Dr. Vivek Kumar

Opening Hours : Monday to Saturday - 10am to 5pm
  Contact : 844 845 55 45

News

Is’t allergy or corona?

Symptoms of allergy & corona can mimic each other. It’s better not to self diagnose and take help of an allergist/immunologist. Allergists are specialised doctors who treat allergy & asthma.

Corona patients have predominantly respiratory symptoms like cold, cough, fever, sore throat, chest pain, difficulty in breathing. Similar symptoms occur in many other diseases like allergies or asthma or other respiratory infections like influenza etc.

Allergy has a tendency to relate with seasonal or diurnal variations. They are there for long time and without fever. Covid 19 patients have a typical history of short duration with either a history of travel from endemic area or contact history with other Covid patients. Characteristic x-ray chest & CT-Chest help in differentiating between two.

CBC, total IgE, spirometry, family history of atopy, childhood pneumonia, atopic dermatitis, lack of points in favour of Covid 19 goes in favour of allergies.

For more information you can contact us @ info@drjha.in

  • Write to us @
  • Dr Vivek kumar
  • Allergy & asthma specialist
  • Dhanwantari Allergy & Asthma Clinic
  • Dhaka road, Chhatauni chowk
  • Motihari
  • Bihar
  • India

Keep visiting our site for best allergy related information by one of the best doctors in the field. We are one of the few dedicated allergy asthma centres in bihar/India.

Our allergy asthma clinic is professionally managed by a team of doctors comprising young dynamic as well as elderly experienced doctors who have dedicated themselves in the field.

You can contact on our allergy helpline number: +91-8448455545 for any query.

To book an online video consultation, use the link: www.docon.co.in/info-card/vivekkumar

PPE
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Prevention is better than cure

Allergic disorders follow the concept of “Allergic march”.

Allergic march is often seen in ‘Atopic’ individuals. Atopy is the inherent tendency to form igE in large numbers.

IgE or immunoglobulin-E is the antibody responsible for development of allergic symptoms. There are other antibodies in our body; like IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD- they have different functions.

It’s seen that atopic individuals first develop food allergy in infancy resulting in atopic dermatitis with itching and rashes. With passing time the child develops allergic-rhinitis, later allergic-bronchitis, then allergic bronchial asthma. Later on airway remodelling takes place. In older age asthma mimics as COPD, they develop underlying ILD features and pulmonary hypertension. In the end stage respiratory failure takes place.

The allergic component goes on progressing in a march like fashion. If you identify the causative allergen and start avoiding it from beginning, the march stops.

Sometimes avoidance measures are not enough and you need immunotherapy which is a kind of desensitisation process.

Time is very precious in allergy. The level of atopic march an individual has gained, that can’t be reversed. So earlier you identify the allergen and change your lifestyle, better prognosis you can expect. The dose of drugs needed for best symptom control goes on increasing with increasing age. That’s why called- prevention is better than cure.

Allergy test
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Corona lockdown

Every country in world is facing the same question. When and how to lift the lockdown. If we continue more and more people will die of hunger as we don’t have any magical never ending food stock. Economy is already nose diving, unemployment rate is all time high.

Governments all over world have to make a critical choice where the least number of people suffer from corona and hunger. Sudden opening of lockdown will result in flare up of cases and a new wave of deaths.

Lockdown is supposed to give the time for strategic planning and its implementation.

Out of 100 positive cases, 35 may be totally asymptomatic, 50 only with mild symptoms, and the remaining 15 may require hospitalisation. Currently we are testing the symptomatic ones and their close contacts. There are possibilities of undetected asymptomatic positive cases in community. If you lift the lockdown suddenly, these asymptomatic cases will result in spurt of symptomatic cases.

Our healthcare facilities were not designed to handle this kind of exceptional situation. We have limited number of ICUs, intensivists, PPE, masks, sanitizer etc needed to fight this pandemic. Lockdown has given us time to arrange for the same. By gradually opening the restrictions, we shall be able to handle the flood of patients. Our government is working in same direction.

The disease itself doesn’t look to be vanishing anytime soon. We have to accept the new normals. Face masks in public area, public transport, or in private transport with co-passengers, use of sanitiser after coming in contact with any fomites, social distancing, avoiding crowded places like malls, cinema etc are going to be included in our habits.

With passing time we will have corona vaccine and better anti-viral drugs, better understanding of its patho-physiology. Doctors will learn how to best manage the Covid cases. Hopefully all these will happen in 2020 itself.

All countries will gradually lift the restrictions depending on their preparedness and economic strength.

Corona warriors
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Lung Function Test in Covid times

Lung function tests are the widely used tests performed in respiratory clinics all over world to differentiate types of lung diseases. It’s used for diagnostic as well as prognostic purposes. Being an aerosol generating procedure it was stopped in almost all respiratory clinics with the onset of Covid 19 disease. The other procedure routinely used previously which got hit is nebulization.

Both these procedures are so indispensable that doctors want to start them as early as possible, still are scared to do so because of associated risk factors. A consensus is yet to be reached on how and when to start them.

Nebulisation has other alternatives like MDI with spacer.

To do spirometry is a tricky situation for doctors.

  1. A doctor needs to wear complete PPE.
  2. PPE for helping staffs.
  3. Isolated/designated place for spirometry with restricted access to others.
  4. Use mouth pieces with bio filters only.
  5. Sanitise the spirometer machine, key boards, computer after every use.
  6. Use separate moth piece for delivering Broncho-dilators with spacer.
  7. Sanitise your spacer after each use.
  8. Per-screen your patients for suspected corona infection by taking fever, travel history, contact history, place of residence. Don’t do the procedure if slightest of doubt.
  9. Take help of alternative investigations like chest x-ray, blood investigations, auscultation, detailed clinical history and your clinical acumen. Avoid doing the spirometry whenever possible for time being.
  10. Most of the respiratory physicians are able to reach a working clinical diagnosis without spirometry, but they will need it to perform in coming future. So start adapting the new way of life with new normals.
Spirometry mouth pieces with filter
Spirometry mouth piece with filter

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Covid 19 in Allergy Clinic

Taking precautions is the only way to prevent spread of infection.

Now government ordering all private doctors and clinics to reopen their OPD has resulted in gradually increasing number of Opd cases.

Covid19 patients can be absolutely asymptotic still be able to spread infection to others. In symptomatic patients they can mimic other respiratory infections like influenza etc.

Ideally you should avoid visiting a clinic/hospital for minor problems. Consult your doctor over phone or take advantage of video consultation facilities.

Doctors need to wear PPE inside clinic, also make it available for all the staffs coming in direct contact with patients. Minimum 1 meter distance has to be maintained between 2 patients. Provide mask to all the patients and relatives. Ask your patients, relatives and staffs to use sanitizer after touching any object or person. Disinfect all the chairs, reception counter, billing counter, beds using 0.1% sodium hypochlorite solution. Depute a staff for this purpose who keeps spraying on regular interval.

In case you are our patient, I.e. Dhanwantari Allergy & Asthma Clinic, Dhaka road, Chhatauni chowk, motihari, bihar, India; reach us @ 844-845-55-45 for tele enquiry. For video consultation use the app @ www.docon.co.in/info-card/vivekkumar

Remember, hospitals are potential source of infection spread. No doctor can say whether you are having corona infection or not. Even tests are coming out to be negative which is called “false negative”. PCR based tests are much better compared to rapid blood antibody based tests. Few patients need repeated tests to get diagnosed. So, it’s better to treat all subjects as suspected. Keep maintaining the social distance even with asymptotic persons.

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Corona & COPD

One of the risk factor associated with Corona deaths is elderly age group, I.e. above 60.

COPD, a lung condition which means Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder affects elderly population.

So, in case you are a known COPD patient you have to take extra precautions, like staying safe at home, maintain social distancing, avoid coming in contact with outside objects without gloves. Sanitise yourself and gloves frequently. Don’t venture outside without mask. Use your maintenance inhaler regularly. Try not to visit your doctor unless very necessary, instead you can use online video consultation services. Like one available with us @ Dhanwantari Allergy & Asthma Clinic. We have best allergy Asthma COPD facilities and we are a team of best professionals @ Motihari in Bihar India.

You can reach us online www.docon.co.in/info-card/vivekkumar

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