Lung Detox: Ways to Cleanse Your Lungs

Lung Detox: 7 Effective Ways to Cleanse Your Lungs

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The healthy lung month, October is almost coming to an end. This month has been a great reminder to take good care of our lungs. Lungs are one of the primary organs in our body. This is because they are an important part of our respiratory system. So, it is due to our lungs that we can breathe effortlessly. Most people do not even think about taking care of it. Unless they are facing some breathing problems. These problems can lead to pulmonary health issues. It means any challenges relating to our lungs. Hence, lung diseases can be deeply concerning. However, you can avoid such diseases by taking the utmost care and practice lung detox. In the lung detox process, there are natural ways to cleanse your lungs. It can help you stay healthy, safe, and fit in the long run. Read along to know more about lung detox and 7 effective ways to cleanse your lungs naturally. This blog also includes how to cleanse your lungs after quitting smoking.

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World Stroke day 2020

World Stroke Day 2020: Everything You Need to Know About Strokes

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Our brain is one of the most valuable organs in our body. This central organ helps us remember so many things. It controls almost everything we do in our daily life. For example, if you’re reading this right now, it is not just because of your eyes but also due to your brain. It can collect, process, and act on the information you see and read right now. So, any problem with your brain can hamper your productivity in everyday life. One such condition is stroke. World Stroke Day 2020 is observed today on 29th October to raise awareness about strokes. It can happen to anyone at any time and any place. However, the good part is most strokes are preventable. That’s why stroke awareness is the need of the hour. This World Stroke Day, read along to know more about strokes, stroke symptoms, its various types, causes, and the right treatment.

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High blood pressure Hypertension

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

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Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) can have serious health implications if not treated in time. It can go undetected due to its nature of not producing obvious symptoms. Through regular check-ups, we can always know its presence and tackle the situation at hand. So let’s understand what exactly Hypertension is and what are the causes and symptoms of Hypertension. 

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waterborne diseases

Waterborne Diseases: Their Causes and Prevention Measures

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Waterborne Diseases: Their Causes and Prevention Measures

Very often, we ignore basic good habits such as washing our hands, or flushing the toilet or cleaning our homes properly. The result can be detrimental to our health and well-being and that of our families and loved ones. Children are particularly more susceptible to Waterborne diseases than adults due to weaker immune systems. The threat of people falling sick is magnified when our surroundings and personal hygiene are compromised. 

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World TB day

Come! This World TB Day, Together we can help spread awareness!

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Sub-Saharan Africa, over the last couple of years, has seen a steady increase in the spread of communicable diseases. Tuberculosis or TB is one of the communicable diseases that can take a toll on your health. However, you should not fear. You should be positive and take precaution as in this blog we will talk about TB, its root causes, symptoms, and treatment. World TB Day is observed on 24th March in 2019 to spread awareness about the disease that has claimed many lives.

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Sleeping Sickness in Tanzania

Sleeping Sickness – Causes, Prevention and Treatment

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Sleeping sickness, also known as trypanosomiasis, is a disease spread by a vector-borne parasite. Protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Trypanosoma, transmitted to humans by the tsetse fly bites that in turn acquire the infection from other infected human beings or animals.

Mosquito Bite

The tsetse fly, the primary carrier of the disease belongs to the Glossina genus and is largely found in sub-Saharan Africa. Only a few species of the fly transmit the disease.

The people most exposed to this disease are the local and rural populations. People that depend on agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry or hunting are the most vulnerable to this disease simply because of their prolonged exposure to the tsetse fly.

The radius of the disease can encompass anything from a single village to an entire region, but here, once again the intensity of the infection may vary.

Understanding Sleeping Sickness

There is a great deal of mystery surrounding the disease. That, however, has no bearing on the serious number of individuals that are affected by it every year. There are a number of regions where tsetse flies are found but the disease is not. There are both, the human and animal form of trypanosomiasis.

The human form of the disease is found in 24 countries across west and central Africa and has 2 forms. Also known as trypansoma brucei gambiense accounts for over 97% of the cases of sleeping sickness.

This form of the disease causes a chronic infection that can lay dormant without exhibiting any symptoms for a long time. When the patient finally exhibits the symptoms he or she is already in the advanced stages of the disease. During the advanced stage of the disease, it is the central nervous system that is affected.

Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, on the other hand is found to be prevalent in 13 countries in eastern and southern Africa.

This type of the disease comprises less than 3% of the cases reported. The first symptoms of this variation of the disease are shown within the first weeks of the infection itself. The disease develops rapidly and begins its assault on the central nervous system.

While there is also an animal variant of sleeping sickness, commonly known as Nagana, animals also act as reservoirs of the human pathogen. The precise role of the animal reservoir, however, is not clearly known.

There have been a few severe outbreaks of this disease. The most recent one started in 1970 and lasted till the late 1990s.

This just goes to indicate the sheer pervasiveness and resilience of this disease. Off late, however, the occurrence of this disease has reduced greatly. Caution, however, remains of paramount importance simply because of the sheer insidiousness of this disease. An estimated 65 million are at risk to the disease even today.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

While the conventional form of transmission for this disease is through the bite of an infected tsetse fly, there are other ways that the disease can be transmitted.

The pathogen can find its way through the placenta of an infected mother to infect the foetus.

Contaminated needles can also transfer the disease. There has also been documentation of the disease being transmitted through sexual contact.

During the first stage of the disease the trypanosome multiply in the subcutaneous tissue, lymph and blood of the patient. This causes bouts of fever, headaches, itching and even joint pain.

The second stage consists of the parasite breaching the blood-brain barrier and infecting the central nervous system. This is known as the neurological stage of the disease.

It is at this stage that the symptoms and effects of this disease begin manifesting themselves in the patient. This can present the following symptoms:

  • Behavioural changes
  • Confusion
  • Sensory disturbances
  • Poor coordination
  • A disturbed sleep cycle (the symptom that gives this disease its name)

It is important to note that without treatment the disease can be markedly fatal. It is to be noted that there have been reported cases of carriers who had not manifested the symptoms.

It is important to diagnose the disease as early as possible in order to avoid its progression to the neurological stage.

Once it reaches the neurological stage it requires complicated procedures for treatment. An exhaustive screening for the disease requires a serious investment of manpower and resources. These resources are often considerably fewer in rural areas of Africa, leading to a proliferation of the disease.

Treatment

While the drugs used for the treatment of this disease during its initial stages are considerably safer and easier to procure the same cannot be said for the second stage.

The chances of a complete cure increase with early diagnosis. The patient needs to have follow up tests every 24 months to ensure that there is no resurgence of the infection in their body.

This test includes a complete lab examination of bodily fluids. Even the cerebrospinal fluid is tested through a lumbar puncture. This is done because the parasites remain dormant but viable for long periods and can cause a reflux of the disease at any point of time.

There are a number of drugs that have been prescribed by WHO for treating this disease. These are:

Pentamidine | Suramin | Melarsoprol | Eflornithine | Nifurtimox

Some of these are medicines discovered a long time ago and often used in treatment of diseases as severe as tuberculosis.

It has been found that travellers going to tsetse infected areas are not as easily affected by the disease as the locals. This is simply because of the prolonged exposure of the locals to the infected flies. Tourists, however, are advised that wearing loose clothing that completely covers your body would keep away a majority of the tsetse flies.

At Regency Medical Centre we provide our patients with a thorough screening of the disease to help identify if they are carrying the pathogen. Moreover, our specialists and diagnosticians help ensure that you are getting the best treatment possible to fight the disease if infected. The best way to fight sleeping sickness is being wide awake to the possibility of contracting it.

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