8 August, 2013

Skin too can be donated

World Organ Donation day was celebrated on August 6, but people still think of only donating eyes or kidneys. There is a lesser practice of donating skin.

Because the awareness for eye and kidney donation has increased, there is a rise in their donation. But, when it comes to skin donation there are very few who know about it.

Skin is not only needed during the surgeries but is also helpful for burn patients with severe injuries. Those who suffer 80 per cent burn injuries, need skin replacement.

If statistics are to be believed, over 1,000 burn patient need skin surgery within a year, and each patient needs skin from two donors.
At least five donors are required every day in Mumbai alone.

Prahlad Kadam, a Thane resident, says, ‘I lost my brother in an accident few months back, however, I made a point that his organs should give life to others. I donated his eyes as well as his skin to an NGO.’

Swapna Ranade, another resident, said, ‘I had not heard about skin donation; it was a programme on organ donation where I heard about it and signed myself for the same.’

Dr Sunil Keswani of National burns centre, Airoli, said, ‘Primarily, skin donation is required for burn patients. Anybody above 18 years till 100 years can donate their skin, except people having HIV, hepatitis or skin cancer.’

The whole procedure of skin donation takes about 30 to 45 minutes and it can be donated within six hours from the time of death. For donation, skin is commonly harvested from both the legs, thighs and back.

‘There is still not much awareness about skin donation but, NGOs and other social groups who have been sensitising people about it and have yielded results too. There are people who are coming forward and pledging for skin donation,’ said Dr Keswani.

Satish Singh, a Navi Mumbai resident, said, ‘I was very disheartened to know that my sister won’t get her original face back after her neck, face and hands were burnt in an accident. However, doctors told me that she can be helped through skin donation. Today, she is alright and we all thank her unknown donor. It was after this incident, that I made a promise to myself that I would donate my skin as well as other organs.’

There are myths about skin donation like old people cannot donate skin. But, wrinkled skin has nothing to do with donation as there have been donors above 95 years of age.

People think that whole layer of skin is peeled out, but normally it is only 1/8th of the skin which is used and harvested. There is no disfigurement in the body once the skin is removed and blood group is nowhere related to this.

Source: http://health.india.com

08.08.2013

Got skin infection? Check for diabetes

37-year-old banker Rohit Rane (name changed) visited a dermatologist two months ago to consult for his skin infection. The doctor told him that it was florid Candidiasis and advised him to check his blood sugar. But he was shocked when he found that his glucose level was 265 mg/ dL, double than the normal level.

Rane is not alone. A study conducted by a city dermatologist has revealed that more than 25% of patients visiting for skin ailments showed high blood sugar levels. The study conducted on 360 male and 60 female patients showed 85 males and 40 female detected for the first time to have high blood sugar level. The study was conducted between April 2012 and July 2013.

‘High blood sugar level offers a favourable medium for pathogens to grow. Hence many diabetic patients show skin disorders. However, the skin problems could also provide first sign that a person is diabetic,’ said Dr Tushar Jagtap, a Bandra-based researcher.

‘Common skin manifestations like fungal infection, candidiasis, tinea-cruris, tinea corporis, bacterial infection like carbuncle, boils, viral infection like herpes zoster and even eczema and neuro-dermatitis seem to be associated with high blood glucose levels,’ Dr Jagtap added.

He said that random blood sugar testing by glucometer can be employed in a dermatological setup. It would help in early diagnosis, proper medication and management of the disease. If untreated, the diabetes can lead to several complications like cataract, coronary heart disease and kidney disorders etc.

According to experts, hectic lifestyle, stress, improper diet, lack of rest, sleep, family history, sedentary lifestyle and environmental degradation are major contributing factors for the prevalence of diabetes and common skin conditions.

Dr Chitra Naik, professor of dermatology at Nair Hospital, said, ‘We have also observed prevalence of diabetes among skin patients. But the figure of 25% in this study seems to be very high.’ She, however, advised that all skin patients need to be screened for blood glucose test.

Source: http://health.india.com

08.08.2013

An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail

Edwin Land