‘Karnataka lags behind in rheumatological care’

Satish Kumar (name changed), 61, first noticed signs that something was amiss when he was 43 years old.
Image for representational purpose only
Image for representational purpose only

BENGALURU: Satish Kumar (name changed), 61, first noticed signs that something was amiss when he was 43 years old. Constant pain and stiffness in the small joints of his hands and legs made him suspicious, and on visiting a doctor, he was told he had early-stage arthritis, a misdiagnosis for the deadlier rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, years of pain, treatment and different opinions and diagnoses later, Kumar says he had lost hope of ever being cured of his rheumatism, which confined him to the house as the years progressed, as the degenerative disease slowly started taking a toll on his immunity and other organs. Now resorting to Ayurvedic treatment in Kerala, Satish wishes he knew more about his condition when it first afflicted him.

Satish isn’t the first to be unaware of rheumatological diseases. In fact, Dr Nagaraj S, joint secretary, Indian Rheumatology Association, Karnataka Chapter, says that awareness on rheumatological diseases is low all across the country, with Karnataka being one of the worst states when it comes to education and services for patients suffering from them. At the recent Rheumatology Patients Meet held in the city on November 16, patients of various rheumatological disorders gathered to exchange their conditions and speak to specialists, while also fighting for their rights to better health services.

Around 100 patients from across the state attended the event, which also saw the launch of a new website to create awareness on musculoskeletal diseases (irakarnataka.org). About the lack of awareness about the disease in India, Dr Nagaraj says, “This is largely due to the lack of importance and emphasis on arthritis and rheumatology disorders in undergraduate and postgraduate curriculums in medical colleges. The training centres for rheumatology are also few in India. This, is again, due to the lack of voice from rheumatology patients who tend to endure their pain, disability and disturbed social and family lives in silence. The Karnataka Rheumatology Association (KRA) is now providing a platform for such patient-oriented initiatives and support groups.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 20-30 per cent Indian suffer from some kind of rheumatic disease, with 5-10 per cent suffering from serious, disabling or life-threatening disease, and only 800 doctors equipped to handle their cases. “In Bengaluru, there are only 20 rheumatologists, with only 10 centres that deal with the disease. This does not cover the approximately five lakh people who suffer from these diseases in the city. While exact numbers are hard to get due to the lack of studies done on it is a fact that there are only three centres in Karnataka where rheumatology training is conducted, and only one college - St John’s in Bengaluru - that includes these diseases in its syllabus,” he says.

The KRA has been conducting programmes for the public and professionals over the years, and they will continue their initiatives with more fervour. But if KRA was formed 25 years ago, why did it take this long for the website to be launched? “Till 2009, there were only six rheumatologists in Karnataka. In the last decade, about 30 new members have joined KRA. With increased internet access, it was decided that this year we would launch our website with a directory of rheumatologists across the state.”

Symptoms and causes
The symptoms of rheumatic diseases are manifold. Common symptoms are joint pains, swelling in joints, stiffness, reduced movement of joints, etc. In addition to joints, other organs like the lungs, kidney, heart, skin, etc, also get affected. The exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known - it is supposed to be due to an abnormally functioning immune system. The treatment, like other chronic diseases like diabetes and high BP, is long-term and mostly ‘control of disease’ rather than ‘cure’, says Dr Nagaraj S, joint secretary, Indian Rheumatology Association, Karnataka Chapter.

Karnataka lagging behind
“Tamil Nadu was the first state to launch a training programme in rheumatology in 1991 and trained specialists are posted in all districts at both private and government hospitals. More than 90 per cent of rheumatology specialists practising in Karnataka have obtained training outside the state because of lack of training infrastructure here. Efforts are on to establish rheumatology departments in select tertiary care government hospitals now,” says Dr Nagaraj S, joint secretary, Indian Rheumatology
Association, Karnataka Chapter

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com