Heart disease — if calculated by overall deaths caused — is India’s most concerning health condition. The disease has been on the rise for many years and is likely to continue to increase in number for many more. Heart disease accounted for 28.1 percent of all deaths in India in 2016. The condition is […]
heart disease
Bathing and sleeping: Risk reduction for heart disease
Risk factors for heart disease are abundant in modern India. Could simple, everyday activities such as bathing and getting enough sleep reduce the risk? Heart disease accounted for 28.1 percent of all deaths in India in 2016, making the condition the country’s leading killer. Lifestyle changes have allowed a surge in rates of the condition, […]
Heart disease testing: A much-needed boon?
Heart disease is India’s leading cause of death. As such, any assistance in detecting such conditions could potentially lead to improved treatment outcomes that could, in turn, lead to significant reductions in mortality. A new European Union (EU)-funded €5 million/US$5.4 million H2020 project — led by scientists at research institute imed, alongside Ghent University and […]
Coronary shockwave lithotripsy balloon: Hope for heart disease?
There may be new hope for heart diseases patients with severe blockages who cannot be treated with the standard angioplasty procedure. The new hope is a procedure known as coronary shockwave lithotripsy balloon, which has been performed for the first time in a Kerala hospital. Mar Augustine Kandathil Memorial Lisie Hospital, near the Kaloor region […]
Cardiology: Controversy following MCI decision
The Medical Council of India (MCI), in a controversial decision, will not recognise cardiologists with a postgraduate diploma from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The move has sparked fears by commentators that the already deficient workforce of cardiologists in India – a country where heart disease is the leading cause of death – […]
Heart failure and diabetes: Research suggests a link
Individuals with diabetes have an elevated risk of heart failure, new research indicates. An association between heart disease and diabetes is understood. New findings published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests diabetes to be an indicator of heart failure in its own right. The research analysed the long-term impact of diabetes on developing heart failure, surveying […]
Heart donors: India is sorely lacking
India is facing a shortage of heart donors – in what comes as bad news for its many citizens who are in need of a life-saving heart transplant. “Heart transplant remains the gold standard for the treatment of end-stage heart failure,” said a study published in 2017. Data as to the prevalence of heart failure […]
‘No conclusive evidence’ – Government on pollution, disease and deaths
Air pollution is virtually universally acknowledged as a public health emergency in India, with swathes of the country choking beneath blankets of toxic air. However, a Government minister has informed lawmakers that there is a dearth of evidence to prove a link between pollution, disease, and deaths. “There is no conclusive data available in the […]
Preeclampsia: A heart disease risk
Preeclampsia – a disease that can occur during pregnancy – can lead to an elevated risk of cardiac disease in later life, according to new research. The condition refers to gestational hypertension, wherein the mother’s blood pressure is elevated (onset being after the twentieth week of pregnancy) posing a risk both to her and her […]
World Diabetes Day: India’s growing crisis
Some regard India to be the diabetes capital of the world, its diabetic population outweighing the entire population of some nations. With November 14th marking World Diabetes Day, it provides an opportunity for India to appraise its diabetes crisis. According to the International Diabetes Federation, diabetes affects 8.8 percent of India’s adult population with 72,946,400 […]