The development of bumps and blisters on your skin surface accompanied by severe itching are the symptoms of a skin condition known as scabies. It is caused by a burrowing mite called sarcoptes scabiei. A patient experiences itching in the affected area and the urge for itching gets increased during the night. Scabies is a contagious disease and spreads rapidly among people via a physical contact.

Symptoms
Thin and irregular burrow tracks or blisters are common symptoms of scabies. These tracks generally appear in the folds of the skin. Commonly, scabies appears in the following areas:

Between the fingers
In the armpits
Around the waist and along the insides of the wrist
On the inner elbow, soles of the feet
Around the breasts, buttocks, knees and shoulder blades
In case you had scabies previously, the symptoms usually develop within a few days after exposure. For first-time occurrences, six weeks are required for the symptoms to appear.

Causes
The eight-legged female mite which causes scabies burrows beneath the skin, produces a tunnel and deposits egg in it. After being hatched, the mite travels to the skin surface. Here they become mature and spread to other areas. The body s allergic reaction to the mites, the eggs and their waste material causes the itching. Vigorous scratching of the scabies infected skin can break the skin, allowing a secondary bacterial infection to develop, like impetigo. A severe type of scabies known as crusted scabies can affect some people. 

Crusted scabies usually affects people suffering from chronic heart diseases due to which the body s immune system gets weakened. People who are very sick, hospitalised and aged people in nursing homes may develop crusted scabies. This type of scabies is scaly and crusty, covers large areas all over the body and is difficult to cure.

Treatment of scabies
The involves the elimination of the developments using medicines. There are several lotions and creams, which can be used on a doctor s prescription for treatment. These creams should be applied all over the body. After the application, the medication should be left for eight hours. In case of recurrence of rashes and burrows, a second treatment may be required.

It is important to consult a doctor for proper treatment of scabies. Usually, treatment is recommended for all family members and close friends of an affected person, even though no symptoms of scabies appear in these people.

Scabies - How Dermatological Treatment Can Help?

Varicose Veins is a condition in which an individual s veins become swollen and warped or twisted, which is visible on the skin. This condition most often is prevalent in the legs but can occur in any part of the body. Varicose Veins is a common medical condition with a few symptoms and signs. It affects the skin tone and texture for which some people undergo a treatment.  

These symptoms might not affect the person seriously, but they can get severe depending upon different conditions. Usually, Varicose Veins does not require medical treatment, but if it gets severe, then one needs to see the doctor or undergo surgery, which happens rarely. This condition can be easily diagnosed through physical examinations, but one might need to undergo some medical tests depending upon the severity of the condition.

Problems Related to Varicose Veins:

Some of the most common problems related to Varicose Veins are:

Telangiectasias: In this condition, blood vessels form a cluster, mostly on the upper body and face. They appear red and can be caused by many reasons such as genetic disarray, liver problems, pregnancy, or viral diseases. Although this is not something to worry about, one should consult the doctor if other symptoms accompany it too.

Spider Veins: This condition of Spider Veins is concerned with the smallest blood vessels called Capillaries. They are called spider veins because they develop mostly on legs and face and appear like a spider web. They are a moderate form of telangiectasias and hence does not really need medical treatment.

Varicoceles: Varicoceles appears in the scrotum region of the male body or over the testicle skin. This condition might result in infertility in males. A doctor should be immediately consulted if such a condition is seen.

Symptoms:

The Varicose Veins is not a serious medical problem unless the patient is going through severe pain and significantly manifested symptoms. There are many symptoms to identify the condition.

A visible cluster of blue or purple looking veins.

Frequent leg cramps.

Shrinking of skin of the ankle as a result of Lipodermatosclerosis (hardening of fat under the ankle skin).

Veins become tumefy or swollen and warped or twisted.

Ankles become swollen.

Throbbing legs.

Blood clots.

An unusual amount of bleeding in the affected part with a small injury.

Restless leg syndrome.

Scars like white, irregular patches on the ankle (Atrophie Blanche).

Redness, itchiness, and dryness on the affected area (stasis dermatitis or venous eczema).

Skin Discoloration.

Skin ulcers.

Precautions:

There are some precautions that one can take to relieve the pain caused by Varicose Veins.

Avoid standing for a longer period of time.

Maintain a healthy and balanced weight.

Sitting with legs straight and uncrossed.

Exercising.

Avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes.

Elevating legs while relaxing.

Take away:

Varicose Veins is a condition in which blood vessels get clustered in a part of the body under the skin. The veins appear blue or purple and become swollen and twisted. This condition is often not a serious medical problem, but in some cases, it might need surgery to avoid any serious issue. This can be treated by precautions and medications, but one can undergo surgery to get rid of the texture and view of the clustered veins. The recovery of Varicose Veins is quicker.

Varicose Veins - What You Must Be Aware About?

When is Your Throat Pain, a Serious One?

Throat pain mainly occurs due to two conditions-'sore throat' or 'strep throat'. Often the terms 'sore throat' and 'strep throat' are used interchangeably, but they don't indicate the same thing. While a sore throat is a condition mostly followed by common cold, runny nose or congestion; strep throat is a bacteria-induced infection. The bacterium called Streptococcus is responsible for strep throat.

The most common reason behind a sore throat is a viral infection like flu or cold. So, if you've a sore throat that is caused by virus, there is no reason to worry as it can be treated easily. But if you are suffering from strep throat or streptococcal infection, then antibiotic drugs for additional treatment will be required to avoid complications.

Signs and symptoms of a strep throat (which indicates that your throat pain is serious and needs attention) include:

Pain while swallowing food
Sore throat which usually persists for more than 48 hours
Small red spots at the roof top of your mouth
Swollen and red tonsils at times with streaks of pus or white patches
Fever
Swollen, benign lymph nodes in your neck
Headache
Rash
Body aches
Vomiting or feeling of nausea, especially amongst younger children

When these signs and symptoms become noticeable, you need to promptly visit your doctor for test and treatment. And, if the reports indicate strep throat, then your doctor will prescribe you some oral antibiotics to reduce the complications and severity of symptoms so that it doesn't spread to others. You are advised to follow your prescription properly and stay indoors for at least a day after starting your medication.



When is Your Throat Pain, a Serious One?

Risk factors and complication of scabies

Scabies is a type of skin conditions that causes itching and rashes. This dermatological condition is caused by Sarcoptes scabiei, a microscopic mite. It is a contagious condition, which can spread through physical contact. An estimate shows that scabies infects over 300 million people worldwide per year.

This eight-legged microscopic mite creates a tunnel in the human skin and lays eggs in it. These larvae move under the surface of the skin and spread across the whole body, once hatched. Dogs, cats, and mice can also be affected by this disease. It usually takes 2-6 weeks for the symptoms to develop. Signs and symptoms of scabies involve itching, rashes, sores and thick crusts on the surface of the skin.

Some of the risk factors of scabies are:

- Scabies spreads through direct, prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a person who has mites.
- An infected person can easily pass scabies to his/her household or sexual partners. Scabies in adults is usually sexually acquired.
- The likelihood of scabies increases easily under crowded conditions, which involve close body and skin contact. Nursing homes, prisons, and several types of care facilities are sites of scabies outbreaks.
- Immunocompromised, elderly and disabled people also suffer from an increased likelihood of contracting this skin condition.

Complications of scabies include:

- Persistent and vigorous scratching can break the surface of your skin, which can lead to secondary bacterial infections. Impetigo, a superficial infection, is a quite common occurrence in such cases.
- Crusted scabies, the most severe form of scabies, can be common in certain groups. People suffering from diseases such as HIV or leukemia who have weakened immune systems as well as severely ill people have high risks of contracting this condition. This condition, also known as Norwegian scabies, is very contagious and also hard to cure.



Must Know Risk Factors and Complication of Scabies

As we are all aware that there is an explosive outbreak of H1N1 swine flu infection in India. The high risk groups are pregnant women, people above 60 years of age, infants and children. I would recommend you the following to keep yourself protected and also help in stopping the spread of infection:

1) If you have fever and cough, seek immediate treatment. Insist on testing for H1N1 and take Tamiflu as per results.

2) Use handkerchief when you cough. Cover your mouth and nose to prevent spread to others.

3) Isolate those patients who are positive for H1N1.

4) Eat healthy food and exercise daily to keep your immunity intact.

5) Vitamin C is a good immunity booster for viral infections.

6) Avoid travel to areas where there is an outbreak.

7) Use N95 mask for protection - especially nurses and other health care workers who deal with positive patients.

8) Get yourself vaccinated with influenza vaccine - especially those who are in the high risk group.

If you have any more questions, please contact me.

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Act before swine flu strikes you down!

The respiratory system, through which air enters the body, is prone to disorders, and most of them are infections. Micro-organisms thrive in the air around us, and can gain easy access to the system through the air that we inhale. Therefore, respiratory issues are very common, but also not always a cause for concern. Most respiratory disorders would have common symptoms including coughing, chest pain, sputum production with varying features, shortness of breath, wheezing, etc. 

Read on to know the symptoms of common respiratory disorders, so you are equipped to handle them.

Asthma: Asthma is one of the most common respiratory issues. The trigger could be extreme cold, excessive pollen in the air, stress, etc.
Common cold: This is a common disorder of the upper respiratory tract. This could be due to allergy or infection. There is difficulty breathing, labored breathing, runny nose, and extreme lethargy. The throat is also sore and there is a scratchy, itchy feeling at the back of the throat.
Bronchitis: The bronchi are the further branches through which air flows, and these when inflamed cause bronchitis. Often caused as an infection, this produces a cough that can throw up a lot of sputum.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: This often occurs with ageing and also due to smoking. This produces chronic coughing, difficulty to throw out air easily without effort. There could also be phlegm, which can be colorless (unlike an infection)
Tuberculosis: This is a bacterial infection of the lung tissue, and there is shortness of breath, a cough which persists for more than 5 weeks, and greenish-yellowish sputum. The person also would have very low energy levels, and sometimes blood in the sputum too.
Pneumonia: Pneumonia again is an infection of the lung and can be caused by bacteria or virus. This again causes chest pain, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, and a greenish sputum.
Lung cancer: With smoking and environmental pollution on the rise, the instances of lung cancer have also been on the rise. This is usually diagnosed in the later stages as the symptoms are confused with any common respiratory disorders and ignored. Chest pain, chronic cough, difficulty breathing, and voice changes are some common symptoms of cancer.
Emphysema: Caused predominantly by smoking, this causes breathing difficulties and reduces the amount of air available for exchange in the lungs. There is no cure, but quitting smoking can reduce the severity of the condition.
Know that prolonged problems with respiratory tract require further investigation and should not be ignored as just another attack of cold and cough.

Signs Of Most Common Respiratory Disorders!

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