Cancer Awareness Society hails Bihar Government's prohibition decision

People engaged in creating awareness about liver cancer hailed the Nitish Kumar government's decision on prohibition as "historic" which would have positive impact on the health of people.

A team of Cancer Awareness Society met the CM to support the October 2 notification enforcing prohibition in the state.

Two days after the Patna High Court quashed its order on prohibition, Bihar government on October 2 came out with a new law banning liquor with harsher provisions.

The Society team told Mr. Nitish Kumar that the World Health Assembly, the decision making body of WHO, had in 2010 taken a decision for controlling usage of alcohol of which India was one of the signatory, according to a statement of the Society.

Action was desired in this direction after being signatory to the decision. By fulfilling this, the Bihar government has initiated a historic step which deserves praise. The team told Kumar that they are with him in the campaign against alcohol.

The statement said about short term and long term medical effects of alcohol on consumer.

The short term effects included slurred speech, drowsiness, vomiting, diarrhea, breathing difficulties, anemia and blackouts.

The long term effects included unintentional injuries like alcohol poisoning, high blood pressure, stroke and heart related diseases, liver disease, sexual problem and cancer of liver, mouth and throat among others.

Jaundice and other Liver Disorder Outbreak in Dadar, Mumbai due to contaminated water

Health authorities raced to contain the jaundice outbreak at a Dadar colony after local news papers reported how contaminated water had sickened over 60 residents, some of whom face the prospect of liver failure.

A team of civic officials and health workers inspected the water supply of 80-year-old Palan Sojpal society through door-to-door checks, and distributed chlorine tablets and packets of oral rehydration salts. They switched off the supply from two pipes over suspicion that a leakage had led to tainted water.

The residents had been complaining about water that “smells like rotten eggs” since June, but the BMC blamed it on the society’s own faulty pipeline network. The civic body re-examined the issue with greater urgency and seriousness on Monday following news paper reports.

BMC officials have asked all families in the society to boil water before consumption. It seems the contamination has resulted from an internal problem: the colony’s sewer lines are choked.

It is believed that the issue of tainted water was restricted to the society and there had been no complaints from other localities in Dadar.

Around 200 families live in Palan Sojpal and currently, 50 families have at least one member who is suffering from jaundice. Between June and September, almost every family made a trip to the hospital because of hepatitis E, the virus that causes the disease.

The BMC earlier conducted two inspections at the society after multiple complaints. The residents replaced the pipelines that officials had blamed for tainted water, and also cleaned the society’s tanks. The steps had no effect and cases of Hepatitis E shot up. Though the civic body on Monday cut supply to two suspect pipes, some families fear it’s another misdiagnosis as some houses are still getting water that smells bad and even has worms. 

New method of predicting risk of developing severe liver disease could ensure patients receive early life-saving medical intervention

Using information collected in a liver biopsy study, researchers have developed a method of determining the onset of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) through the analysis of lipids, metabolites and clinical markers in blood. The new non-invasive method of predicting the risk of developing a severe liver disease could ensure that patients receive early and potentially life-saving medical intervention before irreversible damage is done. NASH is the most extreme form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a range of conditions caused by a build-up of fat in the liver. With NASH, inflammation of the liver damages the cells, potentially causing scarring and cirrhosis. Currently, the diagnosis of NASH can only be done with a liver biopsy, an invasive and costly procedure. The new research could lead to a simple blood test that could catch the onset of NASH before inflammation damages the liver. Many people with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis do not have symptoms and are not aware they are developing a serious liver problem. As such, diagnosis often comes after irreversible damage is done.

Quicker and less invasive method of diagnosis could mean that more people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease could be easily tested to determine whether they are progressing to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, the more severe form of the disease. A healthy liver should contain little or no fat. It’s estimated that around 20 percent of people in the UK have early stages of NAFLD where there are small amounts of fat in their liver. NASH is estimated to affect up to five percent of the UK population and is now considered to be one of the main causes of cirrhosis, a condition where irregular bumps replace the smooth liver tissue, making it harder and decreasing the amount of healthy cells to support normal functions. This can lead to complete liver failure. Common risk factors for both NAFLD and NASH are obesity, lack of physical exercise and insulin resistance. But if detected and managed at an early stage, it’s possible to stop both NAFLD and NASH from getting worse. The new method of NASH diagnosis will undergo further investigation with a view to developing a simple blood test that can be used by clinicians to provide effective medical care for patients at high risk of the disease.

Recurring problem in Delhi - Chikungunya, dengue, malaria - When will we learn our lesson

Each year during rainy season and weeks after it, Delhi turns into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Umpteenth people get affected and hospitals get swarmed with chikungunya, dengue and malaria patients. The problem is that these mosquito-borne diseases are difficult to diagnose, given the similar symptoms they have with fever being a prominent part.

If these key differences are not detected and treated on time, the diseases could definitely prove hazardous.

Malaria

This disease is caused by the transmission of plasmodium — a parasitic protozoa — into the body’s system. There are two types of plasmodium species that are common in India — Vivax and Falciparum, which are transmitted into the human bodies through the spit of Anopheles mosquitoes. The Anopheles mosquitoes bite usually during the day.

The most common symptom of Malaria is high-grade fever. But, the fever does not stay at a stretch and is intermittent i.e. comes over a period of two-three days. The fever is accompanied with chills and rigor. In severe cases, the patient suffers from constipation, disorientation (in the case of cerebral malaria) and kidney dysfunction.

Dengue

This viral disease is transmitted to human bodies through the bite of female Aedes mosquitoes and from an infected human to another, in cases of blood transfusion. The dengue causing mosquitoes usually bite during the night.

The patient suffers from fever for the initial three-four days, followed by body pain. Retro-orbital pain ie. pain behind the eyes is also common. In acute cases, decreased urine output, respiratory difficulties and increased bleeding tendencies also accompany the usual symptoms.

Chikungunya

Chikungunya is caused by the same female Aedes mosquitoes that cause dengue. This ailment mostly affects the muscle cells of the body.

The prominent symptoms of Chikungunya include excessive body pain or myalgia, swelling in the joints and rashes across the body. The body pain, in this case is more severe than that in dengue cases.

In chikungunya, joints pain is more pronounced, while in cases of dengue, patients might even feel retro-orbital pain, that is, pain behind the eyes. Other than this, the symptoms for both mosquito-borne diseases are the same.

Treatment

While for Malaria, anti-malarial drugs like chloroquine and artemisinin are available, dengue and chikungunya are viral diseases and do not have treatment drugs as such. The treatment for dengue and chikungunya is symptomatic and therefore, doctors wait for the symptoms to become evident in the body.

Chikungunya and dengue patients are given paracetamol for the fever to subside, but not in the first three days. Since both the diseases have similar symptoms, giving any kind of medicines, including painkillers in the first two-three days is fatal. It could lead to bleeding, in some cases. The patients are prone to dehydration and therefore, are advised to increase their intake of fluids.

Some of the prevention method that people can take are using the good old mosquito nets during night. One of the key things is to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes because there are no medical ways or vaccines to avoid prevention of these diseases. Wear clothes that cover you fully and apply mosquito-repellent creams. As a community, to prevent such diseases, ensure that there is no water stagnation in the surroundings, because they become excellent breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Also, make sure that your living area and surroundings are hygienic and clean. Change the water in room coolers at least once a week.

Overuse of Medications can cause liver problems

Alcohol is not the only cause of liver damage. Overuse of Medications can cause liver problems too. In the extreme cases it can lead to liver failure.

Overuse of over-the-counter drugs and certain prescription drugs is known to cause liver damage. Some of these drugs include antidepressants, mood stabilizers, corticosteroids (used for treating inflammation) and pain relievers. It’s therefore important to review the side effects and adverse effects of medications before taking them.

Even many of the prescribed medicine in India can cause liver inflammation and liver problems. For e.g. Drugs containing sulfonamides prescribed by many doctor. But they are also known to cause idiosyncratic liver injury. Hepatotoxicity appears to be a class effect, in that virtually all sulfonamides used today have been linked to rare, but convincing cases of drug induced liver injury. Most typically, the injury appears within one to three weeks of starting therapy, often preceded or accompanied by signs of hypersensitivity such as fever, rash, facial edema, lymphadenopathy, arthralgias, and eosinophilia or atypical lymphocytosis (or both). Hepatotoxicity from sulfonamides may represent a part of a spectrum of hypersensitivity due to sulfa-derived medications and have been linked to many cases of DRESS (drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms) as well as Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrosis. The severity of injury varies widely. Most instances of sulfonamide related liver injury are mild-to-moderate in severity and self-limited in course. Importantly, sulfonamides can cause acute liver failure, particularly in instances with a precipitious onset and hepatocellular pattern of serum enzyme elevations. Indeed, the sulfonamides remain one of the most common causes of drug induced acute liver failure.

.

In one of the instances, an old lady in New Delhi was given sulfonamide drug which caused sever itching in her body and led to liver inflammation. Her condition deteriorated with swelling on face and arms but luckily the doctors identified the cause of the problem and she was able to recover in due course.

80% of fatty liver disease patients in Korea don't drink alcohol

One in three Koreans suffers from fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease is a condition that occurs when large amounts of fat accumulate in liver cells. Despite having multiple causes, fatty liver disease is considered to be caused mostly by excessive alcohol intake.

However, latest research shows that 80% of patients with the disease in Korea do not drink alcohol. In fact the number of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has doubled in the last 6 years.
Experts now say that the biggest factor in causing the disease is carbohydrates.

Compared to people who eat less carbohydrates, men and women who intake a lot of carbohydrates are 1.7 times and 3.8 times more likely to suffer from fatty livers, respectively.

The fatty liver disease is prevalent among Koreans because Korean people tend to eat a lot of carbohydrates. It's important to reduce the intake of other kinds of carbohydrates such as food made of flour and noodles.

Obesity is another factor that can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
This explains why fatty liver disease is being observed among many parents in their 40s and 50s and among overweight children as well.
If left unattended, fatty liver disease can develop into fatal diseases such as cirrhosis and even liver cancer.
To prevent this, doctors advise citizens to exercise for at least 10 minutes a day, watch their eating habits and visit the doctor for regular check-ups.

Dengue virus and its treatment can affect liver

In a dengue patient, the virus and the painkillers are a double whammy that can leave the liver scarred. During an attack, a patient pops painkillers and paracetamols. When they act, the body exacts a cost for suppressing the pain by affecting the liver since this organ treats all painkillers as poison, even paracetamol. So a patient is caught between taking and not taking medicines and a damaged liver takes months to recover.

A large percentage of dengue patients end up with such liver dysfunction. Experts who have observed the patients said levels of certain enzymes and proteins in patients' blood go up or drop in reference to the normal count indicating liver problems.

Abdominal pain, vomiting and loss of appetite are the earliest symptoms. Yellowish discolouration of the eyes or urine and abdominal tenderness are warning signs of liver damage.

Counselling high-risk patients with underlying medical conditions like diabetes and hypertension, stopping medications like paracetamol, known to deteriorate liver function, is still the first line of care. Patients also need supportive care, proper hydration and consistent monitoring of liver function indicators through blood tests.

Dengue virus attacks the cells that cause inflammation in the liver. The Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Amino Alanine Transferase (AST) enzymes increase in number in the blood during the time and may cause complications including damage to liver.

Liver damage in dengue infection is not preventable, but doctors can reduce paracetamol and other medicines which can cause liver toxicity. Liver involvement is more commonly seen in those who have dengue haemorrhagic fever, a severe form of dengue. Early detection can help save lives.

The most commonly used indicators of liver damage are alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), referred to as the SGPT and SGOT.

Levels of these enzymes usually begin to increase from an early stage (day 1-3 of illness) and peak during the second week of illness. Proper medical care can help avert liver damage.