A healthy sleep pattern is a vital component of our wellbeing, but many Indians do miss out. Today marks World Sleep Day, with the theme “Regular Sleep, Healthy Future.” This is the fourteenth annual observance of the occasion and it is significant given how healthy sleeping patterns benefit us. As previously reported by Health Issues […]
noncommunicable diseases
Glaucoma awareness a must in tackling blindness
With World Glaucoma Week having begun yesterday, it is a valuable opportunity to assess the disease’s impact – given it is a significant driver of vision loss in India and globally. As explained by the National Health Portal, “glaucoma is a term used to describe [a] group of diseases of the eye, characterised by progressive […]
All you need to know about Breast Cancer
World Cancer Day 2021: All you need to know about Breast Cancer The most common cancer amongst women, breast cancer covers 25% of all cancer burden, globally as well as in India. With alarming rise in its incidence in the country, predominantly in urban India, estimates suggest every four minutes an Indian woman is diagnosed […]
Loss of green space in India shown to be associated with higher cardiometabolic risk
Loss of green space due to urban development may be associated with an increase in several cardiometabolic risk factors, according to a study conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). The study investigated the association between land-use changes in a periurban area south of Telangana state capital Hyderabad where urbanisation – involving the […]
Comorbidities led to most COVID-19 deaths in West Bengal
Research published by the state health department in West Bengal found comorbidities proved lethal in a significant proportion of the state’s COVID-19 deaths. As of December 3rd, 2020, 8,376 people in the state lost their lives to COVID-19 according to Statista. The state health department identified comorbidities such as hypertension, cardiac disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary […]
NCDs and the COVID-19 crisis
Many – if not most – public health challenges have been sidelined in the global discourse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the World Health Organization (WHO) warns, are a case in point. COVID-19 – the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), commonly referred to simply as the coronavirus – […]
World Health Day in a time of crisis
Today marks World Health Day – an observance the world marks this year in the context of the global pandemic of coronavirus. Cases of COVID-19 – the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or coronavirus – are rising sharply globally. India has reported thousands of infections and well in excess of […]
“Toxic air” – The price we pay for pollution
A recently unveiled report has calculated the cost of air pollution due to fossil fuels, pegging it at US$2.9 trillion a year – equivalent to 3.3 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) lost to toxic air. The cost of toxic air as a result of fossil fuels translates to US$8 billion – a […]
Cancer: One in ten Indians, one in fifteen lives
Cancer will affect one in ten Indians in their lifetime. One in fifteen Indians will lose their lives to the disease. These are the concerning findings of the latest edition of the World Cancer Report, published earlier this week by the World Health Organization (WHO). Among the key takeaways of the report is how unevenly […]
From the beginning of suffering to the end: Dr M. R. Rajagopal on the importance of palliative care
At a time when noncommunicable diseases, often chronic in nature, are increasing and India’s population is ageing, there is an increased need for palliative care – but the field is often neglected in the country. Health Issues India spoke to Dr M. R. Ragagopal, founder and chairman of Pallium India, about the challenges facing access […]