Diabetes Day

Kidney disease usually remains silent for a longer period of time, delaying diagnosis and treatment which can at times result in life-threatening conditions, said experts on Thursday on the occasion of World Kidney day, advising regular screening. World Kidney Day is a global campaign observed annually on March 10. It is aimed at raising awareness of the importance of the kidneys. Kidneys play a pivotal role in the body. They not only purify the blood of various metabolic waste, but also it helps in regulating blood pressure, maintaining health of the bones, normal haemoglobin (essential for transferring oxygen in the blood from lungs to the tissues), among others. The common symptoms of kidney disease include fatigue and tiredness, high blood pressure, swelling on feet, puffiness of face, urinary abnormalities, among others. "Kidney disease may be silent in many patients in the initial stages and be manifested when the disease becomes advanced. Many times the patient may become symptomatic (only) when the disease is advanced," Dr Amit Gupta, Director & HOD, Nephrology and Kidney transplant, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Lucknow, told IANS. "Kidneys can be a asilent killer' because kidney disease usually remains silent for a longer period of time. But regular and routine investigations can detect the kidney disease well in time and can be managed before hampering the health of the patient," added Dr P.N. Gupta, Director & HOD, Nephrology, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) - a progressive kidney failure over months to years - is majorly caused by diabetes and hypertension. Individuals with a long standing history of diabetes, hypertension, frequent usage of painkillers and family history of kidney disease are more prone to developing CKD, and these must be "screened regularly". People at risk should monitor their kidney functions by doing blood and urine tests once in 6 to 12 months, Gupta said. According to Dr Parth Rana, director of Netralaya Hospital, Ahmedabad, "Approximately 50 per cent patients who have diabetic retinopathy (DR is diabetes complication that affects eyes) suffer from chronic kidney diseases (CKD)". In India, over 62 per cent CKD diseases are due to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy affects 18 per cent diabetic population in urban India. "The prevalence of CKD and DR increases proportionally to the disease duration in Type 2 Diabetes. Additionally, as CKD and DR share common risk factors such as smoking, poor glycemic control, systolic hypertension, or dyslipidemia, development of DR may predict development and progression of CKD," Rana told IANS. The common thread between CKD and Diabetic retinopathy is the damage caused by high sugar levels to small blood vessels in the body, he explained. Patients with CKD are also at a higher risk of age-related ocular diseases. Age-related ocular diseases such as cataract, retinopathy, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, are leading causes of blindness in middle aged and elderly adults. Further, Covid also contributed to an increase in kidney problems among patients already suffering. Multiple studies have shown that individuals with kidney failure are at an increased risk for Covid severity; while others showed that those undergoing dialysis are likely to mount weaker antibody responses after vaccination. "It is well known that patients with CKD are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality secondary to Covid infection," said Dr Salil Jain, Director & HOD, Nephrology & Renal Transplant, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram. "There was approximately 30 per cent mortality rate in patients on hemodialysis during the second wave as compared to a normal population where the mortality rate was 10 per cent," he added. In hemodialysis, a machine filters wastes, salts and fluid from the blood when the kidneys are no longer healthy enough to do this work adequately. To keep kidney disease at bay, one should drink plenty of fluids, avoid medicines which are potentially harmful to the kidneys such as pain killers or indigenous medicines, maintain good control of blood pressure and diabetes, stop smoking, reduce salt intake, and maintain adequate physical activity, the experts advised. Read More► Swelling Around Eyes, Anaemia Could be Signs of Kidney Malfunction: KGMU

Long-term use of over-the-counter painkillers is leading to kidney damage among people, doctors here have warned ahead of World Kidney Day. World Kidney Day is a global campaign observed annually on March 10. It is aimed at raising awareness about the importance of our kidneys. Many painkillers are sold without a prescription for reducing pain and inflammation. These include Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, diclofenac and naproxen. A combination of drugs, including aspirin, acetaminophen and caffeine, are also easily available and commonly taken by patients for chronic headaches and backaches. "Not many people realise it, but long-term use of analgesics (painkillers) can lead to a condition called analgesic neuropathy which causes kidney damage. Painkillers don't harm the kidneys in healthy individuals if taken occasionally. However, taking them too often for a prolonged period, especially as a combination of drugs, can cause severe kidney damage," Dr. Manju Aggarwal, Chief - Medical Services & Chairperson - Nephrology at Artemis Hospital, Gurugram. Aggarwal added that the threat is even greater in high-risk individuals such as the elderly, diabetics and patients of high blood pressure. Their kidneys can get damaged with even occasional use of painkillers, she noted. Painkillers lead to kidney damage in many ways, including acute rise in creatinine levels, known as Acute kidney Injury. There can also be worsening of pre-existing Chronic Kidney Disease in terms of rise in creatinine levels. Painkillers can also cause a rise in potassium levels in the body. Most patients remain asymptomatic in early stages of kidney disease and the raised creatinine is an incidental finding. However, in advanced forms of the disease, there can be breathlessness, vomiting, loss of appetite and swelling all over the body. The doctor said that prevention is always better than cure, so a judicious use of painkillers is advised. These should be taken if absolutely necessary. "Patients with known kidney disease or those at risk of kidney disease such as the elderly and diabetics should avoid pain killers totally. They should instead switch to paracetamol or opioids for pain control," Aggarwal said. "If you are taking painkillers regularly and find that your creatinine level is raised, discontinue their use and see a nephrologist immediately," he advised. Read More► Reduction in Air Pollution Can Help Improve Kidney Function: Study

Researchers have found that ayurveda drug BGR-34 can help lower the sugar level within 12 weeks as well as exert a powerful anti-oxidant action to prevent diabetic complications. Published in the latest edition of Serbian Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research on Sciendo scientific platform, the study by researchers from Chitkara University in Punjab suggests that the ayurvedic drug BGR-34 is more effective for the diabetes treatment, better in efficacy, reliability and affordability with little or no adverse effects. Led by researcher Ravinder Singh, the team had conducted Phase IV clinical trials for 12 weeks on 100 diabetic patients which were divided into two groups. Subjects from one of the groups were given allopathic drug, Sitagliptin while other group was given ayurveda drug, BGR-34 without informing them about the medicines, in the double blind study. Researchers investigated the drugs on various parameters which included HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin), RBS (random blood sugar), FBS (fasting blood sugar) and PPG (postprandial glucose) values. The ayurvedic drug showed promising results. The researchers found that glyclated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level in the diabetic patients who were given BGR-34 went down significantly from the baseline value 8.499 to 8.061 per cent in the fourth week, 6.56 per cent in eighth week and 6.27 per cent in 12th week. Similarly, RBS test revealed that before taking the herbal drug, the sugar level on an average which was 250mg/dl declined to 114mg/dl in the 12th week at the same time, FBS sharply went down to 74 from 176 in the same duration. Based on these results, it can be simply concluded that BGR-34 is effective in reducing high blood sugar levels and is more potent and efficacious in decreasing the glycemic levels possibly by modulating the insulin release and strengthening the I-cell functional capacity, says the study. Developed by the scientists from CSIR's labs the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), BGR-34 is being manufactured and marketed by AIMIL Pharmaceuticals. Sanchit Sharma, Executive Director of AIMIL Pharmaceuticals, attributed BGR-34 efficacy to the presence of herbs like Vijyasar, Dharuharida, Gilo and Manjistha, besides phyto-constituents from a few other medicinal plants which are well-known for their anti-diabetic properties. (agency) Read More► BHU to Conduct Research on Economical Anti-Diabetic Drugs

बनारस हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय मधुमेह के उपचार के लिए किफायती दवा पर एक महत्वपूर्ण रिसर्च करने जा रहा है। केंद्रीय विश्वविद्यालय की इस रिसर्च के जरिए मधुमेह यानी डाइबिटीज का किफायती उपचार संभव हो सकता है। यह अध्ययन मुख्य रूप से व्यवसायिक रूप से उपलब्ध सी-ग्लाइकोसाइड्स संश्लेषण के बारे में है। इस रिसर्च को लीड कर रहे बीएचयू के प्रोफेसर डॉ. नजर हुसैन ने बताया कि सी-ग्लाइकोसाइड्स कार्बोहाइड्रेट्स के वो डेरिवेटिव्स हैं जिनका मधुमेह के उपचार में व्यापक स्तर पर प्रयोग होता है। काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय स्थित चिकित्सा विज्ञान संस्थान के आयुर्वेद संकाय के अन्तर्गत भैषज्य रसायन विभाग में कार्यरत असिस्टेंट प्रोफेसर डॉ. नजर हुसैन को इस एक अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण परियोजना के लिए भारत सरकार के द्वारा अनुदान की मंजूरी मिल भी गई है। इस परियोजना के अंतर्गत डॉ. नजर हुसैन नए तरीके से मधुमेह के उपचार के लिए किफायती दवा पर शोध करेंगे। ये अध्ययन मुख्य रूप से व्यवसायिक रूप से उपलब्ध सी-ग्लाइकोसाइड्स संश्लेषण के बारे में है। डॉ. हुसैन ने बताया कि सी-ग्लाइकोसाइड्स कार्बोहाइड्रेट्स के वो डेरिवेटिव्स हैं जिनका मधुमेह के उपचार में व्यापक स्तर पर प्रयोग होता है। इस अध्ययन के लिए डॉ. हुसैन को 40 लाख रुपये से अधिक की अनुदान राशि स्वीकृत की गई है। परियोजना के दौरान डॉ. हुसैन कोविड समेत विभिन्न वायरल संक्रमणों के विरुद्ध गतिविधियों के परीक्षण हेतु पॉलिफेनल्स को कार्बोहाड्रेट्स के साथ मिलाने की संभावनाओं पर भी अध्ययन करेंगे। यह देश में अपनी तरह की अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण व व्यापक रूचि की परियोजना है। काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय के लिए विशेष रूप ये यह गर्व का विषय है कि आयुर्वेद संकाय के भैषज्य रसायन विभाग के अंतर्गत इस परियोजना पर कार्य किया जाएगा। वहीं इसके अलावा पुराने व लाइलाज समझे जाने वाले घावों के उपचार की दिशा में भी बनारस हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय के वैज्ञानिकों ने महत्वपूर्ण शोध किया है। शोध में सामने आया है कि जो घाव महीनों से नहीं भरे थे वो चंद दिनों में ठीक हो गए। इस रिसर्च से मधुमेह रोगियों को खासतौर से होगा फायदा होगा। यह रिसर्च हाल ही अमेरिका में प्रकाशित हुआ है। सूक्ष्म जीव विज्ञान विभाग, चिकित्सा विज्ञान संस्थान बीएचयू के प्रमुख प्रोफेसर गोपाल नाथ की अगुवाई में हुए इस शोध में अत्यंत उत्साहजनक परिणाम सामने आए हैं। ये शोध अमेरिका के संघीय स्वास्थ्य विभाग के राष्ट्रीय जैवप्रौद्योगिकी सूचना केन्द्र में 5 जनवरी, 2022 को प्रकाशित हुआ है। बीएचयू ने बताया कि किसी घाव को चोट के कारण त्वचा या शरीर के अन्य ऊतकों में दरार के रूप में परिभाषित किया जाता है। एक तीव्र घाव को हाल के एक विराम के रूप में परिभाषित किया गया है जो अभी तक उपचार के अनुक्रमिक चरणों के माध्यम से प्रगति नहीं कर पाया है। वे घाव जहां सामान्य प्राकृतिक उपचार प्रक्रिया या तो अंतर्निहित विकृति (संवहनी और मधुमेह अल्सर आदि) के कारण रुक जाती है या 3 महीने से अधिक के संक्रमण को पुराने घाव के रूप में परिभाषित किया जाता है। यह अंग्रेजी में भी पढ़े► BHU to Conduct Research on Economical Anti-Diabetic Drugs