#HealthCheckUp

Did you know that a simple problem like anaemia or iron deficiency can lead to irregular heartbeat, arrhythmia, or even heart failure? Globally, over 2 million people have anaemia and if left undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to heart issues. Why is this important and how is it linked to a preventive health check-up? The fact is that anaemia is just one of the many risk factors for your health that can be uncovered quickly through a preventive health check-up. These check-ups, when done regularly by qualified, experienced personnel can help you live a healthier, longer, better life.

Be it cancer, heart ailments, mental disorders, or eye-related issues that may lead to blindness, many of these can be averted in time with a comprehensive preventive health check-up plan. Early detection of most diseases reduces their intensity and impact on your life. In short, a preventive health check-up often lays the foundation for a better quality of life and in many cases, gives you a new lease on life.

Why is preventive health check-up important for you?

Below are some of the reasons why you should adopt a preventive health check-up plan:

Make the right lifestyle changes

Preventive health check-up covers several tests that identify the symptoms of future ailments. Many of these indicators can be brought under control with simple lifestyle changes. For example, increasing the intensity of exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease or controlling the amount of sugar in your diet can avert diabetes.

Avoid serious illnesses

Your preventive health check-up helps your physician understand the risk areas to cover and they can give you the right advice to follow, including medications or changes in habits to keep serious ailments away.

Keep treatment costs within reason

When a disease is identified in its early stages, it can be treated with less invasive and less intensive methods. Often, this means you can avoid surgeries or long-term treatment that can be quite expensive.

Improve treatment outcomes

In many cases, early detection helps resolve the disease or manage it better. Even cancers like breast, colorectal or cervical cancer can be treated with greater success when detected early.

Track your health status

With a preventive health check-up, you will be able to know how healthy you are and what aspects of your health require attention. This helps you make healthy choices for your body.

Reduce complications

A preventive health check-up can also monitor your health conditions regularly so that you can quickly address the changes that happen. This helps prevent further complications in existing medical conditions.

Who needs a preventive health check-up?

Even babies undergo preventive tests to eliminate problems. For example, regular eye exams for a baby over the first year of his/her life can identify problems like amblyopia and corrective treatment can be started immediately. However, as an adult, here is what you should know about a regular preventive health check-up:

• People aged between 35-60 are most affected by lifestyle diseases so if you fall within this age group, it is time to schedule annual check-ups
• Men above 35 and women aged above 40 require a yearly preventive health check-up.
• For those with a family history of specific hereditary diseases, a regular preventive health check-up plan is essential.
• For some diseases like cervical cancer, experts recommend early preventive checks at least by the age of 20. The same holds for people with known risk factors for coronary heart disease.

What comes under a preventive health check-up?

A preventive health check-up is a series of medical tests that are done to find out what measures you must take to avert future medical problems. A typical preventive health check-up covers the following:

• Physical exam, including weight checks, height, BMI
• Blood pressure
• Eye exam
• Immunization record and updates
• Lipid profile
• Dental exam
• Cholesterol

In addition, there may be specific tests done depending on your gender, age or known medical conditions. For example, women should include a pelvic exam and pap smear in their annual preventive health check-up. A preventive health check-up for heart, on the other hand, will include a more detailed lipid profile that clearly gives HDL and LDL values, and more.

For older people, the annual preventive health check-up is more comprehensive and may include the following:

• Cancer screening of different types for men and women
• Osteoporosis screening
• Pulmonary profile
• Liver function
• Bone mineral density (women)
• Prostate screening
• Obesity
• Hearing tests
• Mental health evaluations

While this is what comes under a preventive health check-up usually, your regular physician may add more tests based on your health status and existing conditions, if any.

Prepping for your preventive health check-up plan

• Consumption of alcohol should be avoided 24 hours before the screening as it might hamper outcomes.
• If X-rays or scans are part of the preventive health check-up list, then avoid wearing jewellery and check if the use of any lotions, creams, or oils can affect the readings
• If you have trouble breathing or standing or if you have a condition that makes any test difficult or risky, inform the doctor in advance (For example, pregnant women are asked to avoid X-rays)

How to find the right preventive health check-up program?

In today’s fast-paced life, owing to time constraints you do not notice how your body is affected by various factors. According to research, overlooked issues such as stress can have life-threatening consequences.

So, the most important thing is to find a reliable place to get your preventive health check-up plan done accurately, quickly, hygienically and with least discomfort. For the best preventive health check-up in Bangalore, all you have to do is walk into NURA health screening centre for a comprehensive health check that brings the best of AI-enabled imaging to you. With friendly technicians, experts to help you and a patient-first policy, you can seamlessly keep track of your health.

What is diabetes?

The disease has been called the “silent killer”. It refers to a disorder where the body does not have the capacity to absorb blood glucose resulting in increased blood sugar levels. Left untreated, diabetes can affect internal organs and can even be life-threatening. The World Health Organization has predicted Diabetes to be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030.

Diagnosis is a significant challenge: Across the world, one in every two diabetic adults is undiagnosed. To mitigate long-term costs, innovative methods will be needed to enhance early detection, screening, and diagnosis.

What are different types of diabetes?

Type1 diabetes: This form of diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is caused by the body’s inability to manufacture insulin. Insulin-dependent people with Type I diabetes need artificial insulin every day, to survive.

Type2 diabetes: The way the body uses insulin is affected by type 2 diabetes. Unlike type I diabetes, the body still makes insulin, but the body cells do not respond to it as well as they used to. Elevated blood sugar levels are the typical indication of this type of diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is also called “adult-onset diabetes”. This is because it occurs almost exclusively in middle and late adulthood.

Gestational diabetes: This form affects women during pregnancy, as the body’s insulin sensitivity declines. Gestational diabetes does not affect all women and typically goes away after the baby is born.

Pre-diabetes: The term pre-diabetes refers to blood glucose levels more significant than usual but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. On the other hand, people with prediabetes are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even though they do not have signs of the disease.

Risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus include: 

• Lipid disorder: High cholesterol and triglycerides level
• High blood pressure 
• Obesity 
• Gestational diabetes 
• PCOS or PCOD condition 
• Sedentary lifestyle 
• Being over 45 years of age 

Fatalities as a result of Diabetes: If untreated or unmanaged Diabetic patients can slip into a diabetic coma. This arises out of complications of the disease. A diabetic coma is caused by dangerously elevated blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).

Low Blood Sugar: Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is a potentially risky situation. People with diabetes, who take drugs that raise insulin levels in the body, can experience low blood sugar. Low sugar symptoms are as follows: 

• Blurred vision
• Sweating
• Tingling lips and skin 
• Headache
• Feeling dizzy
• Concentration problems
• Difficulty sleeping 
• Loss of consciousness
• Palpitations
• Sudden anxiety

High Blood Sugar: Having high blood sugar daily or over a prolonged period will damage the nerves, blood vessels, and organs. It can also lead to many complicated health problems. Ketoacidosis, a build-up of acids in the blood, is common in people with type 1 diabetes. 

Very high blood sugar can lead to a potentially fatal situation in which the body can’t absorb sugar when you have type 2 diabetes or are at risk. The disease is known as a hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome (HHNS). In this case, you will urinate more often at first, then less frequently later. Your urine will darken, and you may become seriously dehydrated.

Other symptoms of high sugar level and uncontrolled diabetes are: 

• Frequent thirst
• Frequent urination
• Tiredness
• Vomiting and nausea
• Breathing problems
• Stomach ache
• Breath with a fruity odour
• Mouth dryness
• A pounding pulse

How Early Detection Helps

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms, you need to be screened immediately. Some people may be asymptomatic – that is, they may not show any symptoms  – but have to get screened when they exhibit risk factors for diabetes. Early testing helps doctors manage the disease better and chalk out a line of treatment and health program and put you on the road to health and wellness.

Tests to Determine Blood Sugar:

1. Fasting plasma Glucose Test: This test assesses your blood glucose levels after you are without food for at least 8 hours. This test is used to detect if the patient is diabetic or prediabetic. 
2. Oral Glucose Tolerance Test: This test examines your blood sugar after you’ve fasted for at least 8 hours and have consumed a glucose-containing liquid for two hours. This test will be used to assess whether or not you have diabetes or prediabetes.
3. Random Blood Glucose Test: Doctors recommend this test when diabetes symptoms are present, at any time, without waiting until the patient has fasted. 
4. Haemoglobin A1c Test:  This is the new standard used as a screening aid or diagnostic procedure for prediabetes and diabetes. Usually, the system is used to monitor blood glucose regulation in diabetic patients over some time. Normally an HbA1c test is recommended by doctors once in 3 months to ascertain the average blood glucose levels.

If your HbA1c level is between 5.7 per cent to 6,4 per cent, you are prediabetic. This can be reversed with lifestyle and diet modifications. If your HbA1c level is above 6.5 per cent then you are diagnosed as diabetic.

Managing Diabetes

While diabetes is steadily on the rise and can present complications, early detection, proper medication & management and expert doctor consulting can help you lead a normal life. Usually, a doctor refers a diabetic to a nutritionist who will recommend a “Diabetic Meal Plan” adjusting calorie intake per day while ensuring daily diet incorporated vital nutrients and vitamins. There are diabetic coaches and nutritionists specially trained to help manage diabetes.

Above all, it’s acting in time and being vigilant that will help you manage this silent killer. Regular blood sugar screening, a healthy lifestyle and exercise can help mitigate significant complications. The mantra: Lead a healthy lifestyle and catch it early.

On February 4th, World Cancer Day, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) provided voice and thanks to the nurses, physicians, researchers, volunteers, campaigners, and other oncology caregivers from around the world, as well as government departments, who have served through the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year.

In the face of the pandemic, the cancer warriors had shown exceptional courage and tenacity this year. Many initiatives call for free cancer screenings, fundraisers, awareness walks and rides, and civic lectures to establish successful World Cancer Day awareness. However, Cancer prevention plans conducted in a virtual or hybrid environment to substitute in-person gatherings were no longer be possible.

Growing Cancer Cases in India 

The ICMR  (Indian Council of Medical Research) and the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research, Bengaluru, have published a new cancer study that confirms the dramatic rise in India’s cancer cases, predicting that it will rise by another 12% in the next five years.

According to the National Cancer Registry Programme Survey 2020, men will have a cancer incidence of 763,575 in 2025, while women will have a cancer incidence of 806,218 in 2025. The study further calls attention to oral, lung, and colorectal cancers to be the most prevalent cancers among men.

Early Cancer Detection 

Another primary explanation for the sudden increase in cancer cases is the availability of an increasing number of cancer screening centres in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions. Early cancer detection tests improve the odds of beating the disease.

A survey by the WHO states that India had an estimated 1.16 million new cancer cases in 2018, with one in every ten Indians experiencing cancer at any point in their lives and one in every 15 dying from the disease.

Socioeconomic Causes of Cancer 

The WHO report further stated that in India, a high prevalence of tobacco-related head and neck cancers, especially oral cancer in men and cervical cancer in women, predominate; both cancer types are linked to lower socioeconomic status. The prevalence of cancers such as breast cancer and colorectal cancer linked to overweight and obesity, lack of physical activity, and sedentary habits is also on the rise.  These cancers are more prevalent among  people from the higher socioeconomic status of society.

It has been estimated that about 5% to 10% of cancer cases are inherited. The remainder results from genetic variations that arise from incidents that occurred over a person’s life, normal ageing, and exposure to environmental influences like cigarettes, smoke, and radiation.

Tobacco-related cancers account for 35% – 50% of all cancers in men and 17 % of cancers in women. Primary treatment is possible for these cancers, and they can be managed to a large extent.

Steps for Cancer Prevention

• Consume a good variety of fruits and vegetables and legumes, seeds, and whole grains.
• Engage in physical workouts daily.
• Obesity should be avoided. Maintain a healthy weight.
• Adopt balanced sexual behaviours.
• Tobacco consumption, like cigars and smokeless tobacco, should be avoided.
• Consume alcohol in moderation.
• Get vaccinated against hepatitis B and HPV
• Yoga and meditation can help in reducing stress-related cancer risk
• Avoid or restrict your exposure to identified carcinogens in the atmosphere.
• Keep on the lookout for early signs.
• Get screened for cancer and regular health checkups. Make it a part of your health routine.  

Warning Signs of Cancer 

• A new mass in the breast or variations in the breast
• A change in stomach or bladder habits 
• A sore that won’t go away
• Unusual leakage or discharge from any of the body openings /orifice
• Abnormal weight loss and loss of appetite
• Trouble in swallowing
• A visible development in a wart or mole
• A recurrent cough or hoarseness of the voice

Fighting the Cancer Menace in India

A multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment and cancer detection test is critical, and it is imperative for all Regional Cancer Centers to enable this. To establish the most appropriate care, the presence of a qualified surgeon and a Clinical Oncologist is mandatory.

Given the high prevalence of advanced epithelial cancers in India, radiotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment. With the long wait times and distances that patients must walk to reach these medical centres, there is an urgent need to enable access to timely and effective treatment.

Patients in need of palliative and curative therapy must be identified at the beginning of the treatment schedule. Palliation may be accomplished with the least amount of machine time.

For cancer chemotherapy, an essential drug list must be prepared, and chemotherapy programs for common cancers must be made available in all centres. The Regional Cancer Facilities must be equipped with specialized equipment for high-intensity chemotherapy for the treatment of leukaemia and other cancers where chemotherapy is the mainline treatment. 

In recent years, many organizations have introduced new generation screening devices to combat late diagnosis. These devices use emerging technologies ranging from artificial intelligence, machine learning to thermal imaging and immunoassays with a common objective: To make screening more available and affordable to the general public in the country.

India is a nation with a very young population. So, it is of utmost importance that our country’s youth, especially those between 25 to 55, focus on cardiovascular health.

The diseases involving the heart and its blood vessels are called cardiovascular diseases.

Types of Cardiovascular diseases:

The form or function of the heart is affected by cardiovascular diseases. The cardiovascular diseases list is as follows:

•  Coronary artery disease. It is also commonly known as CAD. The plaque build-up is present, and this leads to the hardening of blood vessels.
• Atypical heart rhythms, or arrhythmias
• Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism
• Heart attack – Blood flow is blocked, cutting off oxygen to the heart.
• Heart failure caused by the failure of the heart to supply adequate blood to the tissues to meet their metabolic needs
• Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy) – The heart is abnormally thickened and enlarged.
• Heart valve disease
• Peripheral vascular is the disease of blood vessels that supply blood to the arms and legs.
• Rheumatic heart disease
• Stroke
• Vascular disease (blood vessel disease)

Risk factors for heart diseases:

• Age

Age is a significant risk factor in heart disease development. The risk of cardiovascular/heart diseases increases with your age.

Ageing is also related to variations in the vascular wall’s structural and mechanical properties, which causes the loss of arterial pliability leading to coronary artery disease.

• Gender

Women are at a lesser risk of heart disease than men due to the estrogen hormone’s cardio-protective nature. As soon as menopause sets in, the risk is almost comparable to a man’s.

• Physical inactivity

Globally, insufficient physical activity is a principal risk factor for the deterioration of cardiovascular health. Physical activity contributes to weight loss and improves blood sugar levels and blood pressure.

• Smoking

Cigarettes are the dominant form of smoked tobacco. Risks to cardiovascular health are not only from direct tobacco consumption but also due to passive smoking.

• Diet

Regular eating of high-energy foods, such as processed foods high in fats and sugars, leads to obesity, affecting cardiovascular health. The quantity of dietary salt used may also be a significant causal factor to high blood pressure levels and overall cardiovascular health.

• Alcohol

Drinking high levels of alcohol has a negative impact on cardiovascular health.

• Celiac disease

Untreated celiac disease can cause irreversible heart damage. It usually resolves with a gluten-free diet. 

• Socioeconomic disadvantage

Cardiovascular health is deficient in the low- and middle-income countries even further than in high-income countries.

• Sleep

Insomnia has been related to a complex cardiometabolic risk.

• Air pollution

PM2.5 is linked to thickening of the carotid artery and a higher risk of acute myocardial infarction.

Assessment of Heart Health (Cardiovascular risk)

Like a heart attack or stroke, present cardiovascular disease or a previous cardiovascular event is the robust predictor of any future cardiovascular incident.

Age, smoking, gender, blood pressure, blood lipids, and diabetes are significant predictors of cardiovascular health. Therefore, a heart health checkup should be done at least once a year.

You should visit your doctor for routine cardiovascular health checkup tests to detect cardiovascular disease in the early stages.

Prevention of cardiovascular diseases

About 90% of cardiovascular disease can be avoided if the following measures are practised:

• Lesser intake of saturated fast: By replacing a portion of saturated fat with unsaturated fats or carbohydrates for at least two years, enhances heart health.
• Discontinuing smoking and avoiding second-hand smoke.
• Maintain a healthy diet (DASH or Mediterranean diet). 
• Do at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate exercise in a week.
• Consume alcohol within the recommended daily limits.
• Lower elevated blood pressure.
• Reduction of non-HDL cholesterol levels.
• Lose body fat if overweight or obese.
• Cut down your stress levels.

More about cardiovascular health

Medicines

Medication for controlling the Blood Pressure decreases cardiovascular disease in individuals at risk.

To prevent further disease in people with a history of cardiovascular disease, Statins are helpful.

Anti-diabetic medication may decrease cardiovascular risk in people with Diabetes mellitus.

Dietary supplements

Niacin, a type of vitamin B3, may modestly cut in the danger of cardiovascular events in high-risk individuals.

Magnesium supplementation brings a drop in high blood pressure if used in a dose-dependent method.

Cardiovascular Disease Treatments

Treating cardiovascular diseases can vary by the sort of condition.

• Altering your lifestyles such as your diet, physical activity, tobacco, and alcohol consumption.
• Medicines, such as the ones that treat blood clots, cholesterol, or blood pressure.
• Surgical interventions include having a balloon or stent positioned in your blood vessel, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, or heart valve surgery.

Covid 19 and Heart Health

There is collective evidence of straight involvement of the heart in about one-fifth of patients affected by COVID-19. It is necessary to follow infection avoidance guidelines stringently.

Conclusion

The key to good overall health is to have sound cardiovascular/ heart health. It is imperative to visit your specialist and undergo heart checkups regularly.

Cancer is a cluster of diseases characterized by an uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells that can affect almost any tissue or body organ. Globally, cancer is the second leading cause of mortality. As per a WHO report, breast, cervical, lung, colorectal, and thyroid cancer occur commonly in women, while prostate, colorectal, lung, liver, and stomach cancer are common in men.

From an economic and emotional perspective, the burden of cancer is increasing globally with each passing day, exerting a substantial strain on individuals, communities, and healthcare systems along with the physical suffering it entails.

Approximately 70% of cancer deaths occurring in low or middle-income countries are due to scarcity of resources for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Early screening in cancer detection can diagnose the disease at an early stage, and accordingly, cancer can be treated or cured depending on the stage of the disease.

WHO considers the following stages of its Cancer Control Program: Prevention, Early Detection, Diagnosis & Treatment, and Palliative Care. 

Cancer detection usually has two components: Early diagnosis and screening. Early diagnosis aims to detect patients with symptoms at the earliest possible stage. Screening typically focuses on healthy individuals while there are no visible symptoms yet.

Early screening includes systematic application of tests in healthy individuals or populations to identify individuals with pre-cancerous lesions or very early stage cancers while the disease is yet asymptomatic. These identified individuals require further investigation and follow-ups. Mammography for breast cancer screening, Pap smears and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) for cervical cancer screening are few examples of screening tests done in women.

Early screening in a population can be through an organized program or an opportunistic screening. A scheduled program of early screening follows a protocol with predefined systematic approaches, while opportunistic screening is unsystematic applications of screening tests during routine health services.

Early screening is the right step

Over the past few decades, early screening of cancers has played a pivotal role in devising strategies for preventing and treating cancers. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has continually promoted early detection of both asymptomatic and symptomatic cancers. 

ACS recommends adults at average risk to undergo screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers; adults at high-risk lung cancers to undergo lung cancer screening, and men are recommended to undergo prostate screening. These screenings aim to maximize the application of evolving screening techniques and to design a blueprint for the future of cancer control strategies.

In regions with non-availability of early screening and detection resources, cancers are usually diagnosed at advanced stages where the survival rates are very low, and the treatment costs are high. Few other factors for late diagnosis include:

• Lack of awareness.
• Not getting appointments for diagnosis 
• No access to adequate healthcare
•  Complex nature of screening journeys.

Remember, “Earlier the better”. Studies have shown that most cancers are responsive to early detection. An early detected cancer treated with an appropriate regimen increases the survival rate beyond five years in comparison to late diagnosis. Early diagnosis has also been shown to significantly increase the quality of life (QOL) and reduce disease burden and treatment cost.

Range of Screening Tests

The screening tests range varies from blood tests to medical imaging to biopsy. However, the results are not always reliable and synchronized. These include invasive and non-invasive techniques, and some tests may even cause pain or bleeding (e.g. biopsy). Another limitation is that for few tests, the results are not readily available. In addition, there could be false positives or false negatives. 

Over-screening and associated exposure is another limiting aspect of early cancer screening. However, studies have shown that the benefits of early screening outweigh the risks associated with these techniques.

Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) had developed the theme of “I Am and I Will,” which intends to create awareness among individuals, communities, and government bodies for access to early cancer screening and detection programs.

It is important to be aware that we are custodians of our own body. It pays to be vigilant for any abnormality, symptoms or bodily changes that we may notice in the course of our daily activity. We also need to be more aware and educate ourselves about cancer, its detection & diagnosis, treatment and management. Early screening is the key. We also should take into consideration our risk factors such as family history, tobacco use, alcohol use, overexposure to the sun, our diet, lifestyle and obesity factors. 

Conclusion

With advancements in screening techniques and cancer therapies over the last decade, the chances of effective prevention have increased significantly. The adage “Early bird catches the worm”, works effectively in dealing with cancer. Early detection and its associated benefits of early diagnosis/screening and treatment will go a long way to increasing the chances of recovery. 

Studies show that screening increased survival rate, QOL while bringing down physical pain, emotional trauma and financial burden in the treatment. Let us remember, that when it comes to the big C, “Early Detection will lead to Prevention.”

Breast cancer is, by far, the most common cancer in women worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer death in women, globally. According to statistics, in India, 1 in 28 women is likely to develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Every year, the month of October is marked as the #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, to increase support for the awareness, early detection and treatment of this disease. Yet, many women are still sceptical about going for routine women health screening like mammograms and question the effectiveness of the procedure. 

This scepticism is often a result of the various myths surrounding screening tests for women especially mammograms, the most common one being that it exposes women to a large amount of radiation, which is harmful and can cause breast cancer. While in reality, the truth remains that the small quantity of radiation that women get exposed to during a mammogram is within safe limits, and its benefits are plenty. 

If you are someone who asks yourself “Do I really need to go for a women health screening and get a mammogram?”, then this article is for you.

Here are the top 5 reasons why screening tests for women like a mammogram is a must! 

• Early detection is the best prevention: A mammogram is used both as a diagnostic and screening tool to detect breast cancer early. While it can’t prevent breast cancer, a mammogram can help detect cancer early when there are more treatment options available, and before it spreads to other parts of the body. Research suggests 98% of breast cancer patients survive when the cancer is diagnosed early and contained to the breast. 

• A scan helps you see what’s invisible to the naked eye: Mammography is a procedure that uses x-ray imaging to examine the breast for the early detection of cancer and other breast diseases. The image that mammography generates is called a mammogram, which can effectively spot changes in the breast tissue and find breast cancer long before one can see or feel a lump forming in the breast. This unique ability makes mammogram one of the best screening tests for women when screening for breast cancers.

• A mammogram can be your one true saviour: Breast cancer, when detected early allows you to get the right treatment at the right time and ensures you get a better fighting chance. You may not even need to go under the knife and get a mastectomy or surgically remove your affected breasts. When detected early, a procedure called lumpectomy may be used to remove only the cancerous growth or tumour while preserving the healthy breast tissue, thus saving both your life and your breasts. Hence a mammogram can help detect the disease early and be your saviour. 

• Screening tests for women like mammogram helps you stay health aware: Women health screening tests like a mammogram is the best way to know whether you are at risk of developing breast cancer. The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age and can occur even if one has no family history of the disease. Being a woman and advancing age are the most significant risk factors for developing breast cancer. Hence, a mammogram is not a one-time women health screening but a routine breast exam, which women need to take every year, starting at the age of 40 to take charge of their health. 

• 20 minutes is all it takes to be sure of your breast health: Your health is your biggest asset, and a mammogram can help you protect it. It is the best and one of the safest procedures to help detect breast cancer early. And the best part is that it usually takes no more than 20 minutes for the entire test to get completed. Now spare a few minutes to get your women health screening done, and live a long and disease-free life with your loved ones.  

So, ladies! Put all the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ to rest and schedule your routine mammogram now. Remember, early detection and a mammogram can save lives. Get yourself screened early.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease commonly referred to as COPD is a word not known to 99.15% of people even though it causes more deaths than AIDS, TB, Malaria and Diabetes combined. 

COPD often termed as the smoker’s disease and identified by a smoker’s cough, is a far bigger problem and needs our immediate attention. According to the 2016 Global Burden of Diseases study, India ranks second in the world, only after China, in terms of the total number of COPD cases but, when it comes to deaths due to COPD, India is known as the COPD capital of the world. 

It’s time we understand COPD better!

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow, making it difficult to breathe. It is an umbrella term given to a group of progressive lung diseases, the most common of them being emphysema and chronic bronchitis. 

Emphysema slowly destroys the air sacs obstructing the air passage with a gradual reduction in airflow and Chronic Bronchitis causes inflammation and narrowing of the bronchial tubes, which allows mucus to build up making breathing a constant struggle. Most COPD patients often suffer from both of these conditions.

It’s time to know the symptoms of COPD better!

In the initial stages, COPD may show no signs or symptoms, or just mild ones, which get easily ignored. But as the disease progresses, the symptoms become increasingly severe. COPD tends to get under-diagnosed but is a life-threatening lung disease that may progressively lead to death. Hence, a preventive health check-up is a must even at the slightest onset of a COPD symptom. Check out some of the most common symptoms of COPD.

• Shortness of breath that aggravates with physical activity
• A persistent and recurrent cough which produces a lot of mucus
• Wheezing or a whistling sound that occurs whenever you breathe
• Chest tightness or feeling a constant heaviness on the chest

In advanced stages, COPD symptoms may also include:

· Frequent colds, flu, or other respiratory infections

· Lack of energy or constant fatigue

· Swelling of the feet, ankles, or legs

· Unwarranted weight loss

Effects of cigarette smoking & other causes of COPD

Cigarette smoking is by far the leading preventable cause of COPD. In the majority of people with COPD, long-term cigarette smoking is the cause of the lung damage that leads to COPD. Smoking tobacco, in the form of cigarettes, cigar, or pipe makes one susceptible to developing pulmonary diseases and in turn, can develop into COPD. Second-hand smoke is equally harmful as it exposes you to irritants and can give you COPD. 

The harmful effects of cigarette smoking and its impact on a person’s pulmonary health are known to everyone. However, smoking is not the only cause of COPD. About 25% of all COPD cases have no smoking history. Check out some of the other risk factors, to be blamed for an increasing number of COPD cases amongst non-smokers.

Air pollution & exposure to toxic fumes: The worsening air quality and exposure to toxic fumes from biomass fuel combustion increase the risk of developing COPD.

Occupational Hazards: Long-term exposure to industrial toxins, radioactive material and other chemical substances can also lead to pulmonary disorders like COPD.

COVID 19 & COPD

Severe COVID-19 infection is also a concern in patients with COPD. According to a 2020 survey report conducted amongst 140 people with COVID-19, having COPD does not make people more likely to contract the virus. However, if someone with severe COPD contracts the novel coronavirus, they may have a higher risk of COVID-19 complication, since the virus affects the respiratory system aggravating existing lung damage further, making it more difficult for the lungs to fight off an infection.  

Early detection helps manage COPD better!

COPD is a progressive disease with no cure. But if detected at an initial stage, it can be managed well, and one can also learn to live well with COPD. To control it better one needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle, quit smoking cigarettes, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, avoid chemical toxins, and actively adopt preventive health check-up as a part of their routine. 

Going for a preventive health check-up is the best way to detect COPD early and stop the symptoms from worsening. It allows you to take charge of your health and take necessary precautions to avoid the COPD triggers which can get life-threatening if left untreated for a long time. 

Early detection saves lives. Get yourself screened today!