Health

A team of researchers has shown that people with long COVID are likely to be at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.  The research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, found that the risk of conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias and coronary artery disease is higher even among those who were not hospitalised during the acute infection. “We found that cardiac arrhythmias and coronary artery disease were more common among both women and men with long COVID. In women, there was also an increased risk of heart failure and peripheral vascular disease,” said Pia Lindberg from the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet. However, no clear association was found between long COVID and stroke. According to the study, l...

Just a few minutes of vigorous activity each day may lower one`s risk of eight major conditions, including arthritis, heart, liver and kidney disease and dementia, according to a study. While short bursts of intense, out-of-breath activity, such as running for the bus, were liked to lower disease and death risk overall, they were especially protective against inflammatory diseases, including arthritis, serious cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke) and dementia, the findings published in the European Heart Journal show. Physical activity is known to bring down risk of chronic disease and premature death, with vigorous activity providing more benefits per minute. "But questions remain about the importance of intense activity versus total physical activity," author Minxue Shen, ...

A new study has found that nearly 1 in 3 Indian fever patients test positive for serious infections, based on testing data collected between 2023 and 2025.  The analysis by healthcare diagnostics company Thyrocare covers over one lakh (108,324) individuals who underwent comprehensive fever package testing across India. The findings show that nearly one in three individuals who opted for comprehensive fever testing were diagnosed with a serious infection, including dengue, typhoid, malaria, chikungunya, or leptospirosis. In India, fever is often brushed off casually. “Just viral." “Wait it out." “Rest and basic medication". But diagnostic data from 2023 to 2025 tells a far more alarming story, one that turns casual reassurance into a dangerous oversight. Behind what appears to be an ordin...

Intensifying its drive to curb adulterated food, Hyderabad police have seized a large number of ice and lassi candies laced with harmful chemicals.  The sleuth of the Commissioners Taskforce, Golconda Zone Team, along with Mehdipatnam police, raided an ice cream parlour at Ahmed Nagar, in the First Lancer area, and apprehended its owner, Syed Musharafuddin, who was manufacturing and supplying ice candies and lassi in an unhygienic environment. The team seized material valued at Rs 5.44 lakh. According to police, the accused was intentionally using harmful chemical substances illegally for personal gain. The police seized 92 packets of ice candies, with each packet containing 180 ice candies and 20 packets of lassi candies, with 210 lassi candies in each packet. They also seized 300 gla...

In a rare neurological case, Kolkata doctors have successfully diagnosed and treated a man with severe headaches giving him a new lease of life.  Probir Guha, a 47-year-old resident of Jadavpur, had been suffering from persistent and severe headaches for over two and a half months.  Dr. Jayanta Roy, director and head – Neurology, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur, diagnosed the condiiton as Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension (SIH), a disorder caused by a drop in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure (that cushions and protects the brain and spinal cord) due to a leak at the spine. The patient was treated using a minimally invasive procedure known as an autologous epidural blood patch by Dr. Indranil Ghosh, Consultant – Neuroanaesthesiology, Neurointensive Care, Pain and Palliative Care Special...

In a significant achievement for Tripura’s healthcare sector, government-run Govind Ballabh Pant Medical College and Hospital in Agartala has successfully conducted two consecutive kidney transplants for the first time in the state’s history, officials said on Tuesday. Hospital Superintendent Dr Bidhan Goswami said this milestone was made possible through the dedicated efforts of Chief Minister Manik Saha, a dental surgeon who holds the health portfolio. With the completion of the sixth and seventh kidney transplants on Monday and Tuesday (March 30 and 31), the medical college and hospital have now performed a total of 7 successful kidney transplants. In all cases, both donors and recipients are reported to be stable and healthy. The two latest transplants were conducted under the supe...

In another medical miracle this March, a private hospital in Faridabad has successfully performed a complex bilateral robotic knee replacement on a six-foot-six-inch tall Kenyan man, the hospital said on Monday. It claims to have set a world record for the procedure on the tallest patient using the largest implant size. According to an official statement, the surgery was led by Dr Anurag Aggarwal, clinical director - Orthopaedics & Joint Replacement, Marengo Asia Hospitals. The patient, Victor (54) had been suffering from severe pain in both knees for the past three to four months and was finding it increasingly difficult to walk, it said. Despite undergoing conservative treatment in Kenya, his condition did not improve, prompting him to seek advanced care at Marengo Asia Hospitals,...

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and MLA Vipin Singh Parmar on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Himachal Pradesh government over the introduction of robotic surgery facilities. The BJP MLA alleged that the move prioritises high-end technology over strengthening basic healthcare infrastructure. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Parmar said that the state`s health system is already under severe strain, with a shortage of essential staff and facilities across medical institutions. MLA Parmar said, "I have been consistently raising the issue of robotic surgery, but the reality is that health institutions in Himachal Pradesh lack basic infrastructure. In many hospitals, there are operating theatres and surgeons, but no anaesthesiologists, no radiologists, and no trained assistants...

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday shed light on abdominal or central obesity as a greater risk factor compared to overall obesity, particularly in the Indian context, where even lean and thin-looking individuals often carry significant visceral fat. The minister stated that while overall obesity is rising among both men and women, the prevalence of abdominal obesity remains disproportionately high and acts as an independent determinant of cardiometabolic risk. "The presence of visceral fat around the abdomen, even without generalised obesity, has significant clinical implications and requires early detection and targeted intervention," Singh said during the launch of a book titled `Advances in Obesity and Lipid Management in CVD`. The minister also highlighted the increasing incid...

An analysis of previously published studies has found that de-prescribing preventive medications among old, frail adults did not increase the risk of death, hospitalisation, or major heart-related events. Findings published in the journal BioMed Central (BMC) Geriatrics also suggest that de-prescribing was not related with an increased risk of falls -- a leading cause of disability among older adults -- fractures or a reduced quality of life. Researchers, including those from the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections, Kolkata, and Sweden`s Karolinska Institutet, added however that evidence certainty -- a measure of confidence that the true effect of de-prescribing is close to one estimated from research -- was low and more studies are ...