HEADACHES ASSOCIATED WITH PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM Consultant Neurologist, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad drsudhirkumar@yahoo.com Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV2 is a global pandemic, which has already affected about 2.6 million people belonging to about 200 countries. Healthcare workers (HCW) working in high-risk areas (such as emergency room, isolation wards, ICU, etc) are mandated to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including close-fitting N95 face mask and protective eyewear (mainly goggles) while attending to the pati ..read more

Corona (Covid 19) Related Anxiety Disorder Corona virus infection, better known as Covid 19 infection, which started in China about three months ago, has rapidly spread to about 150 countries. So far, about 1,50,000 people have been infected with Covid 19, out of whom about 5,500 people have died. Various forms of media (including TV, newspaper) and social media (facebook, whatsapp, etc) are full of news and information about Covid 19 infection. Various government agencies too have started awareness campaigns about Covid 19 infections and methods to limit its spread. Countries across the wo ..read more

IDIOPATHIC INTRACRANIAL HYPERTENSION What is Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH)? IIH is a condition characterized by raised intracranial pressure (ICP) of unknown etiology. It is also known as benign intracranial hypertension or pseudotumor cerebri. What are the common symptoms of IIH? The commonest symptom of IIH is headache. In some cases, visual blurring or double vision may occur. What is the dreaded complication in patients with IIH? If IIH is left untreated, there is a threat to vision. Partial or complete loss of vision may occur. In many of these cases, vision may not rev ..read more

Headache after Ischemic Stroke How common is headache after ischemic stroke? Headache is common in people with ischemic strokes. It can occur at onset of stroke symptoms or following stroke. It affects 6-44% of people suffering from ischemic stroke. What is the type of headache in this group of people? Headache is similar to tension-type headache. It is located in back of head and neck regions. It is not very severe. There is no nausea or vomiting. There is no photophobia (increased sensitivity to lights) or phonophobia (increased sensitivity to sounds) either.  Who have a higher risk ..read more

Managing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in Pregnancy How common is this situation- pregnancy in women with MS? MS is most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 to 40 years. This is the age when most women plan their pregnancies. Therefore, it is very common to find women with MS, who are pregnant or those who are planning pregnancy. Which is a better option- starting MS treatment and then planning pregnancy or delaying MS treatments until after completing family? MS is characterized by multiple relapses (when new symptoms occur). With each relapse, the disability increases. These relaps ..read more

HALLUCINATIONS IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE Main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a slowly progressive degenerative disease of brain. The major symptoms are tremors (shivering), slowness of movements, stiffness and postural imbalance.  These symptoms lead to motor disability and interfere with walking, as well as with other activities of daily living. Memory impairment in Parkinson’s disease The mental functions are usually normal in patients with PD, however, 10% of patients can develop dementia (memory impairment along with other cognitive dysfunction), espec ..read more