February 26, 2021

 

Alcohol, cannabis can raise risk of premature heart disease in youngsters

Are you into smoking and drinking? you need to sit back and think over your habits. A new study has revealed that recreational drinking, smoking, and drug use are linked to premature heart disease in young people, particularly among younger women. The study which was published in the journal Heart has suggested that individuals who regularly are addicted to any of the above-listed drugs and substances are almost nine times as likely to be affected.

 

Speaking to the media, researcher Anthony Wayne Orr from Louisiana State University said, “The growing body of research on these issues suggest the need for a nationwide education campaign on the potential long-term damage being done to the cardiovascular system in patients with substance use disorders”.

 

Drugs Can Raise Risk Of Heart Disease Too!

The researcher pointed out that the use of cocaine and methamphetamine have been associated with faster cell aging and neurocognitive decline, with higher than average loss of grey matter. For the study, the team included 135,703 people with premature heart disease and 7,716 with extremely premature heart disease. They were compared with 111,245 people who did not have premature heart disease.

Tobacco, Cannabis And Heart Disease – What’s The Connection?

The team explored whether the recreational use of tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, and illicit drugs, such as amphetamine and cocaine, might be linked to prematurely and extremely prematurely furred up arteries.

Recreational use of any substance was independently associated with a higher likelihood of premature and extremely premature heart disease, the team found.

 

Who Are Most At Risk? Everything You Need To Know

After accounting for potentially influential factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, those who smoked tobacco were nearly twice as likely to have premature heart disease while those who drank recreationally were 50 per cent more likely to do so.

Cocaine users were almost 2.5 times as likely to have premature heart disease, while those who used amphetamines were nearly 3 times as likely to do so.

Cannabis users were more than 2.5 times as likely to have premature heart disease while those using other drugs were around 2.5 times as likely to do so.

The higher the number of substances used recreationally, the greater was the risk of premature heart disease, ranging from a doubling in risk with the use of 1 substance to 9-fold heightened risk for those using 4 or more, the team said.

 

Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/

 

February 24, 2021

 

Does more fibre in your diet ensure less diabetes medicine?

Diabetes is one of the biggest health threats to humankind right now. The disease can wreak havoc on your body and lead to serious health issues like heart diseases, nerve damage, eye diseases, kidney problems and more. It is a chronic disease, which causes high levels of sugar in the blood. The disease is a result of either lack of insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas) or your body’s inability to respond to this hormone

Since, diabetes is a lifestyle disease, what you eat and how much you exercise plays a pivotal role in managing your blood sugar levels. Your diet, in particular, can make or break the proper functioning of your system. Studies have shown that eating a diet rich in fibre may improve blood sugar levels. 

So, What Is Fibre?

Dietary fibre is a type of carbohydrate mostly found in plant-based foods. It is majorly divided into two categories: soluble and insoluble fibre. Consuming soluble fibre helps you draw water into your gut – this helps soften your stools and support bowel movements. Insoluble fibre, on the contrary, doesn’t dissolve in water. 

Fibre For Diabetics

Fibre is promoted as part of a healthy dietary pattern, and it might help manage diabetes as well. According to a study published in PLOS Medicine, a diet high in fibre is an important component of diabetes management. It can help improve glycemic control, blood lipids, body weight and inflammation.

According to Diabetes UK, including more fibre in your diet can help those suffering from diabetes. It can also help in keeping your gut healthy and reducing blood cholesterol levels. This, in turn, can help alleviate the risk of heart diseases.

As mentioned, diabetes increases the risk of developing heart disease and eating a diet rich in fibre can mitigate that risk. Foods high in soluble fibre are better at controlling cholesterol levels. It can also help lower the glycemic index, which can help you manage blood glucose levels.

How To Increase Your Intake?

The National Institutes of Health recommends patients with diabetes mellitus to consume 20-35 gm of fibre every day. So, you can add vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains and whole oats in your diet.

Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/

 

February 22, 2021

 

Covid-19 on rise again in India: Here’s why you need to worry!

As the number of new Covid-19 cases showed an upward trend over the past three days, India reported 13,193 new cases in the last 24 hours on Friday and the overall tally mounted to 1,09,63,394, health officials said. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that there were 97 more Covid-19 fatalities, taking the overall toll to 1,56,111.

 

Sudden Spike In Covid-19 Cases In India

In the past month, the country has been recording less than 15,000 new Covid-19 infections daily with the toll not going over the 200-mark.

However, in the past few days, the coronavirus cases in various parts of the country suddenly showed a spike.

On Thursday, the count of new cases was 12,881, on February 17 it was 11,610, on February 16 the number was 9,121, and February 15 had 11,649 cases.

 

Total Number Of Active Covid-19 Cases In India

Earlier, the health ministry officials said that the average daily new Covid-19 infections for the last 15 days were oscillating between 9,000 to 12,000 while the deaths were between 78 to 120.

On February 9, India had reported 9,110 new cases, the lowest this year so far. Last year, the lowest 9,633 cases were recorded on June 3.

As per the Ministry’s data, there are 1,39,542 active cases at present after 10,896 patients were discharged in a day. Till now, 1,06,67,741 persons have been discharged so far.

 

Recovery Rate Is Not That Bad!

The recovery rate has increased to 97.30 per cent, while the fatality rate is down to 1.42 per cent.

The ministry also informed that 7,71,071 samples were tested on Thursday. The cumulative tests are done by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) so far stand at 20,94,74,862.

Meanwhile, more than 10 million (1,01,88,007) doses of corona vaccine have been administered in the country since the drive began on January 16 after approval for ‘Covishield’ and ‘Covaxin’.

As per the Union Health Ministry, India has become the fattest nation in terms of the Covid-19 vaccine doses administered, even though many countries had launched their vaccination campaigns earlier than her.

 

Why Should You Be Worried?

The outbreak of another highly contagious Covid-19 strain which was first discovered in South Africa is still a big concern amidst vaccination rollout. According to the government’s data, in the last two months, India has recorded a total of 192 Covid-19 cases of the new variants – four cases of the South African variant, one of the Brazilian variant, and the rest are all of the UK variants.

Vaccines are here but not efficient enough to fight off the South African Covid-19 variant. Therefore, everyone must stick to the practice of wearing a mask while stepping out and also should try and avoid crowds as much as possible.

 

Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/

February 19, 2021

 

Cricketer Dies of a Heart Attack – Know if Heart Conditions are Common Among Athletes

 

In a tragic accident, a cricketer died after suffering from a heart attack during a local tournament in Maharashtra’s Pune district. The incident took place in Junnar city, where the batsman collapsed suddenly after a heart attack. The video that surfaced showed that Babu Nalawade was at non-striker’s end when it happened. This is not the first time such an incident has happened; many athletes over the years have died of a cardiac arrest. A similar incident occurred in Odhisa’s Kendrapara. 

Are Athletes Prone To Heart Attacks?

Stories such as Nalawade shock us – an athlete in good physical condition suffering from a heart attack? According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, cardiovascular diseases responsible for sudden unexpected death is majorly related to the age of the patient. 

Some studies suggest that sudden death in athletes who are 35 years or above suffer from coronary artery disease due to atherosclerosis. For athletes under 35 years of age, sudden death is majorly related to congenital or genetic heart conditions. In some cases, it could be due to infections or inflammatory disease. Another study in the Methodist Debakey Cardiovascular journal suggests that sudden cardiac death is the most common medical cause of death in athletes. 

Common Heart Conditions Among Athletes 

Studies suggest that the cardiac conditions that may increase the risk of sudden death in young athletes include:

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Congenital Abnormalities Of The Coronary Arteries

Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP)

Myocarditis

Marfan Syndrome

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC)

Congenital Heart Disease

 

Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/news

 

February 17, 2021

 

Just one dose of Pfizer’s Covax vaccine may strengthen immune system of patients

The COVID-19 vaccines currently approved for use require two doses for the inoculation to be effective against the virus. But scientists are also working at finding a single-shot vaccine that will reduce the wait time for the benefits to show. Moreover, till now, there has been some debate on whether previously infected people are eligible for the vaccine, whether it will have any adverse effects on them or if it is even required. Many studies are being conducted on these topics. So, it comes as good news that a new study found that people who were previously infected with the COVID-19 virus responded very strongly to just one dose of the Pfizer vaccine. This was regardless of when they were infected and whether or not they had detectable antibodies against COVID-19 prior to receiving the vaccine. This study was conducted by researchers from the Bar-Ilan University. 

Is One Dose Enough For Previously Infected People?

According to the researchers, the strong response to one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine among those previously infected regardless of the duration between infection and vaccination is good news. Researchers say this finding can help countries make informed decisions regarding vaccine policy. For instance, they can decide whether those previously infected should be vaccinated on a priority basis and, if so, with how many doses. 

 

Absence Of Antibodies Post-Infection May Not Mean Less Protection

According to researchers of this study, the findings also offers reassurance that not having detectable antibodies after being infected does not necessarily mean that protection following infection is lost. For the study, published in the journal Eurosurveillance, the research team included 514 participants. Seventeen of them were infected with COVID-19 anytime between one and ten months before receiving the first dose of the vaccine. Antibody levels of the entire cohort were measured prior to vaccination and thereafter to determine response to the vaccine

Experts To Study Vax Efficacy In Different Groups Of People

The response among those previously infected was so effective that it opens the debate as to whether one dose of the vaccine may suffice, the team said. However, the researchers emphasise that their findings should be confirmed in a larger cohort before reaching definitive conclusions. The researchers are continuing to follow healthcare workers after their second dose to better understand how long the vaccine will protect against COVID-19 in different groups of people.

Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/news

 

February 15, 2021

 

Bladder cancer: This drug can reduce death risk in patients with this condition

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the world and the second biggest cause of mortality. According to the reports by The World Cancer Report, India recorded 1.16 million new cancer cases in 2018 and 784,800 people died of the condition. But, there’s a good news, a new study has claimed that a novel drug can reduce the death risks among patients who are suffering from bladder cancer. According to the study, a new type of drug that helps target chemotherapy directly to cancer cells may increase the survival of patients with the most common form of bladder cancer.

Bladder Cancer – Everything You Need To Know

Bladder cancer is a very common type of cancer that begins in the cells of the bladder. A bladder is an organ that stores urine of the human body. Some of the common symptoms of this condition may include – blood in urine, chronic back pain, painful urination, etc.

 Experts say this type of cancer is treatable only when it is diagnosed at an early stage. The risk factors of bladder cancer are – smoking, bladder infection, family history, gender (males are more prone to suffer from bladder cancer), and exposure to harmful chemicals.

This Drug Can Reduce Death Risk Of Bladder Cancer Patients By 30%

According to the results from a phase III clinical trial, the risk of death was 30 per cent lower with the new drug than with chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer.

However, the researchers say, the side effects of the drug were manageable and overall similar to chemotherapy. “This new type of drug has led to a survival advantage in bladder cancer which has been difficult to achieve in this difficult disease. It reduced the death rate by 30 per cent and beat chemotherapy in every setting, so this really is a big deal,” said lead author Tom Powles, Professor of Genitourinary Oncology at Queen Mary University of London.

Here’s How The Study Was Conducted

For the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the team involved 608 patients in 19 countries and tested a new ‘antibody-drug conjugates’ (ADC) drug enfortumab vedotin, in adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who were previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and an immunotherapy drug, called a PD-1/L1 inhibitor.

The team found that the risk of death was 30 per cent lower with the new drug than with chemotherapy, with a median survival of approximately 13 months for the new drug. Median progression-free survival, which is the time without progression of cancer, was 5.6 months for the new drug vs 3.7 months for chemotherapy.

Overall response rate, the percentage of patients with either complete or partial response, was 40.6 per cent versus 17.9 per cent of patients in the chemotherapy arm. Urothelial cancer is the most common type of bladder cancer (90 per cent of cases) and can also be found in the renal pelvis (where urine collects inside the kidney), ureter (the tube that connects the kidneys to the bladder), and urethra. Globally, approximately 549,000 new cases of bladder cancer and 200,000 deaths are reported annually.

 

Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/news

 

February 13, 2021

 

Devendra Fadnavis thanks PM Modi for tax relief on life-saving drug for 5-month-old Teera

Great relief for parents of 5-month-old Teera Kamat, who is suffering from a rare genetic disease. PM Modi has waived off custom duty worth Rs 6 crore on a life-saving drug after request from Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis took to twitter on Thursday to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for waiving off custom duty worth over ₹ 6 crore on a life-saving drug for a girl child, who is suffering from a rare genetic disease. 

 Teera Kamat, a 5-month-old infant, from Andheri, Mumbai was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Astrophy (SMA) two weeks after her birth on August 14, 2020. According to her parents, Priyanka and Mihir Kamat, they realised something is wrong with their child when she started getting restless while drinking milk, and once stopped breathing. 

Spinal Muscular Astrophy is a rare genetic disease that needs gene replacement therapy. A medicine, called Zolgensma, required for the treatment needs to be imported from the US and it costs about Rs 16 crore in Indian currency. The child’s parents had already raised the amount through crowdfunding, but taxes applicable on its import such as custom duty and GST comes to over Rs 6 crore which is out of the reach for the parents. Therefore, the parents had in October 2020 and again in January had sought help from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Recently, Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra state Assembly, had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman requesting to exempt all these applicable taxes on this life-saving drug.

Finally, the PM has now waived off all the taxes (approx Rs.6.5 crore) for importing the life-saving drug for Teera.

Expressing gratitude to PM Modi for his humanitarian act, Fadnavis tweeted on Thursday, “Sincere gratitude to Hon PM @narendramodi ji for your humanitarian and extremely sensitive approach towards exempting all the taxes (approx Rs.6.5 crore) for importing the lifesaving drug for Mumbai’s 5-month-old Teera Kamat! I wish Teera a speedy recovery & healthy life!”

Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/news

February 11, 2021

 

High blood pressure may lead to abnormal heart rhythm: Study

 

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a common health condition that affects millions of people across the globe. It occurs when your blood pressure rises to abnormal levels that lead to an array of symptoms like headaches, shortness of breath, nosebleeds, chest pain, etc. If left untreated, the high force of blood against the artery walls can damage blood vessels and lead to cardiovascular diseases. This is the reason why it is also referred to as a silent killer that creeps in your system and wreaks havoc. 

High Blood Pressure Linked With Atrial Fibrillation

A new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology recently revealed that hypertension causes atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm). It is the most common heart rhythm disorder, which has affected more than 40 million in the world. People suffering from this condition are five times more likely to get a stroke. 

Dr Georgios Georgiopoulos of King’s College London, UK and National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece found that elevated blood pressure levels can lead to atrial fibrillation. He said that there is a need for public health strategies that aim at improving blood pressure control in the general population. 

The Key Findings

For the study, the researchers analyzed the data from the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) on blood pressure and atrial fibrillation. Out of the 1 million individuals, 60,620 had atrial fibrillation and 9,70,216 did not suffer from it.

The team first identified 894 genetic variants, associated with blood pressure, that play a role in atrial fibrillation. They randomly allocated the 894 genetic variants to all participants in the beginning to conduct a controlled trial. Next, the began analyzing the link between hypertension and atrial fibrillation.

They found that 1 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and pulse pressure with 1.8 per cent, 2.6 per cent, and 1.4 per cent relative increases in the risk of atrial fibrillation, respectively. According to the researchers, the findings suggest that there is strong evidence of a “causal relationship between blood pressure and atrial fibrillation.”

“Using genetic information in the analysis minimized the likelihood of reverse causality (i.e. that atrial fibrillation causes high blood pressure) or that other trait linked with atrial fibrillation (confounders) were responsible.”

Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/news

 

February 6, 2021

 

Common cold may not be enough to identify COVID infection in India: Experts

Common cold is a condition everyone has suffered from at some point in their lives. It is a debilitating condition, but not dangerous. But that changed ever since the unprecedented pandemic shook the world to its core. COVID-19, caused by the coronavirus, is an infectious disease that transmits quickly. Since the new strain of coronavirus is relatively new, the doctors and scientists are still learning about it every day. Common cold is also believed to be one of the common symptoms of COVID-19. In an open letter, Alex Sohal, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the Queen Mary University of London, supported by 140 general practitioners from east London wrote to the Chief Medical Officer of the UK to include runny nose and common cold in COVID-19 test criteria. 

Key Points From The Letter About Including Common Cold Part Of COVID-19 Test

The letter published in The British Medical Journal insisted that the World Health Organization (WHO) should include coryza and cold in the definition and test criteria of UK COVID-19. Sohal wrote, “Tell the public, especially those who have to go out to work and their employers, that even those with mild symptoms (not only cough, high temperature, and a loss of smell or taste) should not go out, prioritizing the first five days of self-isolation when they are most likely to be infectious.” 

In the letter, Sohal said that patients with symptoms like a runny, blocked nose, fatigue, headache, myalgia, hoarseness and sore throat turned out to be COVID-19 positive. She further elaborated, “These patients have frequently not even considered that they may have COVID-19 and have not self-isolated in the crucial days when they were most infectious.” 

 “The national public campaign focuses on cough, high temperature, and loss of smell or taste as symptoms to be aware of – only patients with these symptoms are able to access a COVID-19 test online through the National Health Service (NHS) test booking site. General practitioners have to advise patients to be dishonest to get a COVID-19 test,” she wrote.

Common Cold May Not Be Sign Of Coronavirus But Be Careful

However, Indian doctors opine that the scenario in India is a bit different from the UK, where the extremely infectious UK strain is causing an increased number of cases every day. They said that common cold, running nose and sore throat are very common in this current weather. Dr Shiba Kalyan Biswal, Consultant, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Narayana Hospital, Gurugram told IANS that while the possibility of COVID-19 cannot be denied as per the symptoms, but common cold, sore throat, running nose, etc could be symptoms of a minor infection or some other major disease as well.

Experts opine that it may be different in India and these signs don’t particularly mean that the patient has contracted the coronavirus. However, they still need to watch out for these symptoms and practice precaution to avoid spread in case they are infected with COVID.

Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/news

 

February 4, 2021

 

India fastest country to reach 4 million COVID-19 vaccination mark: Health ministry

In a magnificent achievement, India has become the fastest country in the world to reach the 4 million COVID-19 vaccination mark, achieving this feat in 18 days, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Speaking to the media, the ministry said, “As of February, 1, India was among the top five countries in terms of the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered to people. India continues to undertake its vaccination drive at a fast pace”.

According to the reports, more than 41 lakh beneficiaries have been administered shots under the countrywide exercise till morning.

 

Covid-19 – ‘No Deaths Reported In The Last 24Hrs’

They also highlighted that 14 states and Union Territories (UTs) have not reported any deaths in the last 24 hours. “Fourteen states and UTs have not reported any deaths in a span of 24 hours including Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Lakshadweep, Ladakh (UT), Sikkim, Manipur, Puducherry, Goa, Odisha, and Assam,” the ministry was quoted as saying.

Continuing its streak of low numbers of single-day coronavirus cases, India reported 11,039 new infections in the last 24 hours even as its overall tally mounted to 1,07,77,284.

Stressing on the decline trends in the number of Covid-19 active cases on a daily basis, the ministry said, “the country’s active cases have declined further to 1,60,057 and dipped below 1.5 per cent of total infections”.

 

Covid-19 Vaccination Drive: Where Do We Stand?

As many as 41,38,918 corona vaccine doses have been administered in India since the drive began on January 16 after approval for ‘Covishield’ and ‘Covaxin’.

As per the Health Ministry, India is in the fifth position globally in terms of the vaccine doses administered in the country, despite the fact that many countries had launched their vaccination campaigns before India.

“A total of 76,576 sessions have been conducted so far. The number of beneficiaries being vaccinated for Covid-19 every day has shown a progressive increase,” the ministry said in a statement. 

Number Of Cases In India

Over 85 per cent of the newly recovered cases are recorded in 8 states/UTs. Kerala has contributed the highest number to the newly recovered cases (5,747), followed by Maharashtra(4,011) and Tamil Nadu (521). 

The ministry further said that 83.01 per cent of the new cases are from six states and UTs. Kerala has reported the highest daily new cases at 5,716. It is followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu with 1,927 and 510 new cases each respectively. A total of 110 case fatalities have been reported in a span of 24 hours. 

Five states and UTs account for 66.36 per cent of these. Maharashtra reported maximum casualties with 30 new fatalities. It is followed by Kerala with 16 new daily deaths.

 

Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/news