What ails the Capital’s air

Dear Readers,

Thanks for your continued support and good wishes. We really appreciate your efforts for staying with us and guiding us like a guardian. Like every month this time too we wish to present, good and interesting stories pertaining to improving the quality of life. There are a number of innovative report and analysis-based stories, in the field of healthcare.
The increasing trend of diabetes is a big challenge. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has undertaken a nationwide study with the aim of addressing the scarcity of information on diabetes and the other metabolic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The first phase of the study has reported alarming outcomes.
India is reported to have the second highest number of diabetic individuals in the world, but there is no reliable data on the national prevalence of diabetes as well as the other major diseases such as hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia and a large number of growing.
The ICMR-INDIAB Study is a cross-sectional, community-based survey of adults of either sex, aged 20 years and above, aimed at determining the national prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes (Impaired fasting glucose/Impaired glucose tolerance) from all the 28 States, National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and two Union Territories (UTs), namely, Chandigarh and Puducherry in the mainland of India.
As we know, the sense of balance relies on a series of signals to the brain from several organs and structures in the body. Balance disorders occur when the balancing organ within the ear, heart and nerves is not able to maintain coordination of body systems.
Our story describes that the balance disorders are a combination of physiological factors that can make you feel unsteady or dizzy. While sitting, standing or lying down, you may feel as if you are floating, moving or spinning and you may feel dizzy and dazed for the time being. This disorder can intervene in your daily activities of life, and can even lead to falls and accidents, which may cause you to end up with fractures and other types of injuries.
Balance disorders can be caused by certain health conditions, medications, or a problem in the inner ear or the brain. A balance disorder can profoundly impact daily activities and cause psychological and emotional hardship.
Another story “Dangerous Disorder” highlights the alarming increase in the number of people suffering from haemophilia in the country. The need of the hour is to take appropriate initiatives for establishing infrastructure and providing good quality factors for the management of the disease. According to a study conducted by the World Federation of Hemophilia (Annual Global Survey), almost 50 per cent of the world’s hemophilia population lives in India and almost 70 per cent of PWH (People with Hemophilia) do not have adequate knowledge or access to treatment. The risk of death from the lack of basic knowledge and untreated hemophilia is very high.
Hemophilia is a genetic and life-threatening bleeding disorder. Even with a minor injury or cut, in hemophilia patients’ blood does not clot normally due to the absence of clotting proteins called Anti-Hemophilic Factors (AHF).
With the network of 80 Chapters spread across the country, Hemophilia Federation India (HFI) aims to reach out to more and more PWH and provide quality care, affordable treatment, educational & psycho-social support and economic rehabilitation. The HFI has so far been able to identify more than 16,000 hemophiliacs across the country out of estimated 1.2 lacs (1 in every 10,000 population).
Despite the Odd-Even campaign by the Delhi Government, the air quality of the capital city is still not improving. Keeping this in mind, we examine whether the Delhi government is really serious towards public health. Whatever the results of two-week long odd-even campaign, the modus operandi to be curb air pollution does not meet expectations of millions of Delhiites.
Many families with elderly members ailing from respiratory illnesses have installed oxygen cylinders at home for emergency purposes because they can’t keep running to the hospital for every frequent breathing crisis that arises. The medical practitioners feel that problem needs the attention of not just a single man, but of an entire system, whose combined effort must be to make whole capital city’s air breathable again.

Thank you again for your overwhelming patronage of the magazine!

Amresh K Tiwary, Editor-in-Chief