Dr. Dipti Yadav

Dengue is caused from the bite of the ‘Aedes Aegypti’ mosquito. This mosquito has been known to breed and survive in tropical and subtropical regions. A waterborne disease, it causes extreme discomfort and pain, even death is a possibility. Statistics suggest that each year, the number of people afflicted with dengue is around 390 million. Out of this huge number, 96 million tend to develop severe illnesses wherein hospitalization becomes mandatory.

Causes

1. It is primarily caused due to the bite of the ‘Aedes aegypti’ mosquito.

2. A mosquito becomes infected with dengue if it bites an already infected person. The disease can be transmitted to any healthy person that this infected mosquito bites next.

3. Living near a stagnant water body or an open drain makes you the most vulnerable to this disease. Letting water accumulate in open containers or spaces over a period of time makes it the perfect breeding ground for all types of mosquitoes.

Symptoms

On being infected, the symptoms generally last for around 10 days. Some of the common symptoms are:

1. Excruciating pain behind the eyes

2. Severe headache

3. Sudden high fever with chills

4. Vomiting

5. Fatigue

6. Skin rash which generally appears two to five days after you get infected

7. Nose bleeding, easy bruising and bleeding gums

8. Severe muscle and joint pain

It should be noted that these symptoms can be easily mistaken for high fever or any other viral infection. Therefore, getting tested as soon as these symptoms start appearing is very important.

If the dengue is left untreated or not treated on time, it can result in dengue haemorrhagic fever. This condition causes nose bleeding (due to damage to the blood vessels), high fever and failure of the circulatory system as well as the enlargement of liver.

Ways to prevent dengue include

1. Avoid storing water in containers

2. Wear clothes that cover your whole body, if possible

3. Maintain hygiene and clean your immediate surrounding frequently

4. Use mosquito repellent

5. Use a mosquito net around your bed

In worst case scenarios, death is a possibility as a result of dengue haemorrhagic fever or dengue shock. Many countries consider dengue to be an epidemic. You need to be on complete bed rest while drinking adequate amounts of fluids if you need to recuperate from dengue.

Treatment

There is no specific antiviral medication that is available for the treatment of dengue. In general, Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is usually recommended for treating fever and pain associated with dengue. Medications such as Aspirin, other salicylates and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) must be avoided. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.

It is often believed that eggs tend to heat up your stomach and, hence, should be avoided as much as possible. People believe that eating eggs during the hot summer months can lead to detrimental health effects. One of the reasons attributed to this belief is that eggs contain copious amounts of cholesterol, which can generate tremendous amounts of body heat.
However, contrary to popular belief, eggs do not heat up your system and perfectly safe for consumption during the season of some summer.
Having eggs for breakfast helps you with the following:
1. Cholesterol Factor - To be precise, a single egg provides 212 mg of cholesterol out of the recommended 300 mg. However, cholesterol in your diet does not raise the cholesterol levels in your blood. This happens because the liver produces a high quantity of cholesterol each day, and when you eat more eggs causing your cholesterol levels to rise, the liver starts producing less of it. In fact, a study found that eggs didn't raise cholesterol in 70% of its test subjects.
2. Provides Choline - Choline is a substance, which is required by the body to build cell membranes and to perform a horde of other functions like liver function, brain development, nerve, and muscle function. Lack of choline could lead to disruption of these functions. Whole eggs contain more than 100 mg of this less known nutrient, and therefore, should be a part of your diet.
3. Contains Lutein and Zeaxanthin - One of the gradual symptoms of aging is worsening eyesight. There are many types of nutrients that help in countering this degenerative process. Two such nutrients are lutein and zeaxanthin, which eggs are rich in. These two antioxidants help to build up the retina of the eye. Moreover, they also help in preventing eyesight conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration. Eggs are also rich in Vitamin A, the lack of which is the most common cause of blindness worldwide.
4. Reduces Risk of Stroke - For many decades, eggs have been unfairly criticized. A popular misbelief was that high cholesterol in eggs made them a cause for cardiac problems. In a review, which accounted for 17 studies and a total of 263,938 participants, no associations were found between eggs and heart diseases. Eggs are also highly filling and help to lose weight to a certain extent. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dietitian/Nutritionist.

How Are the STDs spread?

Many STIs are spread through contact with infected body fluids such as blood, vaginal fluids, or semen. They can also be spread through contact with infected skin or mucous membranes, such as sores in the mouth. You may be exposed to infected body fluids and skin through vaginal, anal or oral sex.

An overview & list of STD symptoms in women

Most STDs don’t produce symptoms or, if they do, result in vague or generic flu-like symptoms that could be the result of many different conditions. It can be difficult to determine the cause of symptoms due to an STD without getting tested. Women are more likely than men to suffer symptoms such as bumps, itching, or burning urination due to a sexually transmitted disease/infection, especially in the genital region. Without those first noticeable signs of an STD, infections often go unnoticed and untreated, which can cause long-lasting or even irreversible effects if left untreated.

Common STD symptoms in women:

• No symptoms
• Discharge (thick or thin, milky white, yellow, or green leakage from the vagina)
• Vaginal itching
• Vaginal blisters or blisters in the genital area (the region covered by underwear)
• Vaginal rash or rash in the genital area 
• Burning urination
• Painful urination
• Pain during intercourse

Less common STD symptoms in women:

• Bleeding or spotting between menstrual cycles
• Painless ulcers on the vagina
• Pelvic pain
• Lower back pain
• Fever
• Nausea
• Sore throat (after oral sex)
• Swelling of the joints (knee, elbow, etc.)
• Rectal pain, bleeding, or discharge (after receiving anal sex)

When symptoms do occur, they typically appear within days or weeks of exposure to an STD. Often, symptoms never appear or go unnoticed. Even if an infection never results in obvious symptoms, the STD can still be transmitted and progress into a more serious condition that may result in irreversible side effects. Regular comprehensive STD testing is the only way to guarantee a clean bill of sexual health. It is especially important to get tested for STDs after risky or unprotected sexual act.

Male STD Warning Signs & Symptoms

Many sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are characterized by ambiguous or even flu-like symptoms in the early stages, making it difficult to specifically identify a sexually transmitted infection. For men, especially, a lack of symptoms is not a reliable measure of whether an STD is present. The symptoms that usually alert men to the presence of an STD are bumps or rashes on the genitals, discharge, discomfort or itching in the penis or testicles, or pain while urinating or ejaculating. Even a symptomless STD infection can have long-lasting or irreversible effects if left untreated.

Common STD symptoms in men:

• Being asymptomatic or experiencing no symptoms at all
• Blisters on or around penis
• Spots, bumps or lesions on the penis
• Discharge (clear, white, or yellow)
• Oozing from the tip of the penis (thick or thin)
• Painful urination
• Painful ejaculation
• Itching on the tip of the penis
• Rash on the penis, testicles, or groin

Less common STD symptoms in men:

• Sore throat
• Fever
• Chronic flu-like symptoms
• Pain in the testicles
• Swelling of the testicles
• Swelling of the epididymis (known as Epididymitis)
• Swelling of the urethra (known as urethritis)
• Swelling of non-sexual joints (elbow, knee, etc.)
• Rectal pain, discharge, or bleeding (after receiving anal sex)

STD symptoms in men usually take a few days to develop, but can take up to weeks (if there are symptoms at all). A lack of symptoms is often mistaken for a lack of an STD, but an infection can continue to progress even in the absence of symptoms. Because men so often don’t show symptoms, the only way to be sure that an STD is not present is to get tested regularly, especially after unprotected sex.

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