Health

A 52-year-old gentleman, who had been suffering from severe stiffness and difficulty walking for months, has shown a remarkable improvement following treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. After experiencing progressive tightness in his back and legs, the patient found it increasingly difficult to walk more than 200-300 meters without the onset of intense muscle stiffness, which led to him losing his balance and needing to catch hold of nearby walls for support. Initially, the patient’s condition raised concerns for possible spinal canal stenosis and vascular claudication, but after thorough testing, including MRI and Doppler scans, no such conditions were found. With the clear absence of clues in the investigations pertaining to common neurological and vascular issues,...

Brains of people with high glucose levels and inflammation can age faster, increasing their risk of developing dementia, according to a study.  Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden used an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to analyse brain images from 739 cognitively healthy people aged 70-years to explore the brain’s biological age. They found various risk and health factors that determine the speed at which the brain ages. The study, presented in the journal Alzheimer`s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer`s Association, showed that diabetes, stroke, cerebral small vessel disease, and inflammation were linked to brains with an older appearance, On the other hand, healthy lifestyles involving regular exercise were linked to brains with a younger appearance, the study...

Envision being thousands of feet above ground seated inside a crowded aircraft when suddenly an in-flight medical emergency occurs. A passenger seated in the aircraft was having trouble breathing and her skin turned pale and strained. Other passengers looked on in concern but did not know how to intervene, Dr. Smita Moitra, consultant and in-charge, Emergency Department, Manipal Hospitals, Broadway in Kolkata took charge of the situation. The incident occurred on a Kolkata-to-Delhi flight on December 6, when a 45-year-old woman from Bikaner started experiencing severe hypertensive heart failure due to a long history of high blood pressure. With the aircraft being mid-air, every second was critical. What followed was a reminder of how fragile life can be, and how human instinct and compass...

In a successful medical procedure, a 45-year-old Navi Mumbai man who had been experiencing avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head for the past year, underwent a total hip replacement surgery in Navi Mumbai. The patient, Mahesh Dhawalkar’s condition was a result of unmonitored steroid usage for managing Covid-19 infection. He had been suffering from walking pain for more than a year. Despite seeking help from multiple doctors and trying various medications including painkillers, he found no relief. A team led by Dr Deepak Gautam, Director of Orthopedic Medicine, Medicover Hospital, Navi Mumbai, conducted the surgery. The patient was seen walking pain-free in the post-operative room just hours after the surgery and was discharged within 24 hours.  Talking about the condition, Dr Gau...

A study has estimated that one in every 127 people globally, or 6.18 crore individuals, had autism in 2021, with the neurodevelopmental condition featuring among the top 10 causes of non-fatal health burden in youth aged under 20 years. The disorder is associated with repetitive behaviour and affected social skills. Signs, which can begin to show as early as 12 months of age, include poor non-verbal communication, such as avoiding eye contact and not responding to their name. Published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal, the results showed that globally, autism cases among men were over twice of those in women -- 1,065 cases for every one lakh men and 508 for every one lakh women. The estimates come from the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) Study, the largest and most comprehensive ones to...

Engaging in mentally stimulating activities during down time, such as reading, can be beneficial for brain health, according to an Australian research. In a new study, researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) found that some sedentary, or sitting, activities are better for cognitive function than others. The researchers assessed the 24-hour activity patterns of 397 adults aged 60 and above, and found that socially or mentally stimulating activities such as reading, playing musical instruments, crafting or talking to others are beneficial for memory and thinking abilities. Watching television or playing video games was found to be detrimental. The researchers said the findings could help reduce the risks of cognitive impairment, including from dementia. "We already kn...

Mariam Abdalla Mohamed Ali, a 17-year-old teenager from Kenya, has successfully regained her mobility and independence after undergoing a challenging hip replacement surgery at a Mumbai hospital. The procedure, performed by Dr. Safiuddin Nadwi, a renowned joint replacement surgeon, has given Mariam a new lease on life, enabling her to walk pain-free after four years of suffering due to a failed surgery in Kenya. Mariam’s troubles began after a road traffic accident four years ago, which led to bilateral femur screw fixation. Unfortunately, the surgery resulted in complications, including leg length discrepancy (LLD) and persistent limping. Her leg shortening caused uneven pressure on her hip joint, which worsened over time. Adding to her challenges, Mariam gained significant weight, putti...

In a medical achievement, a 64-year-old woman with advanced Parkinson`s disease received relief from the condition after nine years through Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Surgery in Mumbai. This procedure, performed at Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road, marks a novel approach for treatment of this progressive disease. Patient Sangeeta Bharwada (name changed), a resident of Bhayander was living with Parkinson’s for a long time, which posed several challenges. She experienced tremors, slowness in activities and stiffness. Gradually, she developed an imbalance and freezing gait while walking. Over time, the symptoms became difficult to manage with medication alone. Dr. Mansi Shah, Consultant Neurologist and Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Specialist at Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road, ...

More often than not, patients and even nurses and doctors are skipping steps that help paint an accurate portrait of someone`s blood pressure -- how someone sits and positions their arm, whether they just had a cup of joe or chitchat with their practitioner during the measurement, and other factors can produce readings that are higher or lower than normal blood pressure. "To really make a dent at improving people`s cardiovascular health, we need to screen and treat people for hypertension, but we need to do it correctly," Tammy Brady, a pediatric nephrologist at the Johns Hopkins Children`s Center in Baltimore who studies blood-pressure measurement and cardiovascular health in children and adults, told The Wall Street Journal. "Getting the right reading is important for preventing heart ...

Renowned musician Zakir Hussain, who weaved magic on tabla, passed away on Monday morning, after being admitted in a San Francisco hospital due to deteriorating health condition. As per the family statement, ‘idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis’ is stated as the cause of death. Pulmonary fibrosis, or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, is a chronic, progressive lung disease that can severely affect the respiratory functions of the body. Mid-day.com speaks to Dr Kamlesh Pandey, Consultant Chest Physician, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road and Dr Sheetal Chaurasia, Consultant – Pulmonary Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Whitefield, who explain the symptoms and causes of the disease, also stressing on why early diagnosis is essential to slow down its progression. What is pulmonary fibrosis? Pandey: Pulmonary...