Is Anaemia Affecting Your Pregnancy?

Anaemia is a condition when the blood faces a deficit of Red Blood Cells or Erythrocytes. The RBC or Red blood cells are the carriers of oxygen in the body. They help in the exchange of carbon-dioxide from the tissues with the oxygen from the lungs. Hence, a deficiency of RBC results in paleness, tiredness, palpitations, chest ache, etc. The frequency of Anaemia during pregnancy is greater in women because of the extra demand for iron and vitamins. To nourish the developing fetus the mother’s body has to generate more of erythrocytes which are produced in the bone marrow. There can be various reasons for this condition like low iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 in the diet or loss of blood due to other ailments.

However, Anaemia treatment is not a complicated process. The expectant mother should consult her doctor for guidance. At the same time, it is also important to be careful and avoid complications like constipation, diarrhea which can occur which could harm the child. Co-operate with details about your lifestyle and diet with your doctor. Vitamins, minerals and a healthy diet are the easy methods for Anaemia treatment and a healthy child when you have Anaemia during pregnancy.

Cirrhosis – Liver Damage

Cirrhosis is a liver disease which causes liver damage and malfunction due to chronic injury. It is mostly caused by hepatitis B and C, alcoholic liver disease or fatty liver disease or is idiopathic which means the cause is unknown. It is characterized by the replacement of liver tissues by scar tissues which lead to loss of liver function.

Etymologically, cirrhosis has a Greek derivation meaning yellowish colors of diseased liver. This disease is the 12th leading death cause resulting in 27000 deaths per year.

Scar tissues partially block the blood flow and impair the liver’s ability to process nutrients, hormones and drugs, absorbing fats by producing bile, controlling infections, production of blood clotting regulation proteins and removing toxins and bacteria from the blood. Healthy liver generally regenerates cells and replaces them but with a diseased liver, cells cannot be effectively replaced.

Cirrhosis symptoms may be weight loss, itching, nausea, weakness, loss of appetite, fatigue, vomiting, spider veins or abdominal pain and bloating. There may be some complications caused like ascites and edema, portal hypertension, bruising and bleeding, jaundice, sensitivity to medications, insulin resistance, gallstones, liver cancer and other problems.

Hospitalization may be necessary for cirrhosis with complications. A liver transplant is considered when complications of cirrhosis cannot be controlled by treatment. The treatment of cirrhosis can be done by nutritious diet, avoiding alcohol and oral antibiotics.

Adrenal Adenomas – Benign Tumors

Adrenal adenomas are mostly encountered during body scans for unrelated conditions and they are generally non-cancerous tumors of the adrenal gland. The adrenal glands are situated on the top of each kidney and adenomas arise from the adrenal cortex.

Adrenal cortex makes steroid hormones and the adenoma is termed as functioning if it produces such hormones. But if an adrenal adenoma that is producing hormones is not treated, it can have serious consequences. The cause of  adrenal adenomas  is yet unknown but it is said that it is caused due to mutation in genes.

The symptoms of adrenal adenoma are not generally traceable but one can always find production of abnormal amounts of steroid hormones. Commonly, cortisol is produced in large amounts, which is a steroid hormone responsible for stress and energy balance, resulting in Cushing’s syndrome and too much of aldosterone causes Conn’s syndrome and excessive male steroids cause acne and hair growth.

Adrenal adenomas procedure starts with consulting an endocrinologist who will look for various symptoms and cancerous growths. The tests include urine collection for adrenaline and non-adrenaline, blood tests, a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test and chest x-ray and MRI scan of adrenal glands.

The treatment undertaken for functioning adenoma is to surgically remove the affected adrenal gland called adrenalectomy. This is also carried out laparoscopically at some medical centers. Any adrenal gland which is of uncertain nature is to be removed to avoid adrenal cancer.

Angiography: The Procedure

Angiography is an imaging technique which helps to get an x-ray reading of blood vessels and the organs of the body. Angiography, also known as arteriography, mainly focuses on arteries, veins and heart chambers. The term has etymologically Greek with the roots “angeion” meaning vessel and “graphein” meaning to record.

The traditional method is to apply a radio-opaque essence, or dye, to compose the blood vessels visible under x-ray. Angiography is done using x-rays catheters, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. There are many kinds of angiographies and two of them are coronary angiography related to the heart and cerebral angiography related to the cerebrum, the brain. 

 

Coronary angiography emphasizes on the inside of the coronary arteries shown by the special x-rays using dyes. It is done to examine the narrowing of coronary arteries supplying oxygen-rich blood to the heart. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) or Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is when a material call plaque builds up inside the coronary walls and narrows them.

Angiography is generally harmless with rare major complications but the potential risks may be heart attack, stroke, trauma to artery, irregular heart beats, allergies to dye or medication, perforation of heart or artery, kidney damage, excessive bleeding, infection, blood clots and radiation exposure from the X-rays. Celebral Angiography helps to visualize the medical images of the blood vessels surrounding the brain allowing the detection of abnormalities. This was pioneered by Egaz Moniz in 1927.

What Breast Reduction Surgery May Do For You

We almost hear everyday about botox and liposuctions and silicon implants! But breast reduction surgeries are still in the covers. The actual name of this procedure is Breast Reduction Mammoplasty. In this surgical procedure, the excess breast fat, glandular tissue and skin are removed to achieve the proportionate breast size,

This surgery is done in cases when breasts limit the physical activity, experience of experience back, neck and shoulder pain caused by the weight of breasts, regular indentations from bra straps that support heavy, pendulous breasts, skin irritation beneath the breast crease, breasts hang low and have stretched skin, nipples rest below the breast crease when your breasts are unsupported and enlarged areolas caused by stretched skin.

This surgery is to alleviate the discomfort associated with overly large breasts. The procedure includes anchor shaped reduction. This goes around the areola and proceeds downward along the natural curve of the area beneath the breasts. After the removal of the excess glands, fat and skin tissues, nipples and areolas are moved into their new positions. The shaping and replacement of the skin takes place next, but usually only after excess fat tissue is removed from the armpits if necessary.

The breast reduction surgery is generally harmless and there can be some pain involved during the healing process but it would subside sooner if care is taken and diet and health advices are heeded.

Caesarean Sections - Only For Emergencies

The pregnant women are generally opting for caesarean section these days. Though, one needs to think it again to go for caesarean section. The main dis-advantage of C - section is that it might pose a treat in your baby’s respiratory organ. As per the research it has been found out that the caesarean baby are 4 times more prone to respiration problems than those delivered through normal vaginal delivery. The maximum elective C- section is done on 37th or 38th week of the pregnancy which is again not good to baby’s health.

The research done indicated that only 2.8% babies born through vaginal delivery on 37th week are prone to breathing problem against 10% of babies born by caesarean section. If done on 39th month, this figure drops drastically with only 1.1 % babies getting affected if delivered through vaginal delivery and 2.1 percent for caesarean infants. The babies who face respiratory problems are placed in incubators and are given oxygen treatment.

Caesarean Procedure was first used as a life saving treatment for the baby and mother and should be utilized for that purpose only. The pregnant women should try to give a normal vaginal birth to the babies to ensure better chances of delivering the healthier babies.

General Anesthesia - The Drawbacks

In modern time, generally the patient takes for granted the usage of anesthesia by the doctors, in order to curb us from the painful experience during surgery. But it had not been this simple before. A several years of experimentation has gone, which even led to deaths and some horrid results before invent of safe anesthesia.

The first usage of anesthesia was done in 1982 by Dr. Crawford W. Long of Athens, Ga during an operation. It came into prominence in the year 1844 by Dr. Horace Wells, a dentist of Hartford, Conn., as he inhaled the gas to painlessly extract his tooth. A lot of care needs to be administered while using any form of anesthesia, be it general anesthesia or local anesthesia.