from the diet. The patients are advised to include tomatoes and bananas in their diet, though not on a daily basis.
Phosphorus: The patient is advised to avoid foods with high phosphorus. This includes milk and dairy products and grains. However, while on dialysis, meat is important as it gives enough protein despite being high on phosphorus. But, an abundance of meat in the diet may affect adversely. Hence, this is advised, but kept in control.
Cholesterol: To keep cholesterol amount in check during dialysis, the patient needs to cut down on fruits and vegetables and specific fat diets, while eating a sufficient amount of fish.
Protein: High protein food is necessary for a patient with a kidney disease. Meat is an excellent source of protein. Along with that, poultry, fish, and eggs are important, as well. Hence, all this is included in the diet.
Fluids: Dialysis helps in removing the excessive waste fluids from the kidney. But, to keep the body hydrated, the patient is allowed liquid intake, but only up to a certain limit.
It is necessary to maintain a proper diet during dialysis, as it quickens the treatment as well as helps the patient recover quickly.

Undergoing Dialysis - What Should Be Your Diet?

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