Artemis Hospitals commemorates National Brain Week to disseminate awareness on neurological disorders

Gurugram: Artemis Hospitals, Gurugram, in association with the Indian Academy of Neurology, organized a week-long awareness campaign ‘My Health My Responsibility’ to commemorate National Brain Week from 18^th December 2020 to 24^th December 2020.

With the increasing cases of neurological disorders across the globe, the neurology team of Artemis Hospitals conducted enlightening sessions on ‘Know your Brain and its problems’ that focused on five prominent disorders- Epilepsy, Headaches, Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke and Multiple sclerosis, in addition to the brain tumour and dementia that are becoming a significant health concern in India. The initiative reinforced Artemis Hospital’s commitment to delivering high-quality affordable healthcare by creating awareness among people.

The nationwide campaign steered by the Indian Academy of Neurology – the apex body representing neurologists across India and organized by Department of Neurology, Artemis Agrim Institute of Neurosciences, witnessed the august presence of renowned neurologists, namely Dr. Sumit Singh, Chief–Neurology, Parkinson’s specialist & Co-Chief-Stroke Unit, Dr. Manish Mahajan, Consultant Neurology, Dr. Rajsrinivas Parthasarthy, Head Stroke Unit & Sr. Consultant, Neurointervention, and Dr. Sameer Arora, Associate Consultant Neurology.

The interactive session emphasized on a healthy lifestyle including a balanced diet, regular exercise and cessation of smoking and moderation of alcohol consumption; knowledge about the early signs of various neurological disorders; and a need for appropriate treatment with good compliance and regular follow-up.

Talking about headache Dr. Sumit Singh, Chief – Neurology at Artemis Hospitals said: “Headache is primarily of two types, i.e., primary and secondary; migraine, cluster headache and tension headache fall in the primary category. Public awareness about the “red flags” is paramount as these may indicate immediate medical attention”. He also talked about Parkinson’s disease where he stressed upon the correct and early diagnosis along with optimal medical and surgical treatment such as DBS. He added “Management of Parkinson’s disease is a team effort and better care is possible through a dedicated Movement disorder Clinic”  

Dr. Manish Mahajan, Consultant – Neurology at Artemis Hospitals, said “Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an chronic autoimmune demyelinating neurological disorder that usually starts between the ages of 20 to 40 years and affects women thrice as commonly. It affects your brain, optic nerve, and spinal cord and can lead to vision, balance, and urine control problems. Comprehensive MS management is available at Artemis through a dedicated MS Clinic and multiple treatment options are currently available for MS especially relapsing-remitting MS.”

On epilepsy, Dr. Sameer Arora, Associate Consultant – Neurology at Artemis Hospitals said “Epilepsy is the fourth largest neurological disorder in the world. It is a heterogeneous disease and happens due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The target of seizure freedom can be achieved using optimal doses of correct medication as per the type of epilepsy and in selected cases, surgery may be offered. Many myths and social stigma surrounding epilepsy pose a huge social burden for people with epilepsy. Presurgical evolution of refractory epilepsy involves different non-invasive and sometimes invasive method after exact localization and concordance patients can be offered surgical management

Emphasizing the significance of timely intervention in stroke, Dr Rajsrinivas Parthasarthy, Head, Stroke Unit & Sr. Consultant, Neuro-intervention at Artemis Hospitals said “About one million people suffer from stroke every year. Timely intervention can reduce mortality and morbidity. One should be on the lookout for symptoms such as blurry vision, slurring speech, loss of balance or coordination and paralysis of one limb or one half of the body and seek medical help immediately.