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Hyperthyroidism is classified into two types: Primary Hyperthyroidism is essentially Graves' disease which accounts for 60-80% of all cases of hyperthyroidism. It is an autoimmune disorder.  Secondary Hyperthyroidism can be due to a nodule, goitre or any rare cause. Read more about Graves' Disease here  

Organ, tissue and cell transplants are sometimes the solution for certain conditions. This explains the basics of transplantation, types of transplants, lifespan of common transplanted organs and basic steps to preventing organ rejection. What is Transplantation? Transplantation is the procedure whereby an organ, tissue or cells is removed from one area of the body and implanted to another part of the body of the same or another person’s body. The tissue or organ is sometimes called “graft” or…

Renu Bhuwalka from Mumbai has lived with hypothyroidism for the over 3 decades. She shares her lived experience from early symptoms to diagnosis and how she managed it well to ensure an active lifestyle.  Please tell us a bit about your condition? I have had hypothyroidism for the last 36 years. I was diagnosed in 1986, when I was 28 years old. What were the early symptoms? What made you go to a doctor? I had over a few months become very lethargic and I thought it was just…

अनल शाह के जवान बेटे को अचानक बुखार हुआ और कुछ ही दिन में उसकी मृत्यु मल्टीऑर्गन फेलियर के कारण हो गयी – इस शोक और अत्यधिक पीड़ा को सहना और उस से उभरना अनल शाह के लिए बहुत ही कठिन रहा है। लेकिन अब, बेटे को खोने के लगभग पांच साल बाद लगता है उन्हें कुछ शान्ति मिल पाई है। किसी भी माँ-बाप के लिए अपने बच्चे की मृत्यु सबसे अधिक सबसे शोकपूर्ण घटना है!  मैंने अपनी माँ, कुछ कसिन, दादा-दादी, दोस्तों की मृत्यु देखी है, लेकिन मेरा बच्चा – जिसे मैंने 9 महीने तक गर्भ में पाला था – उस बच्चे को खोने के…

Patients need doctors. Sometimes they complain about doctors, and often they are grateful to doctors. What they truly want are supportive doctors. We decided to ask our community of patients with chronic conditions what they mean by supportive doctors. Here are their responses including one who sent in a diagram. We also put their responses into a word cloud generator.  Check the infographic at the end. Who is a supportive doctor? Rajeev Gupta A supportive doctor is both competent and…

Poonam Kamdar, a counseling psychologist, had stage 2 cervical cancer. Because of her traumatic journey, she now fiercely advocates for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine which can help protect against cervical cancer and encourages women to speak openly about their experience. Diagnosis Which year and at what age were you diagnosed with cervical cancer? I was diagnosed with cervical cancer in the year 2015, at age 45. What were the early warning signs and symptoms that made you sense…

The following are the types of hypothyroidism -  Primary hypothyroidism is the most common type of hypothyroidism. It occurs when the dysfunction is in the thyroid gland itself. Central hypothyroidism  Secondary hypothyroidism occurs when there is dysfunction in the pituitary gland. Tertiary hypothyroidism results from hypothalamus disorders. Subclinical or Underactive Thyroid is the early form of thyroid failure when T4 levels are still normal. It is seen in 3-8% of the…

Anal Shah has experienced extreme pain when she lost her son to a sudden attack of fever. Living with that grief and agony has been an uphill task for her. But after five years she seems to have found some semblance of peace. Losing your child is the most catastrophic event a parent can face! I have lost my mother, a few cousins, grandparents, friends, but nothing can surpass the pain of losing a child that you nurtured in your womb for 9 months. It may seem unbearable at the onset but it will…

An inspiring and heart rending account of a 58-year-old man's ongoing fitness journey, despite experiencing monumental setbacks such as a near fatal accident and the loss of his teenage son in successive years. GB Dutt, former research scientist shares learnings from his journey from being a couch potato to a fitness addict. During my adolescent years and in my 20s, I never bothered about my diet as I could eat whatever I wanted in large quantities and could still be lean or even underweight. I…

The theme for World Health Day 2022 is Our Planet, Our Health. It is a time to understand how environmental issues and specifically air pollution is affecting our health and how we can be part of the solution. We spoke to doctors and local and global clean air advocates to understand the long term effects of pollution and the steps each one of us can take.   How is pollution affecting health of people, especially the vulnerable children and elderly? Jeffery K Smith, Clean air advocate…