Water pollution: Chemical Polution
A diverse nature of chemical pollutants are derived from industrial and agricultural wastes. These wastes are more commonly finding their way to water supply systems. These pollutants include cyanides, detergent solvents, organic acids and minerals, organ phosphorus compounds, dyes, bleaching agents, pigments nitrogenous substances, ammonia, sulphides, toxic and biological organic compounds. Chemical Pollutants can effect men’s health directly and indirectly (by accumulating in aquatic life like fish, which are consumed as food). The main concern of water pollutants (chemical) is their long term effects that can occur even if present at small level and exposed to prolonged periods of months and years. Their long term effects are also non-specific and difficult to detect and determine. Some new chemical pollutants are difficult to remove with conventional water treatment methods. In developed countries, water-borne communicable disease are now rare and they are now focusing on chemical pollutants of water.
Categories: Environment & Health Tags: Cyanosis, Dental fluorosis
Water Related Diseases
Human Health can be affected by drinking contaminated water through food or directly as drinking water and also by use of contaminated water for personal hygiene or recreation (swimming pools for swimming and diving and other water sports). The term water related disease include water borne disease also. Developing countries carry a heavy burden of water borne diseases due to lack of safe drinking water supply. Among the water borne and water related diseases diarrhea is most important. Water related disease can be biological (water borne disease) and chemical.
Biological: They are two types those caused by the presence of infective agents in water and those due to presence of aquatic host in water.
(1) Due to Infective agents:
These can be subdivided by the type of the infective agent present in water-
(a) Viral: Viral hepatitis (due to hepatitis A virus, Hepatitis E virus) poliomyelitis and rotavirus diarrhea in infants.
(b) Bacterial: Typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, Escherichia coli (E. coli) diarrhea, cholera, bacillary dysentery, Travelers diarrhea etc.
(c) Protozoal: Amoebissis (antameba histolytica), giardiasis (giardia lamblia).
(d) Helmintic: Worm infestation like round worm, thread worm and hydrated disease.
(e) Leptospiral: Weill’s disease
(2) Due to presence of aquatic host:
(a) Snail: Schistosomiasis.
(b) Cyclopes : guinea worm, fish tape worm.
Categories: Environment & Health Tags: Cyclopes, Schistosomiasis.
Acne: Treatment & Management
Before we talk about Acne treatment, we should have clear scientific idea and knowledge about acne. We should know what is acne and causes of acne. Acne is chronic inflammatory disease of pilosebaceous glands. Symptoms are seborrhea, formation of comedones, papules and pustules. Causes of acne are seborrhea, somedogenesis, colonization of pilosebaceous duct with Propionibacterium acnes and production of inflammation. Acne is more common in people whose skin type is oily. This is due to the excess production of sebum from pilosebaceous glands.
Acne treatment should be done both internally as well as externally to clear acne and to prevent acne. Acne treatment generally consists of removing dead cells of skin (epidermis part), reducing sebum production and killing bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) with oral and topical antibiotics. But the acne treatment depends on the severity of the acne. Treatment varies for mild, moderate and severe acne.
Categories: Acne Tags: Minocycline, Topical isotretinoin
Water Pollution
Pure uncontaminated water dose not occur in nature. The natural water contain impurities both natural and man made. The natural impurities are not dangerous like man made impurities. The natural impurities are dissolved gas (nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide which are picked up during rain), and dissolved minerals (salts of calcium, magnesium and sodium). The minerals are due to contact of water with soil. Natural water also contain suspended impurities (clay, sand, mud, silt etc.) and microscopic organisms (bacteria, virus, planktons, fungi etc). All the natural impurities are derived from the soil, catchments area and atmosphere.
Water pollution by man made containments are more serious which is generally due to human actives mainly urbanization and industrialization. The sources of man made water pollution are
Categories: Environment & Health Tags: BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand), Thermal pollution
Occupational Acne
Oil and Tar Acne: This acne like eruption occurs in areas of skin exposed to and directly in contact with oil and crude tars. It is not common now but out break still occurs. Many patients presents with periorbital (around orbit or eye ball) comedones. People with acne vulgaris are more prone to develop, but it is not proven.
Men are more commonly involved then women . The skin shows comedones and rarely inflammatory lesions. If inflammatory lesion are present they are superficial. Thighs and lower arms are more prone to develop lesion, which occurs within 6 weeks of exposure. The commonest oil involved are impure paraffin mixture used in engineering industry.
Categories: Acne Tags: Chloracne, Chloracnegens, DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichlorethane), Heavy water (D2O), Oil and Tar Acne
Health Insurance for Visitors
Nowadays tourism is the largest industry in the world. Tourists visit a place for different purpose; some visit just for a vacation and some visit for education and eagerness to know the unknown and see the unknown. Tourists visiting a different country need to be covered by insurance for the touring time for different health needs. Specially for the tourists and visitors from a western country who are visiting a developing country need Visitors Health Insurance for the duration of stay in the foreign country. Those from developing countries also need Visitors Health Insurance due to the high cost of health services in the western countries compared to developing countries.
Categories: Health Insurance Tags: Visitors Health Insurance, Visitors Medical Insurance
Weight loss surgery: an Overview
Weight loss surgery is a life-altering decision and one of the most important decisions a person will ever make in his/her life time. So one should consider pros and cons before deciding on to go ahead with weight loss surgery or not and if going for surgery which one of the surgeries to prefer. For this patient should be educated about the procedures and also benefits and adverse effects of the surgical procedure.
The following are some of the weight loss surgery which are available for a patient with obesity: Liposuction, gastric bypass surgery (gastric/stomach bending surgery) etc.
Categories: BMI & Weight Issues Tags: Gastric bypass surgery, Lap band, Lap band surgery Toronto, Mini-gastric bypass, Roux en-Y
Baby Acne and Juvenile Acne
Infantile (baby acne) and juvenile acne mainly affects male babies of 3 to 24 months of age and may continue up to age of 5 years. The lesion are more localized and commonly affects cheeks. The lesions contain comedones, papules and pustules, and sometime it may include nodules and scarring also. Another disease which is almost same as acne is seen among infants in first 3 weeks of life called neonatal cephalic pustulosis. Here also papules and pustules are seen in cheeks. These are commonly due to Malassezia sympodiales. This is self limiting disease and need no treatment. But topical antifungal creams can be of help.
In one of the study on baby acne and juvenile acne, it was found that about ¼ of patients had mild acne, approximately 60% had moderate acne and remaining had ‘severe acne’ and mean age of onset was 9 months of age.
Categories: Acne Tags: Malassezia sympodiales, Neonatal cephalic pustulosis
