Health

Every year on World Haemophilia Day, celebrated on April 17, the global medical community turns its attention to a condition long characterised as a man’s disease. However, beneath this traditional narrative lies a silent, growing crisis: thousands of Indian women who carry the haemophilia gene suffer from chronic, debilitating bleeding symptoms, yet remain trapped in a cycle of misdiagnosis. While medical textbooks once labelled women as ‘passive carriers’, the data tells a far more urgent story. According to the World Federation of Hemophilia, nearly 33 per cent of people living with haemophilia globally are female, yet the Hemophilia Federation India notes a massive registration gap, with tens of thousands of women likely missing from official records. Experts now reveal that 1 in 3 wo...

After enduring the heartbreak of repeated second-trimester pregnancy losses and the uncertainty of a condition that made carrying a pregnancy extremely difficult, a 34-year-old Kolkata woman’s journey to motherhood found hope through a rare and high-risk surgical intervention by doctors in the `City of Joy`. It began as a critically fragile pregnancy but was successfully carried to term, culminating in the birth of a healthy baby girl. Bidisha Majumder, a dietitian by profession and a resident of Garia, had a journey marked by repeated setbacks. Her first pregnancy in early 2024 ended in a miscarriage. Later that year, she conceived again, but at around 18–19 weeks in January 2025, she went into sudden preterm labour and lost the baby in an emergency. It was during this critical phase at...

As Mumbai experiences rising temperatures this summer, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued a yellow alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and parts of Maharashtra on April 15. They have also predicted hot weather and heatwave conditions in parts of state including Sangli, Solapur and Akola. While heatwaves are now becoming a regular phenomenon due to rising global temperatures, Mumbai, which has become a concrete jungle, is also facing the wrath of the heat, which can affect a lot of people in different ways. It is also why people need to stay safe especially when they are stepping out during the summer season.A poster issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the same post explains the phenomenon and how it affects the body and the need for heatstroke manag...

A new population-based study from Sweden has found that individuals born with low birthweight face a significantly higher risk of stroke in young adulthood, regardless of their body mass index (BMI) or gestational age at birth. The findings were presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO2026) in Istanbul, Turkey, highlighting the importance of early-life factors in adult cardiovascular health. Researchers, including Dr Lina Lilja and Dr Maria Bygdell of the University of Gothenburg, analysed data from nearly 800,000 Swedish men and women born between 1973 and 1982. The study linked information from the Medical Birth Register, the National Conscription Register, the National Patient Register, and the Cause of Death Register to track stroke incidence until December 31, 2022. The ...

Bread and other carbohydrate staples may be doing more than just filling plates--they could be quietly reshaping metabolism. In a surprising twist, researchers found that mice strongly preferred carbs like bread, rice, and wheat, abandoning their regular diet entirely. Even without eating more calories, they gained weight and body fat, not because they overate, but because their bodies burned less energy. Bread has long been a dietary cornerstone, sustaining societies for generations. It is deeply woven into everyday life. But with obesity rates continuing to climb, researchers are beginning to question whether this reliance on staple carbohydrates still makes sense in modern diets. Obesity increases the risk of many lifestyle-related diseases, making prevention a major public health pr...

Talegaon doctors have given a 63-year-old man battling advanced lung cancer a new lease of life with timely treatment. Struggling with severe breathlessness, constant cough, and swelling over the body, his condition had progressed to a stage where even basic daily activities became difficult. The doctors used advanced radiation therapy to help alleviate his symptoms and improve his overall condition, highlighting the impact of precision-based cancer care in critical cases. The patient, who is a resident of Talegaon, had been silently battling worsening breathlessness, a persistent cough, puffiness of the face, and swelling across his body for three weeks. At his age, even simple daily activities became exhausting, and his condition gradually took a toll on his strength and independence. ...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a pivotal role in accelerating drug discovery, enabling precision medicine and shaping a smarter, innovation-led healthcare ecosystem, according to experts.  Pharma leaders emphasised reimagining processes rather than merely digitising existing systems. They highlighted the growing importance of strong data and technology foundations to enable scalable AI adoption and stressed the immediate benefits of automation in improving clinical efficiency. The first day of the 9th ‘India Pharma 2026’ witnessed four high-impact plenary sessions that brought together policymakers, industry leaders, regulators and technology experts to chart the future of India’s pharmaceutical and life sciences ecosystem. The inaugural plenary session highlighted the urgent ne...

Weight-loss injections have become a popular choice among young people preparing for weddings, but doctors have raised concerns over excessive loss of facial fat and muscle linked to these treatments. According to Dr Ajaya Kashyap, director of KasMed Centre and Senior Consultant in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery at Apollo Spectra Hospital, many young people are opting for such treatments while looking for prospective matches and ahead of their wedding day. "Several young people seek weight-reducing treatments while looking for prospective matches and before the wedding day. There are surprisingly as many men as women. The current modality of choice for them is tirzepatide or semaglutide, sometimes couples with some targeted areas of liposuction," he said. Dr Kashyap also shared a case wh...

For years, a 31-year-old teacher silently endured severe pain during her periods, believing it was simply a normal part of being a woman. The pain was so severe at times that she often relied on painkillers and occasionally struggled to maintain her routine at work. When she and her husband finally began planning for a baby, the dream of motherhood suddenly seemed distant after doctors diagnosed her with severe endometriosis and low ovarian reserve (AMH), conditions that often make natural conception difficult. However, in a remarkable turn of events, timely laparoscopic surgery and specialised treatment has helped her conceive naturally and later welcome a healthy baby girl, 3.1kg kgs through a planned C-section, transforming years of pain and uncertainty into a story of hope. A silent...

As many as 17,675 visually impaired persons across seven states and 30 cities have regained eyesight through eye donation over the past 24 years, driven by awareness efforts of the Eye Bank Society of Rajasthan, officials said on Sunday. Despite the life-changing impact of eye donation, people are still not coming forward in adequate numbers due to prevailing myths and lack of awareness, the NGO said. According to data shared by the society, a total of 27,307 corneas have been collected since its establishment in 2002, enabling free transplants for thousands of beneficiaries. Society president B L Sharma said lakhs of people are waiting for corneal transplants, and this gap can only be reduced if awareness increases and more people pledge to donate eyes. He said several myths discourag...