C1 Esterase Inhibitor Test

Ageing is a natural process, and as much as we don’t like it, it is inevitable. The effect of ageing is different from different organs, and with regard to the brain, dementia is one of the main effects. Dementia is not an isolated condition, but a set of symptoms that includes decreased memory and reduced thinking ability, making it difficult for the person to perform daily activities efficiently. Ageing is one of the main causes of dementia. Dementia is usually progressive, with a person beginning to forget his/her purse, taking pills, etc., and then progressing to forget more important things like close family members’ names or finding one’s way back home.

Though dementia is not reversible, it is possible to control the rate of progression and arrest symptoms if detected in the early stages. There are various reasons for dementia, with senility or ageing being one of the main reasons. Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, hypothyroidism, depression, etc., are some of the other reasons and treating these can help control the symptoms of dementia. Treatment for dementia would include a combination of medications aimed at treating the underlying reason for dementia and supportive palliative care, which forms a huge component of the treatment, which includes the following:

1. Vitamin B12 replacement in people with vitamin deficiency
2. Treat hypothyroidism with thyroid replacement
3. Manage depression with antidepressants
4. Change or substitute medications leading to memory loss
5. Mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease can be controlled with acetylcholine esterase inhibitors like rivastigmine and galantamine; more severe forms with memantine hydrochloride.
6. Manage behavioural changes with antipsychotics
7. Recommend surgical removal if there are brain tumours that cause increased pressure
8. Treat brain infections like encephalitis, if present.
9. Manage risk factors by managing high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and quitting smoking

In addition to the above, supportive palliative care is also very essential. The intention is not to cure, but to improve patient care by including the following:

1. Help the affected person become independent and manage daily activities on their own.
2. Include cognitive stimulation with activities and games to improve memory and cognitive functioning.
3. Validation therapy and behaviour therapy are also used, depending on the symptoms.
4. The affected person would usually feel mixed feelings of anger, fear, anxiety, and sadness. To address this, use medications that improve the mood, control the behaviour, and improve cognitive functions. Support and counselling from friends and family are very helpful.
5. As much as it might be uncomfortable, decisions such as caretaker, type of care, financial planning, etc., should be discussed and decided.

As dementia is irreversible, the key is to detect the symptoms in their early stages. This will help in effective management by arresting the symptoms from progressing, thereby improving the quality of life. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist.

Hereditary Angioedema is a rare skin related disorder and as the name suggests it is also a genetically inherited condition. This condition mainly afflicts the throat, abdomen and the limbs of the patient, with a certain kind of swelling. This swelling can become fatal if not treated on time. Here is everything you need to know about the condition and its treatment.

Causes: A rare genetic mutation of the SERPING1 gene can cause this condition. Usually, this gene is known to produce C1 esterase inhibitor, which is a kind of blood protein. This blood protein is an important element of one’s immune system and is usually involved in the biochemical reactions that control the body’s response to inflammation causing elements. This is done when the blood protein produces a hormone known as Bradykinin. If this blood protein does not function in a normal manner, then there is excessive production of this hormone, which leads to swelling and inflammation.

Type one: There are various types of Hereditary Angioedema that can affect various parts of the body. Type one is one of the most common kinds and can be found on the face, hands, abdomen, throat, as well as feet and genitals of the patient. The severity and frequency of attacks cannot really be predicted and the patient may suffer from attacks throughout his or her life. The best way to treat this type of Hereditary Angioedema is with the help of antihistamine drugs and prednisone which can fight allergic attacks.

Type two: This kind of Hereditary Angioedema has the same symptoms as type one and is caused by a malfunction of the C1 inhibitor, rather than the Bradykinin hormone as one can see in type one. This condition can also be treated with anti-allergy drugs.

Type three: This is very rare kind of Hereditary Angioedema. In fact, medical science is yet to find a conclusive body of knowledge that can point to the exact causes and symptoms of this condition. Coagulation is one of the main causes recognised so far. This condition is much more common in women than it is in men, and it usually shows up as facial swelling.

Timely treatment: While there is no cure for this condition, one can prevent a flare up of the symptoms by taking C1 inhibitors and Bradykinin receptors as well as enzyme inhibitors. It is important to get early treatment for the symptoms and to have constant access to a hospital and its emergency unit. One should also keep track of attacks and symptoms and get regular check-ups done by a doctor to detect the earliest signs of the same to avoid fatalities. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dermatologist.

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a mental health condition, which is usually triggered by an unfortunate event experienced or witnessed by the affected patient in the past. The symptoms of this condition are flashbacks, nightmares and extreme anxiety. The patient also thinks about the event in an uncontrolled manner.

PTSD is a serious mental health condition that can damage the affected person's personality to a great extent. Therefore, the person should be given proper treatment at the earliest. There are various treatment methods for PTSD that can help you in changing how you think about a traumatic event. The treatment options that can be used have been mentioned below:

Counselling:
There are different forms of counselling for treating PTSD which include:

1. Cognitive therapy: It is a therapy where you learn how to change your thought patterns regarding the trauma and allow you to eliminate unnecessary fears.
2. Exposure therapy: It involves talking about the trauma over and over again until the fear departs.
3. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: It is a process where you are made to focus on several forms of distractions like sounds and hand movements while you think about the trauma. A good therapist is very important to bring positive changes in your life by means of counseling therapy. You require a therapist who will listen to whatever you have to say and guide you through everything to make you feel better.

SSRI medicine:
SSRI or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor is a form of antidepressant medicine, which helps you with your sadness and tension. There are certain medicines that are really effective and can be prescribed by your doctor depending on the condition.

Other forms of treatment:
There are several other types of medicines and procedures that can be used for treating PTSD. They include the following:

1. There are other counselling forms, which include group therapy, brief psychodynamic psychotherapy and family therapy.
2. There are other medicines as well for the treatment of PTSD. They include tricyclic antidepressants and atypical antidepressants.
3. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors like isocarboxazid can also be used for curing PTSD.
4. Certain mood stabilizers can be taken along with the medicines such as carbamazepine and lithium.
5. Several antipsychotics, which include risperidone can be used to tackle symptoms such as flashbacks and sleeplessness.
6. Another medicine known as prazosin is also used for dealing with nightmares and sleep disorders caused by PTSD. All kinds of medicines for the treatment of PTSD should be taken only after being prescribed by a doctor.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious mental health condition in which a patient suffers from continuous negative thoughts regarding a traumatic event which has happened in the past. This condition may give rise to other health problems, and immediate treatment is recommended. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist.

Allergic reactions are the body’s way of responding to foreign substances. The body recognizes these substances (be it food, pollens, insect bites, etc.) as antigens and produces antibodies. These antibodies can cause various reactions depending on the severity of the allergen, be it skin rash, hives, or angioedema. In severe cases, there could be swelling of the tongue and the respiratory tract, leading to choking of the airways.

Literally, angioedema means swelling of the blood vessels. These are located in the underlying layers of the skin and their swelling can lead to formation of giant hives, which can be extremely itchy, reddish, and oval or circular in shape. The affected area I usually warm and painful to touch.

Causes

Angioedema is caused due to the following:

1. Food allergies including eggs, peanuts, shellfish, milk, tree nuts, chocolates, etc.

2. Insect bites or stings

3. Pollen, latex, animal dander, poison ivy, and other common allergens

4. Medications like aspirin, penicillin, ibuprofen, and some blood pressure medicines

5. In response to blood transfusions

6. Auto-immune disorders like lupus

7. Conditions like leukemia and thyroid disorders

8. Infections like hepatitis, cytomegalovirus infections, Epstein-Barr infections, etc.

9. Weather conditions like extremes of cold, heat, or pressure

10. Extreme emotional stress

11. Genetic angioedema, passed on from parents to children, which could last forever

While hives usually develop without any warning, the following condition puts a person at risk of developing angioedema.

1. Predisposition to allergic reactions (highly active immune system)

2. Previous history of allergies

3. Genetic history of allergies or angioedema

Most angioedema cases are limited to the skin and hives, but there could be severe cases leading to respiratory distress.

Diagnosis

If it is the first instance of hives, the doctor would ask detailed questions about similar occurrence in the past. They would also check if there are similar hives on other parts of the body like the back, which you may have missed. If required, this examination is followed by allergy testing and blood testing. The allergy testing will help identify if you are allergic to some of the common things which cause allergy. The blood test will look for your eosinophil count, which is usually high in people prone to allergies. C1 esterase inhibitor test and complement particles also can be checked, if there is suspicion of genetic angioedema.

Treatment

This would depend on the severity of symptoms

1. In case of angioedema, admission in hospital may be needed.
2. Tracheostomy may also become essential to save patients life.
3. Vigorous therapy with intravenous medications like steroid, antihistamines and others may be needed.
4. Under medical treatment, antihistamines like cetirizine and loratadine are prescribed. However, severe cases may require steroids like prednisolone.

Prevention

Once you know what caused it, avoid exposure to these substances and further attacks can be prevented. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor.

Hereditary Angioedema is a rare skin related disorder and as the name suggests it is also a genetically inherited condition. This condition mainly afflicts the throat, abdomen and the limbs of the patient, with a certain kind of swelling. This swelling can become fatal if not treated on time. Here is everything you need to know about the condition and its treatment.

Causes: A rare genetic mutation of the SERPING1 gene can cause this condition. Usually, this gene is known to produce C1 esterase inhibitor, which is a kind of blood protein. This blood protein is an important element of one’s immune system and is usually involved in the biochemical reactions that control the body’s response to inflammation causing elements. This is done when the blood protein produces a hormone known as Bradykinin. If this blood protein does not function in a normal manner, then there is excessive production of this hormone, which leads to swelling and inflammation.

Type One: There are various types of Hereditary Angioedema that can affect various parts of the body. Type one is one of the most common kinds and can be found on the face, hands, abdomen, throat, as well as feet and genitals of the patient. The severity and frequency of attacks cannot really be predicted and the patient may suffer from attacks throughout his or her life. The best way to treat this type of Hereditary Angioedema is with the help of antihistamine drugs and prednisone which can fight allergic attacks.

Type Two: This kind of Hereditary Angioedema has the same symptoms as type one and is caused by a malfunction of the C1 inhibitor, rather than the Bradykinin hormone as one can see in type one. This condition can also be treated with anti-allergy drugs.

Type Three: This is very rare kind of Hereditary Angioedema. In fact, medical science is yet to find a conclusive body of knowledge that can point to the exact causes and symptoms of this condition. Coagulation is one of the main causes recognised so far. This condition is much more common in women than it is in men, and it usually shows up as facial swelling.

Timely Treatment: While there is no cure for this condition, one can prevent a flare up of the symptoms by taking C1 inhibitors and Bradykinin receptors as well as enzyme inhibitors. It is important to get early treatment for the symptoms and to have constant access to a hospital and its emergency unit. One should also keep track of attacks and symptoms and get regular check-ups done by a doctor to detect the earliest signs of the same to avoid fatalities.