Health

Certain mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and depression, can raise the risk of developing heart disease and mortality by nearly 100 per cent, according to a report on Friday. The report, published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health-Europe, summarises cardiovascular health disparities among those diagnosed with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers from Emory University showed that schizophrenia raises the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by nearly 100 per cent. This was followed by major depression ( 72 per cent), PTSD (57 per cent), bipolar disorder (61 per cent), panic disorder (50 per cent), and phobic anxiety (70 per cent). The research also showed that these conditions are associated wi...

Myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attacks, may also be triggered by infectious diseases, finds a study, which showed that dormant bacteria can cause the deadly condition. The pioneering study by researchers from Finland and the UK demonstrated that the discovery challenges the conventional understanding of the pathogenesis of heart attacks and opens new avenues for treatment, diagnostics, and even vaccine development. Professor Pekka Karhunen, from Tampere University in Finland, who led the study, notes that until now, it was assumed that events leading to coronary artery disease were only initiated by oxidised low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which the body recognises as a foreign structure. "Bacterial involvement in coronary artery disease has long been suspected, but direc...

All of India`s 1.4 billion people live in areas where annual average particulate pollution levels exceed the WHO guideline and even those in the cleanest regions of the country could live 9.4 months longer if the air quality met global standards, according to a new report. The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago`s (EPIC) 2025 report said PM2.5 concentrations in India in 2023 were higher than in 2022. These levels are more than eight times higher than the WHO guideline and reducing them to permanently meet the global standard would add 3.5 years to the average life expectancy of Indians. According to the WHO`s 2021 air quality guideline, the annual average limit for PM2.5 is 5 micrograms per cubic metre, while for PM10 it is 15 micrograms per cubic metre. These limits a...

Adults with cardiovascular disease must be immunised against conditions such as Covid-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pneumonia, herpes zoster (shingles), and other diseases, according to new recommendations released by the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The guidance also provides detailed evidence for each vaccine recommendation and answers to frequently asked questions to guide conversations between clinicians and patients. “Vaccination against communicable respiratory diseases and other serious diseases is critical for people with heart disease, but barriers exist to ensuring people are educated on which vaccines to get, how often to get them, and why they are important,” said Paul Heidenreich, chair of the CCG writing committee. “With this document, we want ...

A 27-year-old man in Kolkata had a miraculous escape after suffering a sudden heart attack while playing football at a local turf ground.  With the help of a swift response from his friends, the doctors at Manipal Hospital, Saltlake, were able to save his life within a critical window of time. The man, a young sports enthusiast with an active lifestyle, collapsed with severe chest and arm pain during a late-night football match. His friends acted immediately and rushed him to the hospital, where the emergency team admitted him without delay despite heavy rains and challenging conditions.  By 2 am, he was in the Cath Lab, where Dr. Raja Nag, senior interventional cardiologist at the hospital successfully performed a life-saving procedure with his team. Further investigation revealed tha...

Amoebic meningoencephalitis is a rare infection caused by certain brain-eating amoebae that naturally live in our environment, and climate, temperature, and urban water stagnation are major reasons for its rise in Kerala, said health experts on Tuesday. Amoebic encephalitis is a rare but fatal central nervous system infection caused by free-living amoebae, Naegleria fowleri, also known as the brain-eating amoeba, found in freshwater lakes and rivers. There are two types of amoebic encephalitis, namely primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE). Kerala has reported 41 cases of amoebic meningoencephalitis this year, and 18 active cases are currently under treatment in the state. “Unlike common infections such as typhoid and hepatitis A, which o...

A whopping 2.1 billion people or one in every four people globally lack access to safely managed drinking water, according to a joint report by UN agencies WHO and the UNICEF on Tuesday. This includes 106 million people who drink directly from untreated surface sources, stated the report, released as part of the World Water Week 2025. Despite progress over the last decade, billions of people around the world still lack access to essential water, sanitation, and hygiene services, putting them at risk of disease and deeper social exclusion. The report noted that 3.4 billion people worldwide lack safely managed sanitation, including 354 million who practice open defecation. Another 1.7 billion people lack basic hygiene services at home, including 611 million without access to any facilitie...

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have developed an innovative and affordable microfluidic device that can rapidly determine whether bacteria are resistant or susceptible to antibiotics.  Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) is an important method used to identify which antibiotics will work against a specific infection. It helps doctors choose the right treatment and avoid the misuse of antibiotics, which is a major cause of AMR. Unlike many modern techniques that rely on costly metals, complex fabrication processes, or require highly skilled technicians, this lab-on-chip device, known as ‘ε-µD’, is based on screen-printed carbon electrodes embedded in a simple microfluidic chip. This approach makes the device not only economical but also suita...

Doctors at a Mumbai hospital have given a new lease of life to a Kolkata youth who had been battling with Type-1 diabetes since the age of three. Rishi Sharma, a 25-year-old student from Kolkata underwent a successful Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney (SPK) transplant, which has relieved him from lifelong insulin injections and dialysis.   The complex four-hour surgery was performed by a multidisciplinary team of doctors, led by Dr. Jatin Kothari, senior director, Nephrology & chief consultant, Renal Transplant Medicine, and Dr. Gaurav Chaubal, director, Liver & Multi Organ Transplant at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital in Mumbai.   Rishi had been dependent on multiple insulin injections daily since childhood. Over the years, uncontrolled diabetes led to progressive complications...

While both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes raise the risk of heart disease and death, the effect is pronounced differently in men and women, according to a study. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and morbidity worldwide, and individuals with T1D or T2D are at greater risk compared to the general population. Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden showed that younger men with T2D have worse mortality and CVD outcomes than those with T1D. However, for women of all ages, almost all outcomes are worse for T1D than for T2D. "Women with Type 1 diabetes often develop the disease at a young age, so they live with it longer, which increases their lifetime risk of heart and blood vessel problems. They may also lose some of the natural protection women usually have agai...