DIABETES​

  • Who is eligible to treat diabetes?
    In modern medicine any qualified MBBS doctor can treat diabetes. But if you want to see a doctor who is specialized in the care of diabetic patients, it is the endocrinologist that you need to see.
  • Do tablets for diabetes cause kidney failure?
    This is a very common misunderstanding. Kidney disease, besides eye problems and nerve problems, is a well-known microvascular complication of diabetes. This occurs due to high blood sugar levels in blood for a prolonged period of time. Each and every drug before coming to the market, undergoes a thorough scrutiny of its efficacy as well as complications. Hence, all diabetic medications are safe if taken correctly under the supervision of a physician.
  • Can I stop the tablets for diabetes once my sugars are under control with medications?
    The simple answer is no. Once the diabetes is under control with tablets you may have to take them indefinitely, because diabetes is incurable but can be kept under control with proper treatment.
  • Why is that my diabetes getting uncontrolled over the past few years?
    Since diabetes is a progressive disease and as years pass by the severity of diabetes tends to increase, making a person resort to more intensive tablet regimens and eventually to insulin. But there is a minority of diabetes patients in whom a single tablet would do the work for his/ her life time. Please contact a qualified doctor to get proper advice regarding the same.

OBESITY

  • Why am I not losing weight even when I am not taking anything?
    Losing weight depends on the energy deficit that is created based on your daily calorie intake and daily expenditure which is based on the life style, exercise pattern and eating habits.
  • Will fasting help to lose weight
    Fasting may increase your hunger and can cause binge eating following it. So it is advisable to avoid fasting and feasting, rather disciplined meal habits are the key to successful and sustained weight loss. Intermittent fasting is considered to be helpful for some inflammatory conditions like asthma and arthritis.
  • Which are the low calorie foods?
    Green leafy vegetables like spinach, tubers like radish, vegetables like cucumber and fruits like orange, tomato and water melon.
  • What is BMI and how is it going to decide my ideal weight?
    BMI is the abbreviation of body mass index and it is calculated as weight in kg/ (height in meters)2. Underweight =28
  • What are the indications for bariatric surgeries?
    NICE guidelines 2014 states that bariatric surgery should be considered for the treatment of obesity for acceptable Asians with BMI greater than 35 kg/m2 regardless of the existence of comorbidities. It should be considered for the treatment of T2DM or metabolic syndrome, for acceptable Asians who are inadequately controlled by lifestyle alternations or medical treatment with BMI greater than 30 kg/m2.
  • Are bariatric surgeries safe?
    These procedures are deemed to be safe in experienced hands. Minor problems like wound infection and digestive problems happen in about 10% of patients while major complications like intestinal leak happen in about 1% of patients.

THYROID

  • Is my thyroid causing me gain weight?
    Hypothyroidism causes weight gain by accumulation of salt and water and successful treatment causes a weight loss of around 3 to 4 kg. But many a times patient may not even lose any weight as the hypothyroidism evolves over a very long time.
  • Can I stop my thyroid medicine once TSH is normalized?
    Once a patient is established to have hypothyroidism by means of a fairly raised TSH, it is unlikely for its normalization off treatment. In fact, it is the simplest of all chronic illnesses and necessitates follow up only 3-4 times a year.
  • Are all thyroid swellings cancerous?
    It is very common to have thyroid swellings especially in iodine deficient areas. There are many kinds of thyroid swellings--diffuse goiter, where entire gland is enlarged as a whole, nodular goiter, where multiple nodules are arising from the gland etc. It is advisable to check by an ultrasound and do fine needle aspiration from the nodules as per the advice of an endocrinologist. Only less than five percent of these nodules are found to be harbouring a cancer.

OSTEOPOROSIS

  • What is a fragility fracture?
    A fracture that occurs as result of normal activities, such as a fall from standing height or less is known as a fragility fracture. In general, this fracture would not have occurred in an otherwise normal individual undergoing the same circumstance. This happens because of an underlying cause which makes the bones fragile. Common areas involved are the hip, spine and wrist.
  • Why are osteoporotic fractures important?
    They are important because of the sites and population involved. Hip fractures are the most dangerous, since approximately 10%-20% women with hip fractures die than expected for age within the first year. Approximately 7% of women become dependent on others to assist with the basic activities of daily living, and an additional 8% require nursing home care. Mortality is greater for men, and the death risk is greatest immediately after the fracture and decreases over time.
  • How can I prevent further fractures?
    Besides adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D, specific medications for osteoporosis are available which can be taken after proper documentation of low bone density with the help of a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scan (DXA). Please contact an endocrinologist for further advice.

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

  • Are there medications to improve sexual/ erectile dysfunction?
    Treatment of ED is dependent on the cause of the problem. For those who have low male sex hormone levels, administration of it will improve the situation. Performance enhancing drugs are useful in those with other causes of ED.
  • Am I suffering from PCOS?
    Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a disease with a constellation of symptoms including irregular periods, infertility, excess of body hair, insulin resistance & diabetes, obesity, raised cholesterol etc. It requires a careful assessment of clinical, laboratory and radiological parameters to properly diagnose and effectively treat the condition. Not all cases of abnormal menstrual cycles are due to PCOS.

PITUITARY

  • I have had a pituitary surgery in the past for a pituitary tumour. Is it required for me to take lifelong medications?
    It depends on the extent of damage the tumor and the surgery has caused to pituitary. Periodic check-ups are advised in such cases even when the hormone levels are normal initially. This is particularly important if you have received irradiation to the pituitary.