GSSM Cardio Respiratory Centre

World Hepatitis Day or WHD takes place every year on 28 July and it is designed to raise awareness about viral hepatitis and to influence real change. WHD, endorsed by the World Health Organization, unites patient organisations, governments, medical professionals, and civil society, as well as the public, to boost prevention measures for fighting viral hepatitis like vaccination.

In the simple terms, hepatitis means injury to your liver due to inflammation. There are five main types of hepatitis and the type that you are suffering from is determined by a laboratory test. All the five main types of hepatitis are caused by viruses. Out of the five, Hepatitis C and B are quite big. Globally, around 250 million people are affected by hepatitis C and 300 million people are estimated to be hepatitis B carriers.

Fact sheet on hepatitis

1. Hepatitis A & E is caused by consuming contaminated water.
2. Hepatitis B, C and D is transmitted through infected blood to blood contact.
3. Hepatitis C is usually spread via direct contact with the blood of an infected person.
4. The initial symptoms of hepatitis are the same as those of flu.
5. Hepatitis can heal on its own causing no significant liver damage; however, if it progresses, it can cause extensive liver scarring and extensive damage of your liver.

Most liver damage is caused by 3 hepatitis viruses, and these are hepatitis A, B and C. 

How do you safeguard yourself against infection from these three dangerous hepatitis viruses?

The most common cause of concer is that a lot of us who are infected with hepatitis, especially hepatitis B don’t know that we are. The biggest bulwark against hepatitis is periodic testing and vaccination. Vaccination is available for most hepatitis viruses including A and B, which tend to be extra virulent.

So, do take care and go for periodic testing. We are reiterating this because if you are infected with hepatitis B and are not treated you can develop serious problems of the liver, including liver cancer. In fact, nearly 1 in 4 people living with hepatitis B develop serious liver problems including liver cancer. Hepatitis B related liver cancer is a leading cause of fatality and getting tested for hepatitis can help you access life-saving treatments that can prevent serious liver damage.

Other ways to prevent hepatitis are
Hepatitis A

1. Wash your hands with soap after using the toilet
2. Only consume freshly-cooked food
3. Only drink bottled or boiled water
4. Only eat fruits that can be peeled. Don’t eat fruit that has been cut and kept
5. Avoid eating raw vegetables
6. Vaccinate yourself against hepatitis A if you travel a lot.

Hepatitis B

1. Practice safe sex by using condoms
2. Only use new syringes for injections
3. Do not share toothbrushes, razors, or manicure instruments with others
4. Vaccinate yourself against hepatitis B
5. Take care while getting tattooed. Only use brand new tattoo needles. Also, ask for new needles during acupuncture treatments.

Hepatitis C

1. Avoid sharing toothbrushes, razors, and manicure equipment
2. Cover open wounds if you are infected
3. Don’t share needles. Always ask for fresh needles.
4. Use only well-sterilized equipment for acupuncture, piercing, and tattooing etc.
5. Cut down on alcohol
6. Do not share drug needles

If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor.

A migraine is considered to be one of the worst headache of all. It causes excruciating pain along with a range of other symptoms. Notably, a migraine pain is very different in nature compared to general headache. A migraine pain is mostly felt on any one side of the brain. Since a migraine is difficult to diagnose, here is a list of 5 signs that will help you to understand, if your headache qualifies as a migraine:

1. Vision splotches: It is very common among migraine patients to experience blind spots and a sudden flash of light. While this might appear to be a little unusual, it is pretty normal for migraine patients. The visual cortex of the brain is responsible for incidences like these. They often pace up and slow down to cause such unnatural feelings. For cases like this, the nerve gets activated by the optical lobe and crashes immediately resulting in such sensations. These visible auras are felt by both the eyes.
2. A spinning sensation: A migraine patient often gets a swirling sensation. This requires them to immediately lie down. This is accompanied with nausea and throwing up. Certain migraine-induced changes caused in the brain causes hearing imbalance which is very similar to vertigo. These auras often serve as the onset of a migraine and can last for over one hour before the actual migraine cycle starts. If a person is suffering from these symptoms, it is a clear indication that he is suffering from a migraine.
3. Light sensitivity: Migraine patients often becomes oversensitive to sound and light. This is perhaps the reason why most migraine sufferers like to spend more time in dark and solicitude. Studies have shown that sudden exposure to light activates the optic nerve fiber which in turn activates the pain receptors in the brain. A study conducted by the Nature Neuroscience journal conducted in the year 2010 showed that even blind person (with a migraine) suffers from a sudden glow of light.
4. Touch sensitivity: Sensory auras often cause sharp pain from tiniest of touches. This is a condition known as the allodynia. This is a condition by which the spine and the brain get super excited by the inflamed blood vessels. This condition should be reported to a doctor since the most common medicine of a migraine does not work well if a patient is suffering from allodynia.
5. Funny Face: Aura of the tongue, face and lips are known as cheiro-oral. There is a type of aura that makes even speaking and eating difficult. At time sufferers feel that they are suffering from serious diseases such as brain tumor. If this condition prevails, it makes sense to consult your doctor at the earliest and start medication.

Lung diseases are some of the most common diseases suffered by human beings throughout the world. Smoking and infections are responsible for most lung diseases. The lungs perform one of the most important functions of the body. It is also one of the most active organs in the human body and hence lung problems can arise due to problems in any other part of the body. Some of the most common and infectious lung diseases are discussed below:

1. Asthma
Asthma is a common long term disease which is characterized by reversible airflow obstruction and bronchospasm. The symptoms of asthma include coughing, shortness of breath and tightness of chest. These symptoms may occur frequently during a day and depending on the person, it may become worse during night or during a certain exercise.

2. Pneumonia
Pneumonia is another common lung problem which is suffered due to inflammation in the microscopic air sacs in the lungs known as alveoli. Symptoms of pneumonia include dry cough, chest pain, breathing problem and fever. Pneumonia is caused most commonly by viruses or bacteria. It is also caused by certain medications and conditions which are popularly known as autoimmune diseases. There are a number of vaccines available to prevent certain types of pneumonia. Other methods include hand washing and refraining from smoking.

3. Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a very infectious disease which is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it has been known to affect other parts of the body as well. Symptoms of tuberculosis include cough containing sputum with blood, night sweats, fever and weight loss. Air is an active medium for spreading tuberculosis. This happens when people who already have tuberculosis sneeze, cough or speak. Infection occurs more in those who have HIV/AIDS or those who smoke. Prevention of tuberculosis includes staying away and keeping those who are at high risk, early detection and treatment and vaccination.

4. Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer which affects the lungs. It affects the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath, swollen abdomen, cough, chest pain, weight loss and general lethargy. Mesothelioma is caused mainly due to exposure to asbestos. Those people who mine asbestos, produce products from asbestos, work with asbestos products are at high risk. Mesothelioma also results from genetical problems and due to infection caused by the simian virus 40.

5. Pulmonary Embolism
This is a disease caused due to blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance which has travelled from another part of the body by the bloodstream. Symptoms of this disease include chest pain, breath shortness and coughing up of blood. There may also be signs of blood clot in the legs. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disorder which causes abnormal swelling of the body joints due to a sudden attack to the joints by the immune system of the body. This disorder is fairly common in the body parts that are more frequently used such as the knees, fingers, shoulders, wrists, elbows and the hips. Although rare, this disorder can also affect the ligaments or the tendons along with kidney, lungs, eyes or the heart.

This disorder tends to be chronic. Although the exact cause of the disease is still unknown, the loss of immunity generally leads to the disorder. Thus people who are obese, regular smokers, or who have had a family history of this condition are the most vulnerable to this disorder.

Symptoms

The symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis are:

1. Severe pain in the joints.
2. Severe pain coupled with high fever.
3. Stiffening and inflammation of the joints, resulting in intense pain.
4. Exhaustion, fatigue and sudden weight loss.
5. The pain gets aggravated in cold weather conditions.

Treatments

If rheumatoid arthritis is not treated immediately after diagnosis, it might cause further complications in the future such as lymphatic blood cancers, osteoporosis (a medical condition resulting in brittle and weak bones), blockage of the arteries and dry mouth syndrome (Xerostomia).

The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis includes:

1. Prescribed dosage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen and Naproxen, anti-rheumatoid drugs such as Methotrexate and steroidal drugs such as Prednisone help in reducing inflammation and pain. The dosage depends on the intensity of the condition.
2. Performing regular exercises which will help you retain flexibility of the joints and subsequently cure rheumatoid arthritis.
3. In extreme cases, the doctor might suggest surgeries such as:
   • Synovectomy: A surgery that removes the damaged portion of the joint
   • Joint fusion: This option will realign the joint and reduce the pain If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a internal specialist.

Pulmonary hypertension is a medical condition that arises when the blood pressure remains consistently high in the vessels of the lungs. This condition can develop from a completely unrelated medical condition and is more prevalent among women. 

Pulmonary Hypertension can be a hard disease to diagnose. While it has no permanent cure, the medication depends on how far the disease has advanced. From group 1 PAH to group 5 PAH, pulmonary hypertension has 5 stages of advancement. 

Here is a list of 10 ways by which this disease can be kept under control along with the prescribed medication:

1. Quit smoking: Smoking aggravates pulmonary hypertension. It has adverse effects on both the heart and the lung. It is therefore of utmost importance to quit smoking. If you fail to control your urge of smoking, contact your doctor who can suggest a quitting plan.
2. Avoid high altitude: Patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension should avoid flying and living at high altitude. An altitude of 8000 feet and above can worsen the symptoms. It is therefore suggested that you do not take flights for travelling or come down below the altitude of 2428 meters if you are living in hilly areas.
3. A healthy diet: A healthy diet consisting of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat and whole grains should be consumed on a daily basis. A nutritious diet goes a long way in keeping pulmonary hypertension in check.
4. Adequate rest: A minimum of 8 hours of sleep is recommended for patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension. A good night’s sleep and frequent naps keeps fatigue at bay. 
5. Pregnancy and birth control pills: Avoiding pregnancy is a must for patients suffering from this disease. Pregnancy can be life threatening for the both the baby and the mother. Birth control pills should be avoided as well. It greatly increases the chance of blood clots. 
6. Maintain a steady blood pressure: Any activities that lower the blood pressure should be avoided by all means. Spending too much time in a bathtub or prolonged stress increases the chances fainting.
7. Become more active: Patients of pulmonary hypertension often run out of breath with little to no activity. While activities such as weight lifting should be strictly avoided, some exercise or daily jogging can fetch good result in keeping a patient healthy.
8. Get vaccine on time: Doctors often suggest vaccines if the patient suffers from pneumonia or influenza. It should be ensured that such vaccines are taken on time. For patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension, prolonged exposure to diseases such as pneumonia can wreak havoc.
9. Regular checkup: Regular follow up with the doctor is of prime importance. Any possible side effects or deterioration can be arrested with constant supervision.
10. On time medication: Patients of pulmonary hypertension should ensure that all the medicines suggested by the doctor are taken at regular intervals as per prescribed dosage. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a pulmonologist.