Thursday 22 November 2018

Dysthymia Treatment in India – Best Hospitals for Dysthymia Treatment

The word dysthymia is also known as a persistent depressive disorder (PDD) and is a form of chronic depression. Similar to other types of depression, dysthymia is a continuous feeling of deep sadness and hopelessness affecting the mood and behavior as well as physical functions, including impairment in appetite and sleep. People with this disorder often lose interest in doing activities they once used to enjoyed and have difficulty in finishing daily tasks.

CAUSES
The exact cause of dysthymia is unknown, but a few combinations of factors like genetics can play a role, people with a family history of depression or dysthymia are more prone to it in an early age. Changes are chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) in the brain may also lead to dysthymia. Medical illness or chronic stress, social isolation and thoughts and perceptions about the whole world, may influence the development of dysthymia.

SYMPTOMS AND COMPLICATIONS
The symptoms include depressed mood for a prolonged period of time, low energy, tiredness, low self-esteem, change in appetite, irregularities in sleep pattern, difficulty in concentration or poor concentration and hopelessness. The severity of these symptoms depends upon each individual. Some can deal with the basic demands of life, while others may go under significant distress, leading to difficulty in coping with life at work, school or social situations.
A person is diagnosed as having chronic depression if he is suffering for at least two years, along with having low energy, tiredness, low self-esteem, sleep irregularities, poor concentration with changes in appetite and hopelessness. Doctors will also rule out any other medical or mental health conditions such as thyroids problems or anxiety or anemia. A patient may not think they themselves are depressed and most of the time visits a physician for physical complaints rather than psychological complaints. Mental health professionals are only consulted when more obvious symptoms are noticed. If it goes undiagnosed, there is always a danger of substance abuse or even suicide.

TREATMENT AND PREVENTION

Depression and dysthymia in India are treated with a similar approach. The most effective line of treatment is a combination of strategies. Antidepressant medications may be used in the treatment of dysthymia such as selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) example fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, citalopram. Short term psychotherapeutic approaches to treat dysthymia are more effective at treating the symptoms of depression. Effective psychotherapy includes cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, peer support, and interpersonal psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps the individual to understand how their thoughts affect feelings and how feelings affect their behavior. Interpersonal therapy (IT) is about focusing on the problems with personal relationships with others or surroundings. Group therapy may also manage and helps to treat dysthymia.


Lifestyle changes are a must like exercising at least three times per week, avoiding alcohol and drugs, eating healthy and nutritious food like fruits and fresh vegetables, practicing yoga or meditation, building on new coping skills, expanding the skill set and develop new, healthier social relationships.

Sunday 18 November 2018

Know About Erythema Nodosum Treatment in India


Erythema nodosum is a modular, erythematous skin eruption that is characterized by sudden onset of red, painful, firm nodules and is commonly found on the extensor aspects of the lower legs. It is usually acute in nature; however, chronic or recurrent erythema nodosum may occur rarely. Erythema nodosum is an acute or recurrent hypersensitivity reaction and is mainly found in the female population, resulting from exposure to various antigens; however, the pathogenesis is not fully understood. These painful nodules can stay inflamed for as long as the period of three to six weeks and then shrink and resolve on its own, leaving a bruised appearance. After it is gone, it may leave only a temporary bruised appearance or a chronic indentation in the skin.

CAUSES

Erythema nodosum may occur as an isolated condition or in association with other medical conditions. Conditions that are associated with erythema nodosum include: idiopathic cause, medications (sulfa-related drugs, birth control pills, penicillins, sulphonamides, bromides, iodides, tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor and estrogens), bacterial infection (streptococcal infections-most common, tuberculosis, leprosy, salmonella, campylobacter gastroenteritis, mycoplasma pneumonia, Cat scratch disease, leptospirosis, brucellosis, psittacosis, chlamydia trachomatous, lymphogranuloma venereum), viral (Infectious mononucleosis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Human immunodeficiency virus, herpes simplex, epstein-barr virus) fungal (coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, blastomycosis), parasitic (amebiasis, giardiasis), malignancy (leukemia, lymphoma, occult malignancies),inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis), miscellaneous (sarcoidosis, pregnancy
Whipple disease, Behcet disease)

SYMPTOMS
Typically the skin eruptions are marked by fever, joint, and sometimes abdominal pain. Very often it is accompanied with nasopharyngeal infection and malaise. Inflamed and tender red nodules appear on the extended faces of the legs and knees, and sometimes thighs and forearms. These nodules are small, sometimes three to six nodules in number, many times occur bilaterally, and roughly symmetrical in nature. They resolve spontaneously in almost ten days, leaving a bruised blue appearance and completely disappear without sequelae. It never involves necrosis, ulceration, or scarring. However, in another pattern known as chronic erythema nodosum, the nodules may last for many years and not resolve soon.

DIAGNOSIS
The diagnosis of is primarily clinical. However, a thorough case history looking out for tuberculous infection, fever, abdominal pain, respiratory problems should be taken with complete clinical examination and associated signs. The laboratory investigations like blood count, C-reactive protein, Mantoux text to rule out tuberculosis infection, X-ray chest, culture test, stool examination, and cutaneous biopsy may be carried out.
TREATMENT


The physician will treat the underlying condition responsible. Simultaneously, direct treatment needs to be given for the inflamed skin arising due to the erythema nodosum. Erythema Nodosum Treatment in India the treatments include anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, colchicine, analgesics to reduce inflammation and pain, are prescribed till the symptoms and signs improve. Personalized treatments may need to be given depending on the underlying condition and any associated diseases. Antibiotic therapy may be given in case of streptococcal infection.

Tuesday 13 November 2018

Cholera Treatment in India – Best Hospital for Cholera

 
Cholera is an acute, diarrheal sickness caused by Vibrio cholerae, a bacterial infection of the intestine. It is estimated that about 2.9 million cases and 95,000 deaths occur annually around the world. The disease is often mild or without symptoms, but few times be severe. Roughly one in 10 (10%) infected persons might have severe disease

An individual can get cholera by drinking water or eating any food contaminated with the cholera bacterium. The source of the contamination might usually the feces of an infected individual that further contaminates water and/or food, which further leads to an epidemic. The disease can then spread quickly in regions with inadequate treatment of drinking water and sewage. Common sources includes: foods and drinks sold by street vendors, vegetables grown with water containing human wastes, municipal water supplies, ice made from municipal water, and undercooked fish and seafood which have been caught from waters polluted with sewage. The illness is not likely to spread directly from one person to another; therefore, casual contact with any infected person is not a risk factor for becoming ill. People living in places with poor sanitation facilities, bad drinking water, crowding, war, famine, and inadequate hygiene are at a greater hazard for cholera.

Common locations which see lot of cholera cases include few parts of Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. If you are heading out and traveling to any of those areas, knowing the following cholera risk factors and symptoms can help protect you and your family.

SYMPTOMS 
It can take anywhere from a couple of hours to five days for symptoms to appear after infection. Symptoms typically appear in two to three days. Cholera illness is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe. The disease is characterized by profuse and watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these individuals, rapid loss of body fluids leads to further dehydration and shock. Without treatment, it can turn fatal and death can occur within hours. Signs and symptoms of dehydration include increase in the heart rate, loss of skin elasticity (the ability to return to original position quickly if pinched), dry mucous membranes including the inside of the mouth, throat, nose, and eyelids; low blood pressure, increase in thirst, and muscle cramps.

DIAGNOSIS 
To test for cholera, physicians must take a stool sample or a rectal swab and send it to a laboratory to look for the cholera bacteria.

TREATMENT 
Cholera Treatment in India, cholera can be simply and effectively treated by quick substitution of the fluid and salts lost due to profuse diarrhea. Individuals can be treated with oral rehydration solution (ORS), a pre-packaged blend of sugar and salts to be mixed in one liter of water and should be drunk in substantial large quantities. This solution is used globally to treat diarrhea. Severe cases also require intravenous fluid substitution. With prompt appropriate rehydration, fewer than one percent of cholera patients die. Antibiotics shorten the course and reduce the severity of the illness, but they are not as critical as receiving rehydration. Patients who develop severe diarrhea and vomiting, particularly in countries where cholera occurs a lot, should seek urgent medical attention.

Sunday 4 November 2018

Bone Marrow Transplant in India– Best Hospitals for Bone Marrow Treatment


A bone marrow transplant is a procedure done to replace the damaged or destroyed bone marrow due to disease, infection, or chemotherapy. This procedure involves transplanting blood stem cells, so that they can travel to the bone marrow and produce new blood cells as well as assist in the growth of the new bone marrow.

Bone marrow contains immature blood-forming stem cells known as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). These cells are unspecialized and have the ability to multiply through cell division and either remain stem cells or differentiate and mature into other different kinds of blood cells. Thus, it helps the body to make enough white blood cells, platelets, or red blood cells to avoid infections, bleeding disorders, or anemia. Healthy stem cells can come from a healthy donor or from your own body. Stem cells can be harvested, or grown, prior to the start chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Cells of bone marrow can be frozen for prolonged periods without damage. In autologous HSC the cells must be harvested from the recipient many months in advance of the transplant procedure as opposed to allogeneic transplants wherein fresh HSC are preferred.


Bone Marrow Transplant in India, bone marrow transplants are performed when a person’s marrow is not able to function properly. This may be due to disease, chronic infections, or cancer treatments. Some reasons for a bone marrow transplant include aplastic anemia in which the marrow stops making new blood cells, cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, damaged bone marrow because of chemotherapy, congenital neutropenia that causes recurring infections, sickle cell anemia that causes misshapen red blood cells, thalassemia where the body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin required for red blood cell.


The short-term complications include a drop in blood pressure, headache, nausea, pain, shortness of breath, chills, and fever.

Complications can be occasionally serious, and they can include: graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in which donor cells attack your own body, graft failure when transplanted cells don’t begin producing new cells as planned, bleeding in the lungs, brain, and other parts of the body; cataracts characterized by clouding in the lens of the eye, damage to vital organs, early menopause, anemia, which occurs when the body does not produce enough red blood cells, infections, nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting, mucositis; soreness in the mouth, throat, and stomach.

The chances of developing these complications depend on several factors, including your age, your overall health, the disease you’re being treated for, and the type of transplant you have received.

How a Bone Marrow Transplant Is Performed


The procedure of a bone marrow transplant is very much similar to a blood transfusion. If you are having an allogeneic transplant, bone marrow cells will be harvested from your donor a day or two prior to the procedure. If your own cells are being used (autologous transplant), they will be retrieved from the stem cell bank. For a bone marrow harvest, cells are collected through a needle from both hipbones. You will be under anesthesia for this procedure, meaning you will be asleep and free of any pain.