Newsletter November 2021

November- A Month of Thanksgiving/A Month of Celebrations for Children’s Day/Awareness Month for preventing Diabetes Mellitus

If we take a look closely, all the above are interrelated.

Celebrating Children’s Day has got so many inner meanings to it.

It’s not just giving away chocolates to the kids. Today’s child is tomorrow’s adult, and thereafter becomes the head of a family and has to be a responsible citizen.

A child’s mental and physical development plays an important role and it is the responsibility of every parent to make sure that a child is modelled into a good human being thereby to building a healthy society. [Read More…]

Access to Diabetes Care: If Not Now, When?

Undoubtedly, we are living in an era of double pandemic, communicable disease COVID & non-communicable disease diabetes. Diabetes is silent most of the time and we are looking at this disease as the health tsunami of the 21st century as well as the threatening timebomb for our nation and the entire universe. The burden of diabetes in India is currently above 76 million and increasing rapidly day by day due to a lot of environmental triggering factors such as sedentary lifestyle and consumption of high calorie unhealthy food. The sad scenario is that currently the younger generation is getting diabetes during the second and third decades of their life due to their lifestyle even though there is no family history of diabetes.

Diabetes and Skin

It is estimated that 30% of patients with diabetes mellitus will experience a skin problem at some stage through the course of their disease. When diabetes affects the skin, it is often a sign that your blood sugar levels are too high. This could mean that:

Diabetes & Gastro Problems

Gastro interstitial problems are very common in patients with diabetes. Up to 75% of diabetics experience GI problems significant enough to affect daily life.

The three main types of gastro problems in diabetes can be grouped as 3-D problems.

Life of Doctors - Patients, Medicine and Beyond...

Dr Suresh Venkita, our Group Medical Director, a senior cardiologist and an avid writer, has yet again shared this lovely story from his desk.

No land’s man

“I’m not a refugee. I am an immigrant.”

I proudly told the immigration desk at a gleaming airport of a relatively young country with vast lands that could be home to the homeless of the world, if only its government permitted. But they had stridently announced their immigration policy over and over again, that they have “zero tolerance” for refugees, and only welcome those who negotiate and succeed on the immigration route.

Diabetes, Gum Disease & Other Dental Problems

Does diabetes (high sugar level in blood) affect gums and teeth? This is a question every patient suffering from diabetes has.

Yes, definitely is the answer. Elevated sugar levels in the blood can interact with the saliva in the mouth and cause various infections which can affect all parts of the mouth including the teeth, gums, jaw, tongue, the cheeks’ interior and the palate of the mouth.

Diabetes Mellitus and Neurology

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that regulates blood glucose) or when the body cannot effectively use this insulin. There is an explosive increase in the incidence of diabetes globally. The incidence is more in South Asian countries including India. India is now referred to as the DIABETIC CAPITAL of the world. Almost 50% of Indians in the age group of 50-60 years are either diabetic or prediabetic.

Diabetes Mellitus and the Kidney

Diabetic nephropathy is a kidney disease that results from diabetes. It is the number one cause of kidney failure. Almost a third of people with diabetes develop diabetic nephropathy. People with diabetes and kidney disease do worse overall than people with kidney disease alone. People with diabetes are also more likely to have other kidney-related problems, such as urinary tract infections and neuropathic bladder. It is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease in India as well as in the rest of the world.

Diabetes My Experience THEN and NOW

Recalling my clinical practice in the late 90s at a government general hospital makes me think of how revolutionized diabetes management has become. We used to treat patients with only random blood sugars; asking for a post prandial sugar was futile most of the time as a majority of the patients won’t turn up citing loss of a day’s work. Our treatment options were also limited in comparison with today’s world. We had to choose between two classes of oral drugs and a couple of insulin options whatever be the patient’s state. Stories from my professors were torrid with urine glucose test being the sole investigation and with miniscule treatment options.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic complications in the eye are known to be one of the leading causes of legal blindness between the ages of 25 to 65 years. It is recognised as having important economic significance because the majority affected belong to the “working age”.

Diabetic retinopathy is a direct consequence of raised glucose levels in the small blood vessels of the retina. People with diabetic retinopathy may not have any symptoms of vision impairment (asymptomatic).

Diet Simplified for Diabetes Mellitus

ASIA – Global epicenter of diabetes mellitus, especially in India it is an emerging threat.

Causes for Explosive Increase in Diabetes Prevalence in India

• Rapid economic development and urbanisation
• Change in diet and lifestyle

Finding out a Reason for Your Diabetes: Is It Important?

Amidst the pandemic of COVID-19, the management of already prevailing pandemics like diabetes mellitus, obesity and other non-communicable diseases are taking a backseat. Consequently, a significant proportion of our diabetic patients have uncontrolled blood glucose levels requiring dose escalation of their anti-diabetic medicines or initiation of insulin therapy. Also, we are encountering several individuals developing diabetes following their recovery from COVID-19 infection.

In the Eye of the Storm

Reality, the calm before the storm or in the eye of the storm?

Yet another diabetes day for awareness and we seem to be gearing up to the reality of the complications of diabetes encountered. This pandemic has taught us a great deal about dealing with all medical conditions and complications and the diabetic foot management has in particular thrown up a few more challenges.

Kids and Diabetes – A Short Factsheet

Greetings to all our enthusiastic K-WAY readers! Come November, and we see a flurry of diabetes awareness campaigns. After all, November is Diabetes Awareness Month!

We all know that diabetes is a chronic metabolic condition where your blood glucose or blood sugar is too high. It occurs when the pancreas produces little or no insulin (Type 1 diabetes) or when the body becomes resistant to insulin (Type 2 diabetes). Type 1 is known to commonly affect children with twin peaks of diagnosis at ages 5 to 6 and 11 to 13 years. Let us run a contextual fact-check about this particular form of diabetes.

Understanding Diabetes Distress

The powerful interplay of the mind and the body has been repeatedly proven time and over and is no more well pronounced than in the field of diabetes. Yet unfortunately, mental health aspects of diabetes care have largely been ignored and underrated. Living with diabetes brings about a host of unique challenges and thus accompanied by understandable emotional reactions to them. The impact of these diabetes-related emotional reactions needs to be carefully monitored and understood as they play a huge role in determining successful treatment outcomes.

Diabetes Mellitus and Bone Health

Diabetes mellitus as we all know is highly prevalent and leads to multiple complications in various systems of our body including heart, kidney, eye and nerves due to its microvascular and macrovascular pathogenesis. The average age at which diabetes is diagnosed is steadily declining with more middle-aged person getting affected. Bone is a dynamic structure with continuous cycles of formation and resorption which is modulated by hormones and metabolic factors. Since diabetes is basically an endocrine hormonal disorder, it obviously can result in alteration of skeletal metabolism and hence resultant bony disorders.

Diabetes and Heart Disease

Diabetes is a condition that is characterized by elevated blood sugar levels. India has the unenviable title of being the diabetes capital of the world with a whopping 75 million afflicted with the condition. The combination of diabetes and heart disease is a worrisome one indeed.

In a person with diabetes, the increased glucose levels damage the blood vessels of the heart – the blood vessels can stiffen and this together with plaque deposition inside the blood vessels narrow them considerably. With time, the blood vessels get blocked completely causing a heart attack.

Gestational Diabetes

When a pregnant woman develops diabetes late in pregnancy usually after 28 weeks of gestation, it is called GDM or gestational diabetes mellitus.

The reasons for the pregnant lady developing GDM are multi – fold.

Diabetes and Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)

“You are as old as your arteries.” – An old saying

India has the second largest diabetic population (about 60-70 million) in the world and is considered the diabetes capital of the world. 6-8% of these patients are expected to be suffering from peripheral vascular disease (PVD) which is a huge number. South India which accounts for a majority of the diabetic population in India has a higher incidence of PVD compared to cardiovascular disease.

Poetry Corner

Happy Children’s Day

Kway brings the joy of sharing this lovely poem on the occasion of Children’s Day, written by a 10th grade student to all our ardent readers. Read and Enjoy!!!

An Ode to Hope

When poor Pandora opened the infamous box:
A plan laid by conspiring Gods,
Out came evil, greed, misery and disease
Yet humanity persevered, against the odds.

Our Hero's Heroes | MS Dhoni | Kauvery Hospital

The pandemic presented an unprecedented challenge for the humanity. It has been a physically and emotionally tiring journey for all the front-line warriors, especially the doctors and the nurses. They have been in the line of fire, facing the toughest of challenges with compassion, care and great dedication. It is their sacrifices that saved many lives. Thank you healthcare heroes, the fight continues. Stay Safe, Stay Strong.

Patient Experience

“I got admitted in Kauvery due to Covid! Initially I was scared as as I have heard so much about covid. The staff were very charming and helped remove the fear out of me. The nurses and support staff were available at call and ensured I had my tablets on time. The food was best part, Kauvery hospital was able to provide the best of diet food. The food was of top quality in all the aspects. The efforts taken to maintain clean rooms and bathrooms is highly appreciated. Overall all the aspects of my stay I found Kauvery hospital to be very good and highly recommendable to any person who in need of the same.”
– P.G