Chennai

My mother and grandmother suffered from vitiligo. I want to know if it is hereditary and if I stand the risk of developing it as well?

-Anonymous, Pallikaranai

Though it is an auto-immune disorder—that is when your immune system mistakenly attacks some part of your own body— it is also possible that one or more genes may make a person more likely to get the disorder. It could be hereditary as well, but that doesn’t mean children of everyone with the condition inherit the disease. 

However if both parents have the condition, the risk is higher.

-Dr M Mani Megalai, Dermatologist

My father has undergone a bypass and I want to enrol him in a cardiac rehab programme.  How does it work and what are the aspects addressed in the programme?

-Vanitha, Ambattur

Cardiac rehab is now an integral part of management of heart disease. It covers a broad range of conditions - from those who have already had a cardiac event or have had one of the procedures like angioplasty or bypass, where it is secondary prevention and to those in the high-risk group relying on medication, where it is primary.

-Dr Priya Chockalingam, Clinical Director, Cardiac Wellness Institute

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