What Happens When Diabetes Remain Untreated for Years?
The death toll in India has been increasing rapidly since 1990 to 2016. One of the big reason behind it is Diabetes and it’s treatment. One would be shocked to know that diabetes as a life-threatening disease. India stands for the second rank with 69.1 million people affected after China with 109 million people affected by diabetes.
Usually, Diabetes cannot be identified at the initial stage but it catches our eyes when one drastically lose weight and show other symptoms of high blood sugar. If diagnosed at the initial stage, it can be cured real easily, if not, one might have to face many health issues. As per an international expert, diabetes complications typically starts with 5 years; within 10 to 15 years, the majority of the patients will progress to have multiple health issues’.
So, what really happens to a human body when it inhabits diabetes over a long period of time?
Diabetic Eye Diseases: This set of diseases includes eyes diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema (DME), cataract, and glaucoma. These diseases can result in a person to lose their vision or worse, total blindness. Effects of these complications depend on how badly they have been affected by diabetes.
Increases Fat and Cholesterol: A severe untreated diabetes over a long period of time can result in the reduction of the formation of good cholesterol and increases triglyceride and bad cholesterol. The density of more bad cholesterol leads to many other health issues such as weight gain, obesity, high blood pressure etc.
Heart Diseases: Base on the previous point, severe diabetes increases the chances of heart disease and stork as more and more amount of bad cholesterol get stored in the heart. This is common in old people and usually known as diabetic dyslipidemia. It is a fatal condition which may increase the possibilities of atherosclerosis or coronary heart disease.
Kidney Failure: High level of sugar present in the body creates difficulties for the kidney to work properly, which often gets damaged or attains other kidney disorders. Though it does not happen with all the diabetic patients, it is better to get treated as soon as possible or else it can arise a question of mortality.
Damages Nerves: Nerves are the medium through which our brain transfer messages to different parts, organ, and functions of our body. A long-term diabetes is said to damage nerve cells which also simultaneously increase difficulties to carry-out our day to day works. This disorder of nerves is known as Neuropathy which further has its own classification.
Deformed Foot: As the long nerves are demolished, the lower limbs get weaker which may cause bunions, flat feet, and other deformities.
Reduces Life-span: All the above-mentioned disease or health hazards increase the complexity of life and sometimes it becomes tough to survive with these abnormalities.
No disease or health-related issues are immortal if it is ignored for a long time. From a minor cough to diabetes every problem not only has side-effects but also treatments. A reliable diabetes treatment can cure all your diabetic problems.
The History of Antibiotic and Its Evolution
The word antibiotic refers to two words, anti means to oppose and biotics means life. Thus, the term antibiotics refer the drugs which are against the living cell. Then why do we consume them? Well simply because the bio cells in consideration is not the host human, but instead the bacterial pathogens that cause infection and side effects.
You can find the antibiotics drugs for a range of medical conditions and illnesses. They predominantly destroy the bacterial growth, but few of then also prohibits the growth of protozoa as well. Antibiotics for virus-related illness is mostly a misnomer as the correct term for the same would be antiviral drugs.
Antibiotic is an indispensable part of today’s medical science. But how did its journey started? Only a few are aware of. The golden era of antibiotics began in early 1909 with the successful invention of salvation to cure syphilis. But the most noteworthy invention was that of the penicillin in the year 1928 by Alexender Fleming. This was a turning point int he timeline of medicines.
The utilization of penicillin was at its peak during the year 1941, when the penicillin was processed in batch for mass production. It cured a wide range of infections in all over the world. These include minor to mild eye infection, bacterial growth, blood poisoning and lots more. Moreover, its role in treating the soldiers from the World War II is unparallel. Eventually, the oral penicillin was fabricated any produced.
However, with time, it was observed that not every individual was responding positively to the use of penicillin. Few individuals did not respond to this particular antibiotic at all, and for few others, their condition even worsened on its application. Thus came to the time of the invention of erythromycin in the year of 1949.
Gradually, several antibiotics were discovered and produced for usage over the several next decades. In the present time, there are many antibiotics available in the market. Several of these are over the counter drugs and thus, it does not need any medical prescription for buying them. However, it is always recommended to get a medical checkup before buying and using any medicine.
As we are witnessing the World Antibiotic Awareness Week in the month of November, we, the ILS Hospitals, pay our respect to all those scientists medical personals, who spend hours in researching and inventing these drugs.
Key Facts About Diabetes and the Importance of World Diabetes Day, 14th November
Our body produces several types of hormones and insulin is a rather crucial one for the proper working of our body. Due to the disbalance of levels of insulin, a deadly disease surfaces, which is known as diabetes. The diabetes is a condition in which either the pancreas fails to produce insulin, or the body fails to utilize the produced insulin to maintain the blood sugar level in the bloodstream.
Key facts about Diabetes
The count of people seeking diabetes treatment increased approximately from 108 million to 422 million from 1980 to 2014.
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death among men and women from all over the world, as per WHO
About 50 percent of the deaths due to high blood pressure, is a resultant of diabetes
Diabetes is preventable, particularly the type 2, in spite being a genetical trait, through timely, medical aid along with proper diet and regular exercise.
Prevalence of diabetes over the age of 18, has increased from 4.7 % to 8.5 % from 1980 to 2014.
Diabetes is more prevalent in low to middle-income nations.
Diabetes in later stages brings additional illnesses as well. These include slow healing, kidney failure, foot amputation, heart attack, blindness,
Diabetes claims about 1.6 million death annually.
Diabetes in India
As of now, more than 35 million people are diagnosed positive for diabetes in India. Moreover, the CPR (Crude Prevalence Rate) of diabetes is around 9 percent in urban India and 3 percent in a rural population of India. Thus, the number of people suffering from diabetes is highest, as compared to any other country. The IGT (Impaired Glucose Tolerance) of Indian people is significantly high as well. Thus the number of mobile seeking diabetes treatment is highest as well. Thus it is important that people are aware of the symptoms and treatment of diabetes.
World diabetes day and its importance
On 14th November, we observe wold diabetes day every year. It came into existence in the year 1991, by the joint effort of IDF (International Diabetes Federation) and WHO (World Health Organization). It mainly came into existence to address the increasing threat of diabetes over the health and wellness of people from all over the world.
The WDD (World Diabetes Day) is the biggest diabetes awareness campaign in the world, as it reaches more than 1 billion people globally spread in over 160 countries.
Early Symptoms of Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer is the most common type of cancer that starts in lungs. It is the number one death causing cancer in both men and women than colon, ovarian or breast cancer. Through the ling, carbon dioxide is released and oxygen is inhaled. There are two types of lung cancer. They are small cell lung cancers (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC).
Cigarette smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. The more cigarette consumption per day, the greater the risk of developing lung cancer at an early age. The other factors include passive smoking, air pollution or exposure to radon gas and asbestos fibers. It is difficult to detect lung cancers at an early stage as they do not cause any symptoms initially. But it is advisable to visit the doctor as soon as you notice any signs of discomfort related to the same in order to treat it at an early stage. ILS Hospitals is one of the popular hospitals in Kolkata for lung cancer treatment. There are many specialized doctors available for the treatment of this life taking disease.
The common symptoms of lung cancer include :
- A prolonged cough or worsening of an existing chronic and painful cough
- Coughing up blood or blood in sputum
- Constant chest or shoulder pain
- Fatigue and feeling tired all the time
- Loss of appetite
- Shortness of breath or wheezing
- Weight loss
- Ongoing chest infections
- Hoarseness
- Depression and mood changes
One should immediately consult the doctor if any of the above symptoms persist for an effective treatment. The treatment should begin before cancer spreads outside lungs otherwise it can spread anywhere in the body. It may cause the following:
- Bone pain in the back or hips
- Changes in the nervous system such as a headache, weakness in arms or legs, disbalance of a body, might spread to the brain or spinal cord.
- Jaundice that might lead to the liver
- Formation of lumps due to cancer spreading to the skin like above collarbone or the neck.
Since it is difficult to diagnose lung cancer at an early stage, it is advised to consult a doctor if a similar sign is being observed or felt in the body as mentioned above.
Therefore, Lung Cancer Awareness Month takes place every November to make people aware of the earlier signs and symptoms of this life-taking disease. The main aim of this campaign is to spread awareness amongst all on how to detect this disease at the right time to save a life.
A Complete Guide to Night-Blindness
What is Night Blindness?
With the word blindness, one might think of complete blindness after it is dark, well, that’s the whole myth. Night Blindness is a condition where a person is unable to see things clearly at dark or may face difficulties in seeing things in the dark. It is also called ‘nyctalopia’.
Though some category of night blindness can be treated with a proper diet and medication, some require surgery and there are some which cannot be treated at all. It’s better to consult an Eye specialist, that doing anything by one’s own self so that one can take necessary steps for its treatment.
What are the causes of Night Blindness?
Night Blindness can be caused due to various reason. The most common causes of night blindness are discussed below:
- Vitamin A Deficiency: We all have studied this during our school day. The deficit of Vitamin A causes or leads a person towards night blindness. Vitamin A, also called retinol, plays a role in transforming nerve impulses into images in the retina. The retina is a light-sensitive area in the back of your eye. Prescribe nutritional diet can help to restore the condition back to normal if diagnosed at the initial stage.
- Genetic Disorder: Like many other genetic factors, a person might also inherit disorder such as night-blindness. Usher syndrome, which is another related genetic condition that affects both hearing and vision.
- Abetalipoproteinemia: This is an inherited condition where a body may not absorb the required necessary nutrition from the food, which later may cause the deficiency of vitamins and minerals which will result in first cause mentioned above.
- Cataract: It is a condition of eye lenses were a dense cloudy appearance stands between the person and the clear vision. It develops slowly and eventually interferes with your vision. You might end up with cataracts in both eyes, but they usually don’t form at the same time. Cataracts are common in older people above 70 years.
- Diabetic retinopathy: It is a condition that occurs as a result of damage to the blood vessels of the retina in people who have diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy can develop if you have type 1 or 2 diabetes and a long history of uncontrolled high blood sugar levels. It might also result in total sight loss if remained untreated.
What Is Low Birth Weight And Its Main Causes
After a full term of pregnancy, a baby is born with body weight ranging between 2500 to 4200 grams in order to live a normal functional life. However, very often some of these babies are born with exceptionally lesser weight than medically considered as ideal. These babies need critical care and are often kept at special care units of maternity hospitals.
As per World Health Organization, babies having a body weight of 2499 grams or less are considered as low birth weight. This is further subdivided into very low birth weight (having less than 1500 gram) and extremely low birth weight (having less than 1000 grams).
Having a low birth weight puts the baby subjected to developing a wide number of medical complications, both in short term and in long term.
Causes of low birth weight
The low birth weight is either caused due to preterm birth or due to being small for the gestational or environmental factor of the prenatal growth and development.
Preterm birth
The gestational period ideally consists of 37 weeks and any pregnancy than matures before this duration is considered as preterm birth. Being born before the ideal time than the baby is supposed to, results in making the baby susceptible to multiple medical issues and being born with a low birth weight is one of them.
Being small for gestational age
As already mentioned, the gestational duration does play an important role. However, some babies born with low birth weight even with a full term. This happens when the baby is doing full term but is underdeveloped with respect to his or her age. It is often a result of some or the other medical or genetic condition. As any malnourished individual would perform less and will be less immunized, the rules apply same for an infant only to a bigger proportion.
Environmental factors
Several factors such as a young age of mother, previous low birth weight babies, multiple pregnancies, poor nutrition, substance abuse and malnourished prenatal stage etc contribute towards negatively affecting the birth weight of the baby. It also includes exposure to smoke, pollutant air, water, lead and other toxic substances as well.
As already mentioned, the babies having a low birth weight is highly likely to suffer immense adverse health conditions. Thus, every family having an expectant mother is advised to take proper care of the mother and the child in every aspect to ensure a safe pregnancy and healthy child. In case of any doubt, it is always wise to approach a maternity hospital as soon as possible.
History, Evolution, And Importance Of Stethoscope In Medical World
The very first thing that everyone visualizes about a doctor is undoubtedly the stethoscope. A stethoscope is a medical device with a disk-like resonator, which is placed on the chest and a set of ear piece to enable hearing of the same. It is used to trace the auscultation, which is the technique of listening to the internal sounds produced inside the body.
Doctors of almost every domain in the hospitals carry a stethoscope for primary evaluation of the patients approaching the facility for check-up and treatment. But earlier what happened when the stethoscope was yet to be invented? Let’s understand in brief, how medical evaluations were carried out along with the birth of the first stethoscope.
Before the discovery of stethoscope, the doctors used the technique of simultaneous percussion and auscultation. For the same doctors used to put their ear directly on the chest of the patient. Though the procedure remained effective for a considerable amount of time, it was awkward for both the doctors and patients, when a lady patients were involved and the obvious fact that the number of female doctors in the world could have been counted on fingers.
The same problem was faced by the French physician Rene Laennec as well, in the year 1816, when he was to treat an overweight young lady, suffering from some type of cardiac and respiratory problem. To avoid embarrassment, he rolled up a few sheet lying around in a tube like structure and placed it over the heart of the patient and listened from the other open end.
To his surprise, this method yielded an excellent result and he began administering the same for all his patients. Also being a musician, he himself invented an improved structure, the monaural model with only one ear piece.
In the year 1819, he made the findings public and with time the model was improved as more and more physicians began to understand its importance. In the year 1851 came the first ever bi-aural stethoscope.
The ones we see these days are similar to the ones manufactured around the early 1930s, with a few changes in the aspect of material and the resonator etc. Gradually, the stethoscope was used alongside the sphygmomanometer to obtain the blood pressure as well. Nowadays some stethoscope also comes with a recording device to keep a record of the same for the future evaluation.
It is the first and foremost pathological device for diagnosis. We pay our tribute to the great minds that invented and improvised this useful medical device, which is literally the icon of medical science in the world.
A Brief Introduction Of Endoscopy
Endoscopy is one of the most employed diagnostic probes that are used in the domain of medical science in the leading hospitals of India, which also includes Kolkata. The term endoscopy literally means to ‘look inside’ and for medical purpose, it rightfully enable the doctor to look inside the body and figure out the probable cause of any discomfort or as a treatment approach for some medical conditions. The technique is very similar to a laparoscopic surgery and is done by inserting a particular kind of instrument into the cavity and hollowed organs.
There are multiple types of the same depending upon the site on the body. Also, the patient may or may not be given a dose of anesthesia, depending upon the procedure. Endoscopy in broader term refers to the procedure, in usage, it is synonymously used for the procedures carried out in the upper gastrointestinal tract, primarily inserted through the nose or mouth.
An endoscopy is a highly efficient procedure to determine the underlying cause of any illness or discomfort without opening it up by making a large incision. Several times, it is also used to extract a few tissues for the site for the purpose of biopsy and other screenings. Though it is a bit rare and executed only when a possible case of cancer or malignancy is suspected. It also proves to be an extremely beneficial tool to determine the effect of any medication and new treatment procedure.
As already mentioned, for upper gastroenterology, the endoscopic probe is mostly inserted through the mouth, nose or rarely through a small cut made on the epidermal layer of the skin. It is stitched back after the completion of the procedure. The endoscopic procedure is almost similar to that of a laparoscopic surgery.
To aid the visuals, the endoscope probe also comprises of a cold light source and camera, which projects the real time image of the internal organ. The internal images can either be decoded and evaluated by the pathologist directly or can be screened and saved, for the respective doctor to analyze it later.
The endoscopy is an extremely popular diagnostic tool in the medical world. It is usually sufficient for determining the underlying cause. After it reveals the primary results, it might lead to either oral medication, drug therapy or surgical approach, depending upon the individual case and type of illness.
Why an Operation Theater Is Called So
Several times, the oral medication and therapy cannot cure a medical condition entirely and then it requires surgical care. Hospitals are equipped with several operating rooms to carry out these surgical procedures. These operating rooms are also known as Operation Theater.
Though the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the term ‘theater’ is mostly associated with a building that displays either real time or recorded film, play or stunt shows. The word theater comes from the Greek origin word ‘theatron’ which literally means ‘a place for viewing’. Then why is it associated with the sterile room, where no one but patient and medical staffs is allowed is called a theater?
It is a misnomer for the modern day operating room but is actually justified for the pioneer operating room, which was functional centuries ago. In the earlier times, the operating room had a sitting arrangement around the operating table. The medical student and interested people were allowed to be present and witness the procedure as it was carried out. This gallery resembled like the theater and the purpose being operation, gave rise to the term correctly as ‘Operation Theater.’
The purpose was to provide live, practical knowledge regarding surgery to the next generation of doctors and also to advertise the procedure in the newspaper and other keen participants. In fact, the number of people willing to witness (and also pay) this was so huge, that often operations had to postpone until a bigger theater is arranged.
Obviously, it did more harm than good. Unlike today’s operating procedures, the earlier rooms, equipment’s were not sterilized and also the doctors used to carry out these procedures one after the other without changing into a clean set of gloves, mask or gown. Due to exposure to germs, and infections, the number of death post-surgery were sky high.
Thankfully, with time, every negative aspect was addressed and improved. In current times as well, medical students attend several surgery procedures along with their senior doctors in the hospitals. However, that is purely for learning the purpose and they all maintain the same level of hygiene and sterility as the doctor and thus it no longer possess any threat to the health and recovery of the patient. Moreover, video recording of surgery has eliminated the singular need to be physically present in the operating rooms anymore.
Though having a surgical procedure in the aforementioned operation theater in the present era will be a nightmare for both the patient and the doctors, it must be remembered that medical science did not evolve into this current day scenario overnight. It took a lot of efforts from so many people over the ages and we are obliged to every single of them.
A Brief Introduction of Gynecomastia
We all have heard at some point in time that, it is important to love oneself, at every condition to be happy. However, it is rather difficult to do, than to say when an individual is suffering from a condition, they are very embarrassed from within. Gynecomastia is certainly one of such condition that qualifies for the same and can turn any man’s life into a nightmare. Often a surgical solution is the only way to make things better.
Gynecomastia or male breast enlargement is a condition characterized by enlargement of breasts in men. This swelling occurs due to the proliferation of fatty tissue underlying the breast. The breasts are the symbol of feminism and maternity and play a vital role in the well-being of a newborn baby in terms of providing nutrition and immunization from several diseases. Having well-developed breast in case of any men is not only useless but more like an embarrassment.
Even though most of the times the cell growth is non-malignant, which means it like not likely to grow into cancerous growth, but it may possess some difficulties and discomfort such as pain, swelling, and adjustment required to sleep to getting dressed. Also, the deformation of the normal chest contour of a man can hamper the self-confidence and social image, leading to depression and low esteem.
It has been found that the count of men suffering from this condition reach as high as 65 percent, however, not all of them require surgical intervention. Reason being several male individuals encounter this condition solely during the adolescent age due to hormonal change. With time, it readjusts on its own, eliminating any correction treatment. Some other men acquire this condition while battling with obesity. As obesity itself is a condition of accumulating fat, the breasts are no exception. However, work and metabolic treatment often address the situation.
This leaves with that individual who is seriously suffering from this condition and is in desperate need of proper medical help. Though oral medication and hormonal therapy can help with the entire treatment, often the breast reduction surgery is required to settle the problem completely. It is either done through liposuction or tissue extraction, depending on the condition.
With proper medication, if required a surgery at the best hospitals in Kolkata and help for family, friends and support groups, this condition can be overcome completely.