NE HEALTH BUREAU
CHENNAI, JUNE 5
The Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Vanagaram, from Apollo Hospitals group, held a citizens’ cycling rally on Sunday to raise awareness about vertigo and balance issues. Balance disorders (including vertigo) affect around 35% of people over the age of 40 and 85% of people over the age of 80 for a variety of reasons.
The Vertigo and Balance Clinic at Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Vanagaram collaborated with Annanagar Cycles to organise a cycle rally from Lighthouse at Marina Beach to the Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Vanagaram, in order to raise much-needed awareness about this issue.
Mylapore MLA Velu flagged off the cycle rally in the presence of Shivakumar, CEO Apollo Hospitals, and Dr. Rahul Raghavan Menon, COO, Apollo Hospitals Cluster 2, V Kumaramanikandan, TN marketing manager from ACT Fibernet, G. Shankaranarayanan, Business Development Head, TN, Nippon Paints India, Velu Balasubramaniam, Founder and CEO, Maiyam 55.
The rally attracted over 250 riders, including professionals and amateurs. The rally was flagged off by Dr C. Sylendra Babu, Director General of Police, Tamilnadu. He also handed over awards and medals to the enthusiastic cyclists at the finishing point in Vanagaram Apollo Hospitals premises.
Dr P R Prabash, Senior Consultant – Neurologist said “Symptoms of balance disorders are perplexing for the patient, owing to lack of awareness, the patients are not able to explain the exact feeling in words.For example, these are the words commonly used by patients to describe balance disorder(s): vertigo, dizziness, giddiness, light headedness, discomfort in the head, motion sickness, rocking feel, instability or swaying while walking, fear of fall while standing or walking, syncope, loss of consciousness, even seizures. One peculiar problem,doctors in and around Chennai face, is a specific term – ‘Gaer’ which does not covey much to the treating physician.”
He further added “It is essential to diagnose the problem accurately and provide an integrated clinical approach, by Neurology and ENT consultants, to help people suffering with vertigo and balance disorders. The treatment starts with analysing in detail the clinical and health history of every individual patient”
Dr Rahul Menon, COO – Apollo Hospitals, Chennai Cluster II noted “We recently launched India’s first Integrated Neuro ENT – Vertigo and Balance Clinic, at Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Vanagaram, where a team of senior consultants from Neurology and ENT with support from a board of specialists Neuro surgery, Cardiology, Psychiatry, and Vestibular Rehab specialists work as a team to provide solutions to those who suffer from vertigo and balance disorders. The state-of-the-art ‘Balance Lab’ setupand ‘Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy centre’ in the hospital premises is another important addition to make this 1a comprehensive unit for treatment of Vertigo and Balance Disorders”.
