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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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EYESIGHT Health Notes
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Healing the heart through the wrist Sq. Ldr. Sukhbir Singh (name changed), who had already undergone stenting to diagonal artery, continued to experience chest discomfort. One day he had acute pain in his chest and ECG changes suggested heart attack. Radial access was utilised to perform angiogram which showed 90 per cent lesion in left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery at its bifurcation. Upon diagnosis, the condition was successfully treated by performing bifurcation lesion kissing balloon angioplasty and stenting to LAD via transradial (wrist) access. Kissing balloon technique for performing angioplasty, on a blockage at a point on the coronary artery where it divides into two, uses a single guiding catheter to guide two ultra-thin wires with balloons that are then inflated simultaneously using two inflation devices. In simpler terms, this approach amounts to performing two angioplasties simultaneously, using single guiding catheter through single vascular access. Till now such complex angioplasties were rarely performed using the transradial approach. But today more and more patients are preferring transradial access for coronary procedures over the conventional transfemerol approach, and complex angioplasties, as above, are possible through the radial technique. Angiographies are, in today’s fast-paced and stress-laden lives, a quick and safe means of deciphering if your heart is in order and functioning to its optimum. Often angiographies show obstructions in arteries that are almost simultaneously treated by angioplasties, which, in a layman’s words, is ballooning and stenting of the artery so that the obstruction is removed. The myth that angiographies and angioplasties are “dangerous” should be completely destroyed now, with the advancement in expertise and technology. Only one of 1000 persons suffers a complication during an angiography and one in 100 during an angioplasty, which would be the ratio in any other invasive procedure too. The message is that do not hesitate in getting an angiography done, but yes, do not compromise on the quality of medical expertise or facility that you opt for! For a long time, coronary angiography and angioplasty procedures have been performed through the thigh (transfemoral approach). Today, transradial access for coronary procedures is preferred by patients, and complex angioplasties are being performed through the radial approach. Some of the significant advantages of the transradial approach over the conventional approach (via a thigh artery) are:
All these conditions are virtually absent in the transradial approach.
Transradial interventions have fewer complications, but are technically more difficult to perform. The lavel of complexity for the surgeon makes the procedure exceptional and rare. This relatively new technique promises lower morbidity and improves patient satisfaction. Among patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterisation, transradial access leads to improved quality of life after the procedure. It is strongly preferred by patients and it reduces hospital costs. The transradial approach to coronary interventions is both feasible and safe in patients with acute myocardial infraction. This option may be most appealing in patients at high risk for developing vascular complications of arterial access. The writer is a Senior Consultant in Cardiology at
Fortis, Mohali.
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EYESIGHT AN eye check-up held in a school revealed that about 20-25 per cent of the children had refractive error and needed glasses to see clearly. How are these children going to learn properly if this is not detected in time? One should be aware that if this refractive error is not detected or corrected in time it may lead to lazy eye or squint. Also it can be a reason for poor performance at school which can affect the future of the child in the long run. It is important for everyone to have regular eye examinations. How frequently one should have routine eye check-up depends on the age and general health. The people with a family history of eye problems and if already diagnosed or treated for any eye ailment should get their eyes checked at a regular interval as specified by their eye specialist. A general eye examination includes testing the vision as well as evaluating the health of your eyes. One should tell about medications one is taking for any health condition as well as other conditions that one may have been treated for in the past. Also mention about your family and history of eye diseases, surgery, if any, etc. Your eye examination will begin with a measurement of your vision with and without glasses or contact lenses if you wear them. It includes other tests which check for any cataract or glaucoma or any other pathology in the eye. Retina is evaluated in detail to see any age-related degeneration or sign of any systemic disease like diabetes or hypertension. Many times diabetes is detected after a routine eye check-up showing retinal bleeding spots which may remain undetected as they in early stages won’t cause any problem to the patient. If one is in generally good health and has not been diagnosed with any eye problem or vision problem, a routine examination every two years is sufficient. However, if any family history of glaucoma, macular degeneration or diabetes is there, then one will need to be examined at least each year or as directed by the eye specialist. Because cataract and other age-related eye problems become more troubling as we get older, patients over 55-60 may have to consider a routine eye examination each year. Children should be examined before they enter school to be sure that there are no undetected vision problems that might affect learning. The frequency of their examinations will depend on the family history and any specific vision problems or complaints. Certain conditions like vitamin A deficiency if ruled out at this stage and if treated in time will avoid cases of corneal blindness. Most eye diseases that cause blindness can be treated if diagnosed early. We are aware of this, yet regular eye check-ups before schooling are not done. Eyes are the windows to our body which make us see this world. A timely examination by an eye specialist is essential to ensure good health of the eyes. The writer is Chairman and Medical Director, Centre for Sight, New Delhi. Email:
msachdev@bol.net.in
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Health Notes Washington: If you thought that eating low-fat foods would help you watch your weight, especially if you happen to be obese, well then you better think again, for it seems that the only thing that such foods do is make you pile on even more calories. In two studies conducted by Cornell researchers, the team found that people eat an average of 28 per cent more total calories when they eat low-fat snacks than regular ones. “Obese people can eat up to 45 per cent more,” reports lead researcher Brian Wansink (Ph.D.) in the book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.
— ANI
Video games pose health
risk to kids
Washington: Here’s another reason why parents need to make sure that their kids don’t spend all their time playing video games, for a new study has found that it can put kids more at risk for behavioural and health problems. The study, by University of Florida child psychologist Eric Storch, found that though video game makers seem to be addressing concerns about how playing affects children, and are increasingly releasing more educational games, as well as those that require players to peel themselves off the couch to use it, too much gaming still puts children more at risk for behavioural and health problems. “If you’re concerned it is going to be difficult to control how much your child is playing, then one recommendation would be not to tempt them. Don’t purchase one of these systems,” said Dr Storch.
— ANI
Blame evolutionary risk
of cancer on our body mass
Washington: A key enzyme that cuts short our cellular lifespan in an effort to thwart cancer has now been linked to body mass. Until now, scientists believed that our relatively long lifespans controlled the expression of telomerase— an enzyme that can lengthen the lives of cells but can also increase the rate of cancer. Vera Gorbunova, assistant professor of biology at the University of Rochester, conducted a first-of-its-kind study to discover why some animals express telomerase while others, like humans, don’t. The findings are reported in Aging Cell.
— ANI
Aspirin can halve chances of enlarged prostate
London: A new study by boffins at Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic has found that Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) such as aspirin can cut the risk of men from developing an enlarged prostate by half. The condition which affects almost half of men in their seventies is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, and can make urination difficult or trigger a need to urinate frequently. And while boffins found that while painkillers may cut the risk of developing the condition, lead researcher Dr Jenny St Sauver said that that does not mean that they were advising every man to start popping NSAIDS.
— ANI |
