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11 Unexpected Symptoms Of Chronic Inflammation

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1 year ago

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Signs of Chronic Inflammation You May Not Expect

Signs of Chronic Inflammation You May Not Expect

Olushola Okunlade Writes

Your body uses inflammation to heal wounds and fight infections, but too much for too long raises your odds for several diseases. If your body is showing these signs you’re at risk. Kindly consult your medical doctor for medications.

Balance Problems: Chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) cause your body to overreact and, in some cases, attack itself. In multiple sclerosis, for example, your body’s immune system attacks nerve coatings. That makes it harder for nerve signals to get through. You may feel dizzy or off-balance, especially when you walk.

Insulin Resistance: Insulin helps control the sugar level in your blood. Inflammation could affect how well your insulin works. It’s not yet clear exactly why.

Insulin resistance can lead to high blood sugar. That can damage your nerves and blood vessels. It could also lead to diabetes. You might have tingling feet, or you could be more thirsty and tired. You might not have symptoms. Your doctor can help you discover what’s going on.

Muscle Weakness: Sometimes your immune system mistakenly attacks and inflames your muscles (your doctor may call it myositis). This could start to break down muscle fiber and make you weaker. It usually happens slowly, most often in your torso, shoulders, and hips. In some cases, you might find it hard to do simple things like walk, bathe, and swallow.

Diarrhea: Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, has two main forms: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In both cases, your immune system overreacts and inflames your colon and small intestine. Diarrhea is one thing that can happen. Others are nausea, joint pain, fever, and skin rashes.

Lower Back Pain: In ankylosing spondylitis, chronic inflammation typically attacks the spine. Sometimes, it hits your hips, neck, knees, or chest. You might have pain and stiffness in your lower back, especially in the morning. In serious cases, you could have a loss of motion. Talk to your doctor if you notice any symptoms. Early treatment can help you manage your condition better.

You’re Always Tired: It’s one of the typical signs of long-term inflammation and a common sign of inflammatory diseases like fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Talk to your doctor if you have a sudden drop in energy. It could be a sign of an underlying illness. It may be treatable, too.

Livedo Reticularis Rash: This purplish, marbled rash looks webbed like lace. Inflammatory conditions (like lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome) can cause it. You’d usually get this on your arms and legs. You might notice it more in the cold.

There’s not much you can do to treat the rash itself, but your doctor may be able to treat the problem that causes it. Your rash might go away on its own. Talk to your doctor if it doesn’t or if you notice nodules or sores.  

Hardening of the Arteries (Arteriosclerosis): If you’re gaining body fat or you spend a lot of time taking in foreign substances like cigarette smoke, your body will respond with inflammation. This can cause fatty plaque to build upon the inside walls of your arteries. Known as arteriosclerosis, it’s the main cause of heart attack and stroke. Only your doctor can tell if you have hardening of the arteries.  

Blood Clotting: Inflammation from trauma, surgery or diseases like antiphospholipid syndrome and IBD can cause your blood to clot too much (called hypercoagulation). This might cause swelling and could bring on more serious things like stroke, heart attack, or pulmonary embolism. It is not always easy to spot hypercoagulation, and your doctor might take some time to figure out what’s causing it. Drugs called anticoagulants can help.

Dry Eye: It’s a common symptom of inflammation. One condition, Sjogren’s syndrome, affects your salivary glands and your tear glands. You might notice a gritty or burning feeling in your eyes, swelling in your salivary gland, and dryness in your nose and throat. Your doctor can prescribe medication to help ease your symptoms and keep away serious complications like vision loss and dental problems.

Brain Issues: Your memory and your ability to think are likely to take a hit if your body shows signs of inflammation. Scientists continue to study the link. Early findings suggest that inflammation may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions that cause dementia. This is especially true in older adults. Healthy eating plans like the Mediterranean diet seem to ease inflammation and might keep your brain sharp for longer.

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Health

Wema Bank Commemorate World Malaria Day 2023, Collaborates With Karis And Eleos Hope Foundation

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1 month ago

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May 3, 2023

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https://www.shell.com.ng/media/nigeria-reports-and-publications-briefing-notes.html
By Moninuola Sulaiman
The World Health Organization reports that the highest incidents of malaria outbreaks and deaths are recorded in Africa with over 234 million cases and more than 593,000 deaths in 2021 alone.
The report further states that nearly 80% of malaria deaths in the African Region in 2021 were among children under the age of 5. This has led to heightened awareness and advocacy for malaria prevention, treatment, and care across the continent.
In line with one of their core Corporate Social Investment pillars – Health, Wema Bank, a leading financial institution in Nigeria, partnered with Karis and Eleos Hope Foundation for the World Malaria Day 2023 commemoration.
The event took place on Tuesday, 25th April 2023, at Idi Araba Community, Oworoshoki with over 500 beneficiaries within the community impacted. The residents were enlightened on the importance of good personal and environmental hygiene for malaria prevention as well as appropriate treatment measures.
The Bank donated free insecticide-treated mosquito nets to the community with the provision of free medical check-up facilities and waste disposal bags by Karis & Eleos Hope Foundation and LAWMA respectively.
The residents were also engaged in a financial literacy session by representatives of the Bank for their economic empowerment, development, and growth.
Speaking about the event, Abimbola Agbejule, Head, Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility, Wema Bank reiterated the Bank’s commitment to providing meaningful solutions for societal impact through community-centered initiatives amongst others.
In her words, “We are delighted to partner with Karis and Eleos Hope Foundation to celebrate World Malaria Day 2023. It is an opportunity for us to create awareness about the importance of malaria prevention with the aim of reducing malaria cases and deaths in our communities. As a Bank, we are committed to promoting initiatives that enhance the well-being of Nigerians.”
The event was a great success; the Baale of the Idi Araba Community, Alakoso Oriyomi Akeem Bashir, and the residents expressed their appreciation to the Bank for the mosquito net donations and knowledge imparted at the event.

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Polaris Bank Commences Phase IV Breast Cancer Screening Exercise For Staff, Customers

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1 month ago

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May 2, 2023

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Polaris Bank Commences Phase IV Breast Cancer Screening Exercise For Staff, Customers

…restates commitment to stemming the scourge 

By Moninuola Sulaiman 

Polaris Bank has announced that it has commenced breast cancer screening for its staff and customers meant to reduce the incidence of breast cancer in Nigeria.

The Bank’s Group Head, Strategic Brand Management, Nduneche Ezurike, made this known in Lagos while reiterating the Bank’s unwavering commitment and partnership to stem the breast cancer scourge among women.

Polaris Bank notes that increased awareness, screening, advocacy, and support will go a long way to reducing the incidence of breast cancer in the country.

The screening exercise, which is in its 4th phase, commenced in April and will hold once every month. It is open to the Bank’s interested female staff and customers. The screening exercise is in Partnership with COPE and holds at the NGO’s, Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja, Lagos Office.

Mr. Ezurike noted that healthcare is one of the pillars of Polaris Bank’s Corporate Social responsibility (CSR), stressing that its partnership with relevant public-spirited Non-Governmental Organisations, NGOs, like Care Organisation Public Enlightenment (COPE), Societal Healthcare Organisation (SHO), and Marcel Ruth Cancer Centre, has enabled it to contribute significantly to the reduction of breast cancer in the country.

The Polaris spokesman further noted, “In partnership with the aforementioned NGOs, we have covered five key milestones, namely, awareness, advocacy, capacity-building, prevention, and treatment in an ongoing effort to reverse the negative impact and trend of the scourge and other related health complications.”

“We have screened over 22,000 women, including female staff members of the Bank through our prevention program, donated three ultra-modern breast cancer screening machines to enhance quality diagnosis and clinical practices, sponsored the treatment of over 30 indigent cancer patients, and organized/Partnered on a 10-km/6-km walk with over 3,100 participants to draw public attention to the breast cancer scourge,” he said.

The President of COPE, Mrs. Ebunola Anozie, commended Polaris Bank for the support, care, and encouragement they have so far received from the Bank, stressing that the Bank has been a strong partner behind their initiatives for nearly 20 years now.

“For some time, we had difficulty getting the required support for the women. Some of our women used handkerchiefs; some used tissues to fill up their bras. But we are grateful for the timely support of Polaris Bank. They were able to donate prostheses that ensured our breast cancer survivors lived better lives”, Anozie added.

Polaris Bank also has several other initiatives to improve the well-being of the womenfolk in general in the country. In 2021 it organized a 3-day intensive capacity-building workshop in Northern Nigeria on life-saving skills for 50 community midwives and health extension workers, randomly selected from 80 percent public and 20 percent private hospitals in Kano State in partnership with SHO.

Additionally, in seeking ways to address social issues affecting women, and the most vulnerable groups in Northern Nigeria, Polaris Bank also worked in concert with a northern-based NGO and women-focused group, Sisters-Keepers Initiative, to organize a conference in Kano to exchange ideas on the scourge of child neglect, physical abuse, domestic violence, illiteracy, street begging, and child labour.

The Bank was adjudged Digital Bank of the Year in 2021 and 2022 by BusinessDay Newspaper’s Banking and Finance Industry Awards (BAFI) alongside other Institutions that recognized VULTe as Nigeria’s best digital Bank, like Nigeria FinTech Awards, amongst others.

 

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Dangote: Global Partnerships And Investments Saved 12m Lives From Malaria Deaths

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1 month ago

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April 27, 2023

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World Water Day: Dangote, Others Make Case For GroundWater Protection

Rashidat Okunlade Writes

As World Malaria Day is marked globally, President of Dangote Group and United Nations’ Malaria Ambassador for Nigeria, Aliko Dangote has called for joint actions by all stakeholders globally if the collective goal of disease elimination by 2030 is to be achieved.

Dangote in his World Malaria Day statement titled “With Urgent Investment, Innovation and Implementation, Zero Malaria Spread is Possible” urged that all stakeholders must work together to decimate malaria, which he said had brought untold human suffering with the economic toll of the disease on global productivity.

According to him, urgent investment, innovation, and implementation by such stakeholders would help curtail malaria spread wherever the disease is found around the world.

He said “…More than ever, we must collaborate to ensure that no child or person dies of malaria or loses another day to this debilitating illness again. We must also drive further progress toward malaria elimination in Nigeria and Africa at large by focusing on three key areas to ensure that malaria elimination remains high on Nigeria’s public health and development agenda; advocate at all levels to ensure sufficient funding to sustain the progress made so far, as we jointly seek to end malaria for good and encourage private sector leaders to implement malaria prevention and treatment programs in their companies, as we do across our businesses in the Dangote Group.”

Dangote disclosed that since 2000, global partnerships and investments in the fight against malaria have yielded positive results by preventing some 2 billion malaria cases, saving 11.7 million lives, and putting eradication within reach. He, however, lamented that 96% of malaria deaths globally were found in 29 countries, with Nigeria sadly among the four countries which accounted for over half of all malaria deaths globally in 2021. He said this year’s World Malaria Day (WMD) has presented an opportunity to galvanise global efforts towards advocacy and sustained political will and investment that will be aimed at ending the scourge of the disease.

In his statement, Dangote expressed his readiness to lead the way, pledging that his Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) will further strengthen its engagements with the various key stakeholders in “Nigeria and globally to support the efforts to address malaria in our workplaces, communities, and especially high burden areas to attain our collective goal of malaria elimination by 2030”.

The philanthropist noted that billions of dollars were pledged by donors at the historic Global Fund Replenishment meeting in Geneva, Switzerland in 2022 to boost the fight against HIV, TB, and Malaria. He however expressed regret that an unprecedented shortfall of more than 50% in global malaria funding is now holding countries back from maintaining life-saving malaria programs, despite the historic pledge.

Consequently, the Malaria Ambassador said the funding gaps have been contributing to declining progress in the countries with the highest burden of malaria. “Countries will not reap the rewards of these investments without further commitment to scale up and roll out these innovations where they are needed most. For Africa to move forward, he said the Continent has to get rid of malaria once and for all. Now, according to him, is the time to take decisive action to deliver on our goal of zero malaria, spur overall development and achieve the 2030 targets”, he added.

Dangote urged that the theme of this year’s World Malaria Day: “Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, implement” highlighted the need for urgent action and further investments to ensure existing investments deliver maximum impact in the fight to end malaria.

r“As a United Nations (UN) Malaria Ambassador for Nigeria, I would like to add my voice to the global call on governments and partners around the world to: Invest more in malaria programmes to bridge critical funding gaps and accelerate progress towards the total elimination of malaria; Innovate further to deliver improved solutions to end malaria that are tailored to those who need them most and Implement national strategies to accelerate progress against this age-old disease, by demonstrating leadership, adopting innovative and sustainable approaches, and scaling up national malaria programmes to deliver lifesaving tools to those at highest risk.”

Dangote then acknowledged the positive efforts of the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as the second national drug regulator to approve the use of the R21 vaccine, saying the fight against the malaria scourge has been buoyed by the introduction of the new malaria vaccine -R21/Matrix-M, which was developed by the University of Oxford and will be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

“As we look forward to its rollout soon. All efforts must be made to sustain the adequate sourcing and application of this innovative vaccine in the fight against malaria; akin to the noble efforts made to ensure the eradication of polio in Nigeria and Africa”, he concluded.

 

 

 

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