Monthly Archives: May 2016

Arthritis Awareness Month

Awareness Day/Month

It’s not just a pain.It’s a complete physical, mental, and emotional assault on your body.

-Jamie Wingo

May is declared as “National Arthritis Awareness Month” by Arthritis Foundation, America. Arthritis is a common chronic disease which affects 1% of the worldwide population.Itis one of the major health problem in the US population, by which more than 50 millionAmericans are affected. In India, it is believed to affect 15% populationi.e. around180 million people.

About Arthritis:

Arthritis is best characterized as an immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID) and involves bothimmunological and inflammatory pathways. The exact pathophysiology of this disease is still unclear.

Types of Arthritis:

There are variousforms of arthritis,but the two most commontypesare osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There are over 100 other forms of arthritis such as arthritis associated with psoriasis, arthritis associated with lupus erythematosus, and septic arthritis. However, all these forms are much less common than OA and RA.

Signs and Symptoms:

  • Pain
  • Stiffness
  • Swelling
  • Redness
  • Joint deformity

Risk Factors:

  • Family history
  • Older age
  • Being female
  • Previous joint injuries
  • Being overweight and obesity
  • Infections

 

Diagnosis:

Arthritis is diagnosed based on complete medical history, including symptoms, and physical examination. Imaging techniquessuch as X-ray, computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound are generally performed.

Management:

  • Drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, disease-modifying drugs like methotrexate and leflunomide, biologics like etanercept and rituximab etc.
  • Non-pharmacological therapies like physical or occupational therapy and patient education
  • Surgery
  • Self-management

Self-Management:

  • Control your weight
  • Exercise regularly
  • Eat a healthy diet
  • Use heating pads or ice packs for pain-relief
  • Assistive devices such as canes, walkers, and raised toilet seats can help perform daily tasks

May is marked as National Arthritis Awareness Month.Turacoz Healthcare Solutions joins with the Arthritis Foundation, America to be a part of this awareness program as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. Our medical writing team is well-versed with recent advances in various therapeutic areas which give them a head start in publication writing, clinical research and regulatory writing projects and medical marketing services.

Medical Writing workshop in Dubai

News

Turacoz Skill and Development program under the umbrella of Turacoz Healthcare Solutions successfully organized its second Medical Writing workshop in Dubai on 20th May, 2016 at Four Points by Sheraton, Bur Dubai. We had a pool of doctors from various hospitals in UAE including Al Garhoud Private Hospital, Latifa hospital, Emirates Hospital, Dubai Hospital, NMC Hospital. Also we had people from medical affairs team of pharmaceutical companies.

It was a six hours workshop with live assignments and discussions. Our trainer doctor Namrata Singh gave an update to the participants about the latest guidelines on publication and the participants reciprocated with their experiences and queries related to publication. We got an overwhelming feedback and suggestions to continue this knowledge process.

We, Turacoz skill and development program will come up with our next workshop in UAE soon.

KNOW ABOUT ASTHMA AND ALLERGY!!!

Awareness Day/Month,

The month of May is declared as “National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month” by Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. It is the perfect time to educate people about asthma, its causes, and the ways to lead a normal life with asthma.

Asthma is an episodic yetchronic respiratory disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing due to bronchospasm and inflammation of the airways. It is the most common chronic disease among children. More than 100 million people worldwide are believed to from asthma, of which 15 to 20 millions are Indians. Asthma can influence the quality of life by causing missed school or working days, increased medical expenses, and poor work performance.

Asthma attacks can be mild, moderate, severe, or sometimes life threatening!!!!Shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, chest tightness, andpus-like sputum (in the recovery phase) are some of the symptoms of mild to moderate asthma. Labored and shallow breathing, bluish discoloration of the skin, and loss of consciousness may indicate life-threatening condition.

Allergy and asthma often occur together. Asthma occurring due to allergens is referred to as “allergic asthma”.

How Does Allergy Cause Asthma?

Exposure to allergens causes release of inflammatory cells such as mast cells, eosinophils, and neutrophils in the bronchi and bronchioles leading to inflammation and obstruction of the airways. This leads to increased contractibility of smooth muscles, that further results in narrowing of the airways.

Allergens Causing Asthma:

  • Pollens
  • Dust mites
  • Cockroaches
  • Animal dander
  • Mold
  • Exposure to indoor volatile organic compounds
  • Air pollution

How is Allergic Asthma Managed??

“Prevention is better than cure”, an age old saying holds good for asthma too. Asthma patients are advised to avoid exposure to known allergens and triggering factors. Though there is no cure for asthma till date, the symptoms can be improved by prompt medications. Bronchodilators are recommended for short-term relief, while low-dose inhalational corticosteroids or mast cell stabilizing drugs are recommended for long-term therapy.

Recent studies have revealed that oligonucleotide agents are found to decrease allergen-induced early and late asthmatic response. Infliximab, etanercept and golimumab are found to provide a short-term efficacy in patients with the severe disease.

Can an Asthmatic Patient Lead a Normal Life??

Asthmatic attacks may occur periodically, based on the exposure to triggering factors. However, a few changes in lifestyle can help an asthmatic lead a normal life. Here are a few:

  • Maintaining good physical and mental health
  • Regular intake of medications
  • Regular physician check-ups
  • Keeping distance from the known allergens
  • Avoiding the use of tobacco

Why is it Important to Raise Awareness About Allergy and Asthma?

According to a survey, 51-68% of the patients experiencing severe asthma and 30-61% of patients with moderate symptoms said that they suffer uncontrolled asthma. As most people may be unaware of the causes and triggering factors of asthma, educating people about allergy and asthma may yield a better treatment outcome.

What are the Various Methods to Spread Awareness About Allergy and Asthma in Public?

  • Conducting a questionnaire study about allergic asthma
  • Publishing the articles on allergy and asthma in social media
  • Organizing medical camps to reach rural population
  • Organizing awareness programs in educational institutes
  • Publishing articles in newspapers and arranging for correspondence
  • Organizing lectures about the disease
  • Organizing for a marathon, to create awareness, will help gain enormous public attention

Some Facts About Allergic Asthma

  •  People with food allergy, allergic rhinitis, hypersensitivity, familial history of asthma are at higher risk of developing asthma
  • Once an individual is sensitized to an allergen, a very minor exposure to the allergen may also precipitate the asthmatic attack
  • 50% of people with allergic rhinitis have asthma
  • Actopic eczema is probably the first sign that a future asthmatic patient develops as a child
  • Treating rhinitis may improve the symptoms of asthma, especially cough
  • In children, males are twice as susceptible to asthma than girls, while, after puberty, it is more common in females

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions is passionate to spread the awareness on such social or healthcare related issues as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. CSR is at the very heart of everything we do at Turacoz. Our medical writing team is well-versed with recent advances in various therapeutic areas which give them a head start in various publication, clinical research and regulatory writing projects.

Hepatitis Awareness Month

Awareness Day/Month, ,

“For Hepatitis, Prevention is the Best Intervention”

The month of May is titled as “Hepatitis Awareness Month”, as a proactive step to bring together various federal, non-federal, social groups, and public health care groups across the world for spreading awareness about hepatitis infection. As described by the World Health Organization (WHO), hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by drugs, alcohol use, or certain medical conditions. But in most cases, it is caused by a virus. This is known as viral hepatitis. Currently, there are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E, but the most common forms are hepatitis A, B, and C.  Hepatitis is a global concern as it leads to more than1.4 million deaths every year.  Hepatitis is a relatively silent disease in its acute phase, its symptoms often go unnoticed till the disease is progressed to a chronic and often a fatal stage. In its advanced stage, hepatitis can result in fatal complications like liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, or liver failure. Bridging the knowledge gap about hepatitis (its causes, symptoms, and prevention) among the masses as well as healthcare professionals is the key to reduce the global burden of the disease.

Hepatitis awareness month is an initiative to bring in all stakeholders of the healthcare industry to alliance together in spreading awareness about hepatitis. Enabling the people to identifyviral hepatitis as a critical health concern and providing better healthcare facilities to all the patients with hepatitis are the prime objectives of this collation. The key strategies that are promoted for spreading the awareness are:

  • Campaigns: As an age-old method of spreading awareness, campaigning about hepatitis is a dynamic tool in spreading the word.Patient stories, supporting videos, fact sheets, posters, templates, infographics, customizable flyers, infographics, promotional badges and bands, on the spot quizzes, and street plays are few modalities that could be used for campaigning at institutional and community levels.
  • Digital tools: Using digital media like television, radio,ormobile messagesfor sharing informationabout hepatitis, its risk factors, and vaccines.
  • Social Media: Various social media platforms are used to share information about various campaigns, resources, publications, news updates, and latest updates on hepatitis. This acts as an open platform for masses and healthcare professionals to share knowledge and experience about the disease. Any user can easily join the conversation by using hashtags #HepAware, #HepTestingDay, and #hepatitis.
  • Proclamations: Atinstitutional and community level,several proclamations related to hepatitis such as hepatitis awareness day, hepatitis awareness week, or hepatitis screening day can be initiated to generate awareness among people at the specific level.
  • Free hepatitis risk assessments and testing: Various healthcare institutions, public health care centres, community health groups, and private hospitals run a day/week long free hepatitis risk assessment and testing camps. The sole idea of these camps is to enable the masses to identify the risk factors for hepatitis infection and prevention strategies for the same.Self-assessment forms and professional diagnostic checks are the components for this risk assessment and testing programs.

Viral hepatitis is a preventable disease. Effective and timely vaccination among the high-risk group and all infants is highly recommended by healthcare professionals. Providing cheap vaccination and encouraging people to get vaccinated are crux steps in halting the endemic of hepatitis across the globe.

As said earlier, prevention is the best treatment; the statement holds true for hepatitis. The best way to combat this lethal disease is to make people aware about how it spreads, what are the early signs, what can be done to prevent it, and what should be done if one gets hepatitis. As a member of healthcare industry, we all should actively take up the responsibility to spread awareness about hepatitis in our own way. Remember to be informed is to be safe!

Awareness is the first step towards prevention of viral hepatitis. As a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity,Turacoz Healthcare Solutions wants to raise awareness for prevention of this disease through this blog. We are a medical communication company in Delhi. Our medical writers are well-versed with recent advances in various therapeutic areas which give them a head start in various publication, clinical research and regulatory writing projects.