Global threat: 60% of deaths caused by chronic diseases

New Delhi: Three out of every five deaths in 2008 were caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, stroke, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. What's worse, deaths caused by these diseases are expected to increase by 15% in the next decade — from 36 million in 2008 to 44 million in 2020. In 2030, it will cross the 50 million mark.
The region projected to have the greatest total number of NCD deaths in 2020 is South-East Asia — 10.4 million deaths. These stats are bound to bother India since 80% of these deaths occurred and will occur in low and middle income countries, according to the first global status report on NCDs launched on Wednesday by the World Health Organization.
Calling it "an impending disaster for many countries — a disaster for health, for society and national economies", WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan said "Chronic NCDs deliver a two-punch blow to development. They cause billions of dollars in losses of national income, and they push millions of people below the poverty line, each and every year."
According to the report, of the 57 million global deaths in 2008, 36 million, or 63%, were due to NCDs. Each year, NCDs are estimated to cause more than 9 million deaths before the age of 60 years. Over 80% of cardiovascular and diabetes deaths, almost 90% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and more than two thirds of all cancer deaths occur in lowand middle-income countries.
NCDs also kill at a younger age in countries like India where 29% of NCD deaths occur among people under the age of 60, compared to 13% in high-income countries.
CVDs, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes account for around 80% of all NCD deaths, and share four common risk factors: tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and poor diets.
Dr Ala Alwan, WHO's assistant director-general for NCDs said "about 30% of people dying from NCDs are aged under 60 years and are in their most productive period of life. These premature deaths are largely preventable."
"Poverty contributes to NCDs and NCDs contribute to poverty. Around 29 million of the overall deaths in 2008 were due to NCDs in low and middle income countries, dispelling the myth that such conditions are mainly a problem of affluent societies. Without action, the NCD epidemic is projected to kill 52 million people annually by 2030," Dr Alwan added.
Killers On The Prowl

Tobacco | 6m die from tobacco use each year. By 2020, this number will increase to 7.5m, accounting for 10% of all deaths. Smoking causes 71% cases of lung cancer, 42% of chronic respiratory disease and 10% of cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular diseases |
Account for most NCD deaths, or 17m people annually, followed by cancer (7.6m), respiratory disease (4.2m), and diabetes (1.3m)

Physical activity |
Approximately 3.2m people die each year due to physical inactivity. People who are insufficiently physically active have a 30% increased risk of all-cause mortality

Alcohol | 2.5m die each year from use of alcohol, accounting for 3.8% of all deaths in the world. More than half of these deaths occur from NCDs including cancers, cardiovascular disease and liver cirrhosis

Blood pressure |
Raised blood pressure is estimated to cause 7.5m deaths, about 12.8% of all deaths

Diet | Adequate consumption of fruit and vegetables reduces the risk for cardiovascular diseases, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer. Most populations consume much higher levels of salt than recommended by WHO

Overweight and obesity | At least 2.8m people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Risks of heart disease, strokes and diabetes increase steadily with increasing body mass index (BMI)

Cholesterol |
Raised cholesterol causes 2.6m deaths annually

Cancer-associated infections | 2m cancer cases per year, 18% of the global cancer burden, are attributable to a few specific chronic infections

Advertisement

Read more...

MUMBAI IS STATE’S MALARIA CAPITAL

Of 1.38L Positive Cases In Maharashtra In 2010-11, Nearly 55% Came From The City

Mumbai's ignominious reputation as the state's malaria capital got cemented further as new figures revealed that the city registered nearly 55% of Maharashtra's 1.38 lakh positive cases in 2010-11, pushing it into the league of the country's worst affected states.
Nearly 80,000 cases in Greater Mumbai tested positive for malaria between April 2010 and March 2011, according to statistics recently compiled by the Maharashtra government. This was roughly six times the number recorded in secondworst Gadchiroli.
Many cite a better reporting system as the cause of the steady surge in Mumbai's malaria cases. While there were 27,417 positive instances in 2008-09, it rose to 48,341 by 2009-2010. Between April 2010 and February this year, over 13 lakh samples had been examined here for malaria, of which 75,860—or 5.5%—tested positive.
In the last three months alone, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the city recorded over 12,000 malaria cases and eight deaths.
The surge has been the single biggest factor in making Maharashtra the country's fourth worst malaria-afflicted state behind Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Experts blame unplanned expansion for the problem in Maharashtra, where positive cases rose from 56,852 in 2006-07 to 1.38 lakh in 2010-11.
The picture looks direr when fatalities are considered. Malaria claimed 190 lives in Maharashtra in 2010, which was only marginally less than the 214 recorded deaths in worst ranked Orissa. Here too, Mumbai played a major role. Of the 190 deaths, 129 occurred in the city.
Dr Ashish Dhariwal, the director of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), said that Mumbai has become a bigger cause for concern than Gadchiroli and Raigad, which have reported several cases of resistance to basic malarial drugs.
"Construction work has played havoc with Mumbai's malaria scenario. We have asked the state and the civic corporation to work together," Dhariwal said.
A three-member team from the NVBDCP recently visited Mumbai to study the BMC's preparation for the rains this year. The centre has promised to help the civic body by giving it grantin-aid and commodity assistance. "We will help them procure insecticides and mosquito nets laced with insecticides besides making our experts available to them," said Dhariwal.
The corporation, however, sounded sceptical of Dhariwal's claims. A source in the BMC said that the centre used to help procure insecticides and provide medicines for malaria treatment, "all those grants stopped three years ago".
BMC's executive health officer Dr G T Ambe too said that the corporation was on its own. "Most of the expenses on procurement of oil, mosquito nets and drugs are borne by the corporation, though we do get technical know-how from NVBDCP," Ambe said.
Deadly strain losing sting over time
Mumbai: The gradual decline in cases of plasmodium falciparum malaria, considered the deadliest strain of the disease, in Mumbai has confounded many experts, particularly because the strain is taking an increasing toll in the rest of the country.
Comparative figures compiled by the state's public health department show that the percentage of p falciparum cases among all malaria numbers dropped in Mumbai from 20.20% in 2007-08 to 19.57% in '08-09. After a brief rise in '09-10 to 21.10%, the share again fell to 16.3% in '10-11.
Experts call the decline insignificant, the more so because p vivax malaria, which was rarely known to kill, has been become deadlier in the city.
Meanwhile, according to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), p falciparum numbers have gradually increased in India from 39% in 1995 to 52.12% in 2010, showing the parasite's new dominance.
"This only means that p vivax, which is widely seen in Asian countries, is no longer the dominant strain in parts of India. Instead, it is p falciparum. This could probably explain why the number of reported malaria deaths in India has been more than 1,000 a year," said Dr R S Sharma, an urban malaria expert at NVBDCP. He added that Mumbai was "fortunate" to have low falciparum incidence.
"Once p falciparum cases come down further, it should not be very difficult to curb deaths in Mumbai," said Sharma, who was a part of the special team that recently visited the city to study the BMC's preparations for the monsoon. He explained that incomplete treatment and resistance to basic malarial drugs, which has never been found in Mumbai, are contributing to the rise in falciparum cases across parts of India.
Dr Khusrav Bhajan, a critical care intensivist at P D Hinduja Hospital, said that a fall in falciparum cases might not be of much relevance since p vivax is gaining in potency. "Vivax is more or less behaving like falciparum. This transition has happened over the last few years."

Read more...

Dietary cholesterol is not the heart killer, say docs

Mumbai: If you shunned meat because its cholesterol content could adversely affect your heart, you were wrong. If you felt an egg a day is unhealthy, think again. New nutrition guidelines released in the US say that cholesterolrich food—be it an egg, meat or milk—is not a recipe for a health disaster. The problem arises when cholesterol-containing foods are eaten along with foods that are high in saturated fats: Eggs eaten along with sausages and butter-dripping toast could be an issue.      Americans have been avoiding dietary cholesterol for the fear of increasing their risk of heart disease. "But there is nothing to show a relationship between increased dietary cholesterol intake and incidence of coronary heart disease,'' say researchers.      Nutritionist Shilpa Joshi says: "The body produces the bulk of its cholesterol needs. And it's only a meagre 200-300 milligrams of cholesterol-containing food that one needs to take in.'' The problem arises when unsaturated fat is eaten in excess. "When excess of saturated fat is eaten, the liver tends to convert some into cholesterol that leads to the beginning of heart disease,'' said cardiologist Dr A B Mehta.      Endocrinologist Dr Anoop Misra says Indian foods like parathas and puris dripping in ghee contribute so much unsaturated fat that it is converted into cholesterol. "Lay persons always make a mistake between cholesterol and fat. They would willingly buy oil that claims to have zero cholesterol but has high saturated fats,'' says Misra.      Then there is the genetic factor. Mehta adds, "There will always be a person who has a heavy cholesterol count but a healthy heart.There could be a person with low cholesterol who develops heart disease.'' He blames this on the 'permeability factor' that entrenches the bad cholesterol along arterial walls, creating plaque.      Diet plays an important role. As fast food culture catches on, there is a corresponding rise in heart diseases, say doctors. The healthy mantra is : Keep out the fat and not necessarily the dietary cholesterol.  Trans fats are more deadly  CHOLESTEROL is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in every body cell. It helps the body produce hormones, Vitamin D and even aids digestion  DELICATE BALANCE |  The body produces 85% of the cholesterol it needs. Only a tiny proportion of outside supplements are needed. The cholesterol balance in blood is so delicate that it can get tipped any moment. Extra cholesterol in the blood lines up along the arteries as plaque, eventually leading to heart disease THE PROBLEM | Most people ) believe that avoiding food rich in cholesterol is a way of keeping the heart healthy. But doctors say that this dietary cholesterol may not be a cause for worry. Saturated fat is the main villain. It gets deposited in the liver and is converted into bad cholesterol that leads to heart problems  Cholesterol-free labels are misleading: Foods with saturated fat or trans fats (even cooking oils) claim they contain zero cholesterol, but they are a bigger threat to your heart and arteries than foods with a little cholesterol and less saturated fat  Trans fats raises LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels and lowers HDL or the "good cholesterol". It is found in partially hydrogenated oils but is being phased out

Read more...

Drinking over recommended limit 'raises cancer risk'

Comments (349)

Many people do not know that drinking alcohol can increase their cancer risk.

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• 'Ban alcohol loyalty points to save health'
• Weaker wine 'may prevent cancers'
• Drink blamed for oral cancer rise

Drinking more than a pint of beer a day can substantially increase the risk of some cancers, research suggests.

The Europe-wide study of 363,988 people reported in the British Medical Journal found one in 10 of all cancers in men and one in 33 in women were caused by past or current alcohol intake.

More than 18% of alcohol-related cancers in men and about 4% in women were linked to excessive drinking.

The Department of Health said it was taking action to reduce drinking.

Cancer charities say people should limit their drinking to lower the risk.

The study calculated that in 2008 current and past drinking habits were responsible for about 13,000 cancer cases in the UK, out of a total of 304,000 cases.

Previous research has shown a link between alcohol consumption and cancers of the oesophagus, liver, bowel and female breast.

When alcohol is broken down by the body it produces a chemical which can damage DNA, increasing the chance of developing cancer.

Glass too far

The latest research found that individuals who drank more than two standard drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women were particularly at risk of alcohol-related cancers.

Click to play

Dr Kat Arney, Cancer Research UK: "The more you drink, the greater the risk"

A standard drink contains about 12g of alcohol, which is equivalent to a 125ml glass of wine or a half pint of beer.

Yet NHS guidelines are a little more relaxed, saying that men should drink no more than three to four units a day while women should not go above two to three units a day.

Of the cancers known to be linked to alcohol, the researchers suggest that 40% to 98% occurred in people who drank more than the recommended maximum.

The results were gathered as part of a study following 363,988 men and women in eight European countries aged between 35 and 70.

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer study tracked their levels of drinking and how this affected their risk of cancer.

Researchers then looked at figures on how much people drank in each country, including the UK, taken from the World Health Organization.

The study focused on France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Germany, Denmark and the UK.

Madlen Schutze, lead researcher and study author, from the German Institute of Human Nutrition, said that many cancer cases could be avoided if alcohol consumption was limited.

"And even more cancer cases would be prevented if people reduced their alcohol intake to below recommended guidelines or stopped drinking alcohol at all," she said.

'Best data'

Cancer Research UK director of health information Sara Hiom said that many people did not know that drinking alcohol could increase their cancer risk.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

I think there will have to be some form of tougher regulation by government"

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore UK Alcohol Health Alliance

"In the last 10 years, mouth cancer has become much more common and one reason for this could be because of higher levels of drinking - as this study reflects.

"Along with being a non-smoker and keeping a healthy bodyweight, cutting back on alcohol is one of the most important ways of lowering your cancer risk."

Cancer Partners UK medical director Prof Karol Sikora said the message had to be "drink occasionally, but not regularly".

"This is the best data we've got and we're ever likely to get.

"The take-home message is that the more alcohol you drink, some of the common cancers - the four cancers that have been identified - do increase, and that's worrying. So the message has to be 'look at drinking habits, and reduce.'"

The Department of Health is set to publish an alcohol strategy in the summer.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, former president of the Royal College of Physicians and chairman of the UK Alcohol Health Alliance, called for tougher regulation to curb alcohol consumption.

He told the BBC: "It is yet another piece of evidence that really leads us to conclude that sitting back and waiting for people to change their habits, perhaps with voluntary partnerships with the drinks industry included in policies, will not bring about results.

"If we really want to see preventable deaths coming down in the next decade or so, I think there will have to be some form of tougher regulation by government."

It is expected to include plans to stop supermarkets selling cheap alcohol and tighten up licensing laws which were relaxed under the previous government.

Read more...

Over 40,000 pledge support on Facebook

NEW DELHI: The public movement against corruption initiated by Gandhian leader Anna Hazare has become a rage among netizens. The Facebook page created by the group has registered over 40,000 followers in one day, while more than seven lakh people from across the country have pledged support to the cause through mobile phone registration. According to activist Arvind Kejriwal, a leading campaigner for the movement against corruption, the response from youngsters in particular is enormous.

"The social media is abuzz with our movement against corruption. Thousands of people from across the country are contacting us through Facebook and Twitter. In at least 400 cities, youngsters are continuously joining in to help us with the logistics ," said Kejriwal. He said on Wednesday, students from several Delhi colleges and universities among others joined the agitation. "In the US, Australia and several other countries, Indians are joining in, to support the public movement against corruption ," Kejriwal added.

On the Facebook page, minute by minute updates on Anna's messages, support to the cause from different sections of the society and government's response to the same are posted. "It is the beginning of a new chapter in the history of India - a freedom struggle for freedom from corruption," posted one Asha Singh on Facebook.

Anna Hazare told Times City that the positive response and active participation by so many youngsters is incredible. "It will help us make the country clean of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. When I see the young faces and go through the messages of support posted by them through different social networking sites and other communication media, it really heartens me. It fills me with more energy and enthusiasm to carry on the crusade against corruption," he said.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and cricketer Kapil Dev have also pledged support to the cause. Khan wrote to the Prime Minister on Wednesday, requesting him to agree to the legitimate demand of Anna. "I am one of over a billion citizens of this country, who is affected by and most concerned about corruption...I request you to pay heed to the voice of Anna Hazare in appreciation for what he is fighting for," reads the letter. The actor said he went through the Internet to read about the Jan Lokpal Bill and agrees with its recommendations.

Read more...

Danger is in the air: Cycling biggest trigger of heart attack

LONDON: Doctors have for long said that cycling is good for health. But, now a new study has claimed it is literally one of the biggest triggers of heart attacks.

The study, which analysed 36 pieces of research , has revealed that the "final straw" in bringing on a heart attack is spending time in traffic as a driver, cyclist or commuter, the Lancet journal report

But of these, cyclists are in greatest danger because they are more heavily exposed to pollution and are subjecting themselves to another major heart attack trigger, exercise.

Traffic exposure was blamed for 7.4% of heart attacks, followed by physical exertion with 6.2%. Over-all air pollution triggered between 5% and 7% of heart attacks, while drinking alcohol accounted 5%.

Other risk factors included negative emotions (3.9%), anger (3.1%), eating a heavy meal (2.7%), positive emotions (2.4%) and sexual activity (2.2%). Cocaine was to blame for 0.9% of heart attacks, but this was because of limited exposure to the drug among the population.

On an individual basis, taking cocaine was shown to raise a person's risk of having a heart attack 23-fold , according to the study, led by Dr Tim Nawrot, from Hasselt University in Belgium. In comparison, air pollution led to a 5% extra risk, but since far more people are exposed to traffic fumes and factory emissions than cocaine, air quality is a far more important population-wide threat.

David Spiegelhalter, a risk expert from Cambridge University, said it was difficult to "disentangle" the risk factors in the study for certain situations, such as driving or cycling to work in heavy traffic. "A lot of other factors are contributing to the overall risk; air pollution, stress, physical exertion, even anger which is another well-known trigger for a heart attack."

Read more...

Docs Warn Packaged Foods Have High Preservatives, Can Cause Serious Health Hazards

Illness packages on your platter

New Delhi: Predominant among the food items in Rattan Kumar's kitchen storage are packaged foods and drinks. Kumar is a senior executive with a major pharmaceutical company and his wife works with a management firm. He says these are easy to cook and he does not have to run to vegetable shops at odd hours.
    Many working couples and students living alone prefer to have packaged foods due to their busy schedules, but doctors warn against this. According to them, much of the packaged food available in markets have high quantities of preservatives like calcium, potassium and sodium salts and sodium benzoate that can cause serious health problems. "Usually, human body has a good capacity to handle electrolytes and chemicals used in these preservatives. However, excessive and longterm usage can cause toxicity. Those suffering from organ damage—kidney, heart and liver—need to be extra-cautious," said Dr Anoop Mishra, chairman, Fortis' Centre of Excellence in Diabetes, Obesity, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology.
    According to Dr Nidhi Sarin, clinical nutritionist, sodium nitrate is used in processed meats such as ham, hot dogs, sausage and bologna to increase their shelf-life and maintain their colour. "Excessive consumption of sodium nitrate is known to worsen asthma and decrease lung function. So one should avoid having packaged foods on regular basis and or at least check the amount of preservatives used before consuming them," she said. Sarin said that potassium bromate is used in breads and other bakery products to increase their volume. "If the bread is not cooked long enough or not at a high enough temperature, then a residual amount of this oxidizing agent will remain in bread, which may be harmful if consumed," she added.
    "Sodium benzoate and benzoic acid are food preservatives found in sauces, fruit juices, jams and pickled products. If used over the permissible limit, regular intake can cause allergic reactions," said Ashok Kanchan, a researcher working with Consumer-Voice NGO. He said that under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, two types of food preservatives—natural and chemical—are allowed. "The use of benzoic acid, nitrites and other kinds of preservatives is legally permitted. But there is need for monitoring of the quantity. Also, consumers need to be aware of the side-effects such preservatives can have on high-risk patients," he added.
WATCH WHAT YOU EAT
PROCESSED FOODS
that may not be as healthy as fresh food Canned foods with large amounts of sodium or fat Breads and pastas made with refined white flour instead of whole grains
Frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners HIGH IN that are SODIUM Packaged cakes and cookies Processed meats COMMONLY USED PRESERVATIVES
which can prove harmful on excessive and long-term usage
Phosphoric acid: Bone weakening, kidney stones and kidney damage
Sodium Benzoate:
allergies, liver problems Sulphites: worsen asthma
Boric acid:
kidney damage, cancer, testis damage
Calcium, potassium and sodium salts: High BP, kidney damage, worsening of heartrelated diseases, calcification of tissues
Packaged snack foods such as chips and candies
HIGH-CALORIE WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
    Always read the label of pre-packaged food products for chemical content
    High-risk patients: Kidney patients, high BP patients and those suffering from heart-related diseases should avoid too much of packaged food, particularly meat items that have high salt content

Advertisement

Read more...

Malaria deaths at record high in state

Pune: Malaria claimed 185 lives in the state from April 2010 to March this year, which is the highest annual number of casualties from the disease reported in the last seven years. Of the 185 casualties, Mumbai alone accounted for 137.
    These are the figures from the latest epidemiology report on malaria released by the state health department in April this year. The state registered only around 60-65 deaths in 2003-04. Pune district may have acquired immunity to the mosquito-borne disease, with just four deaths in 2010-11. Notably, Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad did not report a single malarial death.
    "There is a perceptible rise in malaria cases this year, which can be attributed to the huge construction activity in Mumbai and the rest of the state. Besides, consolidated surveillance has also resulted in enhanced detection of malaria cases in 2010-11," said V D Khanande, joint director (malaria) of the state health services, adding that a central government team recently evaluated the state's pre-monsoon preparations.
    As many as 1,38,605 positive cases were recorded in the state in 2010-11, which is again high as compared to 85,435 cases recorded in the previous year.
    In 2007, 67,850 cases were registered and 67,333 cases were registered in 2008. To control the growing mosquito menace, the state health department had to seek technical support and expertise from the Union government.
    S B Nadoni, senior regional director (regional office) of the Union health and family welfare, said, "Efforts to reduce the mortality rate last year met with little success. In fact, Maharashtra reported more cases and deaths. The state even sought the Centre's intervention in curbing the menace in Mumbai and other parts of the state."
    According to Nadoni, the components of the national malaria control strategy include the use of longlasting insecticides, bed nets, indoor residual sprays, early diagnosis and treatment of cases, management of the environment, forecasting, prevention and control of epidemics.
    Avinash Bhondwe, former president of the Pune unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), said, "The number of malaria, dengue and chikungunya cases reported by the state health department is just the tip of the iceberg. A majority of the cases remain under-reported."

Read more...

Med diagnoses radiate worries

Scans Such As X-Rays Are The Diagnostic Answer To Many Diseases, But Are They Also Guilty Of Putting Us At Health Risks?

As the world watches Japan after it announced that contaminated water from its crippled nuclear plants would be released into the sea, experts are talking about a touchy topic: Is radiation from medical devices harmful?
    Medical scans have emerged as the final diagnostic answer for many diseases such as cancer. Nuclear medicine scans and treatment are considered as the most underutilized but maximum potential fields. But what about excessive prescriptions? More so for the common man who in this technology-driven age begins his morning with radiation—whether benign or not—from mobile phones and continues through the day as he walks through metal detectors and hunches over the computer.
    A Canadian study published last month found that patients who underwent low-radiation heart scans had an increased risk of cancer. The study looked at 82,861 patients who had a heart attack in Quebec between April 1996 and March 2006: 77% had at least one cardiac procedure with lowdose ionizing radiation within a year of the attack. It found 12,020 cancer cases affecting the abdomen or pelvis and chest areas.
    Cancer specialist M Basade quoted a New England Journal of Medicine's
article stating: "There is documented evidence associating an accumulated dose of 90 mSv (millisievert) from two or three CT scans with an increased risk of cancer.'' The American FDA states that undergoing certain nuclear scans would involve radiation doses of that equal to about 2,000 chest X-rays.
    Not all agree with this view. Many experts point out that Earth's natural radiation would result in people getting exposed to 2-3 mSv a year. Radiologist Dr Bhavin Jhankaria said, "Most of these theories are based on extrapolations drawn up after studying the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They are mere statistical assumptions and not conclusive studies.''
    Jhankaria added that in countries such as Sweden and Finland—whose healthcare systems recorded every scan that a citizen underwent—have never showed any adverse cancer-medical scan graph. "Every medical follow-up of each patient is recorded in these countries. Surely if radiation is so dangerous, then it would have shown up in these countries.'' He felt that such studies should be undertaken so that the benefits of medical scans can be better highlighted.
    Many medical reviews have studied the risk-benefit graph of medical scans. A study by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) said "The amount of radiation during a typical body CT scan (10 mSV) is equivalent to two years of radiation from background sources. The risk of getting fatal cancer from this amount of radiation is about 1 in 2,000.''
    Dr K S Parthasarathy, former secretary of AERB, said: "Safe dose of radiation depends on the context. So when 400 mSv is safe for a cardiac patient undergoing angioplasty (it saves his life), it may not be safe for a normal person."
    The US authorities recently released a study on the health impact of airport scanners, which give out very small amounts of low-dose radiation. Dr Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a radiology professor at UCSF, whose study appears in the Archives of Internal Medicine, said: "You need to go through an airport scanner 200,000 times to be equivalent to the dose of one CT scan. I'd rather focus on getting rid of some of those CTs."
    THE COST OF
    TREATMENT
ABDOMEN X-RAY Dose (mSv) | 0.5-0.7 = Background radiation for 62-88 days
LUMBAR SPINE X-RAYS Dose (mSv) | 1.8 = Background radiation for 7 months
HEAD CT Dose (mSv) | 2.0 = Background radiation for 8 months
CHEST CT Dose (mSv) | 8.0 = Background radiation for 3 years
ABDOMEN AND PELVIS CT Dose (mSv) | 10.0 = Background radiation for 3 years
VIRTUAL COLONOSCOPY Dose (mSv) | 10.2 = Background radiation for 3 years
WHOLE BODY PET/LOW DOSE NON-CONTRAST CT Dose (mSv) | 8.5-10.3 = Background radiation for 3 years
PROSPECTIVE ECG-GATED CORONARY CT ANGIOGRAM Dose (mSv) | 4.0 = Background radiation for 1 year
RETROSPECTIVE ECG-GATED CORONARY CT ANGIOGRAM Dose (mSv) | 18.0 = Background radiation for 5 years
TC-99M SESTAMIBI 1 DAY CARDIAC REST-STRESS TEST Dose (mSv) | 12 = Background radiation for 3.5 years
CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY (DIAGNOSTIC) Dose (mSv) | 4.6-15.8 = Background radiation for 2-5 years
CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY (WITH INTERVENTION) Dose (mSv) | 7.5-57.0 = Background radiation for 2-19 years

Read more...