Dear All

The tide is high, and the water current is fast: this is true of both the monsoon and political affairs in the country. As the Indian map undergoes a major change, we at the helm of the newsletter team, also thought of bringing about a change in the contents. As per the advice of the president, Dr. Debashish Danda, and our EC committee, we have tried to make this issue more patient-friendly.

Patients define us. Their perspectives have become very important worldwide for all disease-related treatment decisions. We must try and keep pace with the world. I hope they can actively participate in this activity of the IRA, for making science more applicable.

Antardhwani—a support group for Ankylosing Spondylitis patients

‘Antardhwani,’ the first-of-its–kind support management in India, was formed with the objective to spread awareness, connect patients suffering from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and help them live a normal and healthy life. Antardhwani, the CSR wing of Hitech iSolutions, an Integrated Engineering Consulting and Solutions company, has a message for every patient—“Do not suffer in silence, there is help out here." www.antardhwani.org—the support group website spreads awareness about AS and RA, and guides patients to live a normal and healthy life.

There are over 100 rheumatological disorders classified by the World Health Organization. Arthritis affects 15% people, i.e. over 180 million people in India, and is one of the most common causes of disability worldwide. This prevalence is higher than many well-known diseases, such as diabetes, AIDS, and cancer. People of all ages, sexes, and races can and do have arthritis. Shortage of trained rheumatologists in India has led to the management of these diseases by untrained doctors, practitioners of alternative medicine. The condition is not curable, and, therefore, may warrant a lifelong treatment. It justifies the importance of the support group.

While a sure cure to the ailment is yet to be discovered, Antardhwani guides patients to live a normal and healthy life through holistic healing activities like yoga, pranayama, and simple exercises that immensely help them in managing the disease.Team of Antardhwani provides a common platform wherepatients can meet regularly to exchange information andtheir experiences,symptoms,medicines used, and their effects and side effects. A panel of expert doctors & renowned rheumatologists updatepatients about the latest developments in the technologies and research conducted. Multiple educational & support initiatives by Antardhwani:

Q1: Is arthritis curable (fully)? If not, what are the things that a patient can do to keep it in very good control and be as normal as a normal person?

ANS:

• For the cure of arthritis, we will say it's controllable in a majority of the cases rather than curable with the currently available treatment.
• A patient is the center and in fact a major decision-maker in the management of arthritis, so a patient can do a lot to keep arthritis in good control like:

Who is a rheumatologist? The Identity crisis of a rheumatologist in India!

The results had just been declared and I stared at the board bearing my name in disbelief. I had just cracked another entrance and hopefully this would be my last one. DM Rheumatology! After two years of trying I had finally made it into the course. I was over the moon and went home to celebrate my success with my dear ones, picking up some samosas and jalebis from the nearby Gopal sweets (Yes, there’s one in every city.). Our tea party was soon interrupted by Mr and Mrs Nosy Parker(Yes, there’s one in every Indian neighborhood!) who were our neighbors and needed no invitation. Mrs Nosy felt entitled to knowing every little detail of my life and was a bit disappointed that she found out so late. ‘Congratulations beta’ uncle said, and aunty nodded. “DM Rheumatology,”she said emphatically.

Name: Chitra Umaashanker

When I was prompted to write my life story, one of the first thoughts were well, I have still a long way to go, but I will stop for a moment and reflect. I have lived my prime years of life with RA. I have also faced major life events while having it. An engineer by qualification, I had joined the IAF soon after my graduation.

I was serving as a defence officer in IAF when RA first struck me. It continued for about three years with a few remission and relapses. I was not married then. I recovered to a great extent in 2–3 years, and due to social pressure and my will to be active again, started looking for jobs and went into a preparatory. I was confident that I wanted to look for marriage only after I ‘settle’ into a good job.