Miracle? Platelet count of Jehovah’s
patient goes up
Much to
the relief of both doctors and her family, the 24-year-old woman belonging to
the Jehovah’s Witnesses community, who is undergoing treatment for dengue at
Bombay Hospital, saw a marginal rise in her platelet count on Sunday.
The
doctors had found themselves in a bind after her family warned them against
doing a blood transfusion as their sect forbids it.
Dr Mukesh
Sanklecha, consultant physician of Mary (name changed), said, ‘Her platelet
count has improved. Yesterday it was 50,000, today it is 56,000 (the normal
range is 1.5-4 lakh per litre). We hope she’s stable in a day or two.’
Doctors
are monitoring her round the clock and ensuring that she doesn’t get any
external or internal bleeding, a potential life-threatening complication of
dengue.
Mary was
admitted on September 4 with high grade fever, low white blood cell (WBC) count
and dipping platelet count of 1,13,000.
Mumbai has
officially recorded four dengue deaths and over 400 cases this monsoon. Doctors
said most coming to them have low WBC and platelet counts because of which they
have to be hospitalised.
Dr Khusrav
Bajan, consultant intensivist at PD Hinduja Hospital, said, ‘We are admitting
eight to 10 cases of dengue every week. Low WBC count makes the chances of
secondary infection and other complications high.’
Dr Pratit
Samdhani, consultant physician at Jaslok Hospital, said he has been advising
his patients to take utmost care and use mosquito repellent and net, among
other things. ‘We are seeing at least six cases of dengue daily. In South
Mumbai, the disease has created a menace. Many patients have low pulse, low WBC
and platelet counts and liver infection,’ he said.
The
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been stressing on the need for
citizens to be proactive and ensure there is no stagnant water in their homes
and societies.
Head of
the civic epidemiology department Dr Mangala Gomare said, ‘The breeding spots
of the Aedes mosquito, carrier of the dengue virus, are being found in
mini-fountains, feng shui plants and miniature artificial ponds. Unlike
locating the breeding sites of the female Anopheles mosquito that spreads
malaria, it is difficult to find those of the Aedes mosquito as we have to
visit homes for that.’
Source: http://health.india.com
10.09.2013
You’re
likelier to get a heart attack in the morning!
A scientist has claimed that there’s evidence to suggest
people are likelier to suffer from a heart attack between 6 to 10 AM. The
reason for this is the link between body’s internal clock and cardiac
arrest. Mukesh Jain, M.D., said that it pinpoints a previously
unrecognised factor in the electrical storm that makes the heart’s main pumping
chambers suddenly begin to beat erratically in a way that stops the flow of
blood to the brain and body.
Termed ventricular fibrillation, the condition causes sudden
cardiac death (SCD), in which the victim instantly becomes unconscious and dies
unless CPR or a defibrillator is available to shock the heart back into its
steady beat. The peak risk hours range from 6 am to 10 am, with a smaller
peak in the late afternoon. Scientists long suspected a link between SCD and
the 24-hour body clock, located in the brain. It governs 24-hour cycles of
sleep and wakefulness called circadian rhythms that coordinate a range of body
functions with the outside environment.
Jain’s group discovered a protein called KLF15 that helps
regulate the heart’s electrical activity, and occurs in the body in levels that
change like clockwork throughout the day. KLF15 helps form channels that allow
substances to enter and exit heart cells in ways critical to maintaining a
normal, steady heartbeat.
They first discovered that patients with heart failure have
lower levels of KLF15. Then, they established in laboratory mice that KLF15 is
the molecular link between SCD and the circadian rhythm. And mice with low
levels of the protein have the same heart problems as people with SCD.
Source: http://health.india.com
10.09.2013
If possible, leave
room for your enemy to become your friend
Robert A. Heinlein,
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