|
|
|
|
| HEALTH & FITNESS |
|
|
|
Red cheeks: A sign
of disease Foreign body in
the eye: Consult a specialist early! What to do when
it’s difficult to breathe through the nose
|
|
Red cheeks: A sign of disease Having
red cheeks was considered glorious a few years back as a sign of beauty equivalent to the beautiful rose. However, persistent red cheeks, accompanied by flushing and mild burning or heat sensation, become a source of embarrassment. Medical research has found that persons having persistent red cheeks and red nose are suffering from a disease; thus the flush red cheeks are, in fact, a sign of an internal medical disorder. For those who suffer from chronic red cheeks and facial flushing, it is not only embarrassing but is also uncomfortable. This can be a source of embarrassment because it results in an uneven skin tone and can be mistaken as a sign of an allergic reaction. The irony is that the redder you get, the more embarrassed you become creating a vicious circle. The problem becomes worse in summer. What can cause red cheeks? When you have a red face that won’t go away, the most likely development is that you have rosacea. But it’s important to get a definitive diagnosis from a dermatologist since there are some other medical conditions also that cause red cheeks and can be serious. The most common cause for a red face and cheeks — rosacea — is a skin condition where blood vessels dilate excessively in response to certain triggers. The face and cheeks usually look flushed and bumps that resemble acne appear on the face, and the skin may burn. With rosacea, the facial redness can last several days at a time. Whenever we are exposed to hot sun, hot liquids and stress, the vessels tend to dilate but the essential elastic and collagen fibres in the dermal layer of facial skin prevent them from over-dilating, thus limiting the blood supply to the face. But in rosacea, these essential elastic and collagen fibres get damaged. The resultant over-dilatation of cutaneous vessels supplying the facial skin results in redness and rosacea. Fair-skinned people are more often affected. People who drink hot liquids like coffee, get too much sun and wind exposure, eat extremely spicy foods, consume alcohol, have high stress, and use highly potent topical steroids on the face have a greater risk. In this earliest stage, some patients may report stinging or burning sensation, including the feeling of dry or tight skin. What to do if it’s rosacea? Rosacea may be persistent and may worsen over time, leading to permanent changes in appearance and affecting self-esteem. The condition is controllable. Most cases can be controlled easily by avoiding factors that trigger flushing, using sun protection, and by keeping the body well hydrated with water. Reduce the intake of alcohol, stop smoking, reduce trigger foods, etc. Medications are essential and should be taken under the supervision of a certified dermatologist only. Another frequent cause for a red face and cheeks and a more serious one is an autoimmune disease called systemic lupus erythematosis, or SLE. This disease causes redness and a rash that centres around the nose and spreads into the cheeks — which gives a generalised red appearance to the face. Usually people with SLE have other symptoms such as joint pain, fatigue, fever, or swollen lymph nodes. Certain blood tests can be used to diagnose this disease. It is more common in females. A married woman having a red face and recurrent abortions must be investigated for lupus erythematosus. Unfortunately, public awareness and knowledge of lupus is still lacking, even though there are 5 million people living with lupus around the world. Other causes There are other less common causes of a red face and red cheeks, including some types of malignant tumours, diabetes, fifth’s disease, heart conditions, and neurological diseases. An overactive thyroid and diabetes can also cause flushing and a red face. These conditions usually cause other symptoms as well — not just a red face. So, it’s very important to rule out various skin and internal disorders and undergo a thorough detailed skin and medical examination once you have “red cheeks, a so-called sign of beauty”. The writer is Chief Consultant Dermatologist , National Skin Hospital, Mansa Devi Complex, Panchkula. drvikas.nscindia@gmail.com |
|
Foreign body in the eye: Consult a specialist early! Jagtaran did not feel any pain, redness or swelling in the eye but was unable to see from that eye. He was reluctantly brought to the eye clinic after a few days by his employer, who asked, “Doctor, was he blind of right eye from childhood or is it related to injury?” "It appears that iron particle has entered the eyeball and damaged his lens leading to cataract. There could be underlying injuries to the retina, as well. It is possible for a small foreign body to enter the eye and cause no apparent damage, but it may lead to bleeding within the eye, early cataract formation or damage to the retina. Surgery will be required to correct this damage," said the doctor. "Efforts to remove the FB by a non-expert doctor has caused damage to his cornea that may leave behind a scar, which may require another surgery involving corneal transplant. This was avoidable", observed the eye specialist. He further cautioned to avoid any treatment by a non-doctor. Foreign body: superficial or deep While superficial foreign bodies tend to be very uncomfortable, deep-seated ones may not cause any symptom immediately. The superficial foreign body may be stuck on to the cornea or the conjunctiva, causing a red, watery and gritty eye. The foreign material may have become stuck under the upper lid, whereby every time the eye opens and closes, the pain increases. The FB that enters the eyeball may cause and leave behind profound damage. Metal foreign bodies that have iron in them can cause a condition called "siderosis", which gradually leads to loss of vision over the following months and years. Some other metals and vegetable materials may cause rapid destruction of the eye or infection inside the eye. An X-ray of the orbit may reveal a FB. Ultrasonography (USG) can be a useful adjunct in localising IOFB and to determine if the object is metallic. USG could be performed even in the case of an open globe injury. USG is useful in determining the extent of the intraocular damage, determining the presence of a retinal detachment, double perforation as well as in detecting foreign bodies not seen in x-ray. USG can give an idea about the nature of the IOFB such as round or spherical foreign bodies, intraocular air, glass, etc. C T scan provides much more reliable information regarding the size, shape, and localisation of the foreign body. MRI may be more effective in localising non-metallic IOFB such as wood. Do's and don'ts Wearing appropriate safety glasses is the best way to prevent this type of injury. Protecting the eyes with appropriate protective glasses and not the ordinary spectacles is especially important when working with machinery that could cause chips of wood or metal to splinter. Don't watch the process of grinding, hammering, drilling, etc, where particles are flying. If you get a superficial foreign body in your eye, first-aid treatment in the form of gentle bathing/ rinsing with clean warm water is appropriate. Do not try to remove a foreign body with handkerchief, cotton buds, matchsticks or any other type of solid object. If you think something has gone into your eye while you have been grinding or hammering, even if you have little in the way of pain or loss of vision, it is essential that you report to an eye centre and shun the expertise of children or adults in the street.
The writer is a senior
eye specialist based in Chandigarh. Email: drrkumar16@gmail.com |
|
What to do when it’s difficult to breathe through the nose If
you have difficulty in breathing through the nose, it remains blocked or stuffed up, your sense of smell is not sharp enough and you get a cold very frequently, you are quite likely to have a polyp in the nasal cavity. What is a nasal polyp? Nasal polyps are soft, painless, jelly like, teardrop or grape-shaped growth on the mucous membrane or the lining of the nasal cavity. They look like small-peeled grapes. They are non-cancerous. Polyps block the passage of the air through the nose. Some of them may be big enough to completely occlude the cavity. They may be present on the one side or may be both sides. Sometimes polyps get formed in the sinuses where the sinuses open into the nasal cavity. When the polyps are small, they may not cause any symptom at all. They are not normally painful to touch. Nasal polyps are more common in adults above the age of 40 and are more likely to affect men as compared to women. Cause The exact cause of nasal polyps is unknown. It has been observed that people who are allergic or who have asthma and hay fever are more likely to develop polyps also. Recurrent inflammation in the sinuses may cause the polyps and conversely polyps may cause inflammation. This is like a vicious cycle that is sometimes difficult to break. If a person has nasal polyps, he is more likely to have chronic sinusitis. Symptoms Small polyps may go completely unnoticed as they are neither visible to the eye nor do they cause any symptoms. But the bigger ones are easily visible to the naked eye. They are the ones that cause the symptoms and are, therefore, easily noticed. Since the presence of the polyps does not allow the air to pass freely, it results in a feeling of stuffiness and difficulty in breathing. Also, the sensation of smell is reduced. Some of the polyps bleed, though bleeding is not a regular or common feature. Even the slightest pressure on the polyp or a blow to the nose can make them bleed profusely. Headache is a frequent occurrence in patients with nasal polyps. Some patients may even experience loss of taste and loss of smell. Blocking of the pathways causes the mucous draining into the nose from the sinuses to collect in the sinuses only. This mucous gets infected and causes bad smell and the yellowish or greenish mucous that is often drained into the nose and posteriorly into the throat. This long lasting infection irritates the polyp and causes it to grow bigger. This is the vicious cycle that has been spoken about earlier. Role of homoeopathy Homoeopathy offers a very potent option of treatment of nasal polyps. Homoeopathic medicines like Teucrium, Phosphorus, Sanguinaria, Calcarea Carb and Agraphis Nutans are commonly used for the treatment of polyps. There is hardly any need for surgical intervention as homoeopathic medicines are able to cure nasal polyps. One of the biggest advantages of homoeopathic treatment is that it does not allow the polyps to recur as the very tendency to develop polyps is extinguished once and for all. The writer is a Mohali-based homoeopathic practitioner. He can be contacted at drharshsharma@gmail.com
|
|
Health Notes Washington: Overweight women, who skip breakfast, experience acute, or rapid-onset, insulin resistance, a condition that, when chronic, is a risk factor for diabetes, a new study has revealed. The study, funded by the Endocrine Fellows Foundation in Washington, DC, the National Institutes of Health and the Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center, suggested that regularly skipping breakfast over time may lead to chronic insulin resistance and thus could increase an individual's risk for type 2 diabetes. Elizabeth Thomas, an endocrinology fellow at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, and co-workers studied nine nondiabetic women, with an average age of 29, who were overweight or obese. — ANI
Obese adolescents at
higher risk of hearing loss
Washington: A new study has revealed that obese adolescents are more likely than their normal-weight counterparts to have hearing loss. Findings showed that obese adolescents had increased hearing loss across all frequencies and were almost twice as likely to have unilateral (one-sided) low-frequency hearing loss. "This is the first paper to show that obesity is associated with hearing loss in adolescents," said study first author Anil K. Lalwani, professor and vice chair for research, Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center. The study found that obesity in adolescents is associated with sensorineural hearing loss across all frequencies (the frequency range that can be heard by humans); sensorineural hearing loss is caused by damage to the inner-ear hair cells. — ANI
Eating red meat in excess may cause diabetes
Washington: Eating more red meat over time is associated with an increased risk of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), according to a new study. An Pan of the National University of Singapore and colleagues analyzed data from three Harvard group studies and followed up 26,357 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study; 48,709 women in the Nurses' Health Study; and 74,077 women in the Nurses' Health Study II. Diets were assessed using food frequency questionnaires. During more than 1.9 million person-years of follow-up, researchers documented 7,540 incident cases of T2DM. — ANI |
Jagtaran