Snoring - reason for Asthma?
Infants who regularly snore are doubly prone to asthma and night-time cough than children who do not snore, according to a study published. Overall survey results indicated one out of 10 children snored four or more times a week and 28 per cent suffered from asthma. According to researchers, although there is a strong correlation between asthma and snoring, the link between the two conditions is still unclear. Asthma does increase the drive to breathe and increased breathing efforts are known to induce snoring. However, snoring may act as a trigger for asthma by allowing allergen-laden mucus from the upper airway to enter lung airway.
Home in the heart!
Angioplasty has saved 27-day-old Akash who weighed 1.8 kg and was born with a hole in his heart. This apart, the blood-supply valve between Akash’s heart and lungs was also narrow. He would often turn blue due to lack of oxygen in the blood. Doctors at Hospital, in Delhi opted for the non-invasive balloon dilatation to treat the baby. A balloon was pushed in via a catheter inserted through his groin. This further went into the narrowed valve and got inflated. Once inflated, the balloon widened the valve, thereby ensuring better blood supply between the heart and the lungs. Angioplasty has many advantages - it eliminates the need of an open heart surgery, the child is not kept on a ventilator and he can be discharged within a few days.
Drugs & miscarriage
Studies say that indiscriminate use of drugs including painkillers during early stages of pregnancy increases risk of miscarriage. Early pregnancy - the first three months - is the time when foetal organs are being formed. Wrong drugs could have an adverse impact on the process. Also, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) can aggravate the situation if the pregnant woman has a history of bleeding or pain in the lower abdomen. But it is advisable to take paracetamol which is much safer and does not affect the reproductive organs as well.