Breast Cancer Side Effects : 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai's Akshara aka Hina Khan has been battling the deadly disease of breast cancer for several months

Breast Cancer Side Effects : 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai's Akshara aka Hina Khan has been battling the deadly disease of breast cancer for several months. She came to know about her cancer in the third stage. She is undergoing chemotherapy for this. The actress also constantly shares her health updates with her fans. 

Recently, she shared a video of herself on social media. In which she looks very ill but strong. She said that she is suffering from a medical condition called mucositis. Due to this, she is not able to eat properly. What is this disease? Why does it happen, let's know in detail.

What is mucositis?

Mucositis is a painful inflammation of the mucosa, a layer of tissue that covers organs. The mucosa lines your entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract from your mouth through your intestines. The digestive system, especially the mouth area, is affected. Due to this pain is experienced in the entire process from chewing food to digesting it. 

side effects of cancer treatment

According to the Cleveland Clinic, mucositis is a side effect of cancer treatment options radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Therapies designed to treat cancer damage rapidly dividing cells. Sometimes even healthy cells become victims of this. This includes the mucosa as well. Due to this, it starts getting severely inflamed. 

These people are also at risk of mucositis 

The risk of mucositis is more than 50 percent of patients undergoing cancer treatment through chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Apart from this, people who smoke, chew tobacco, drink alcohol, have dehydration, protein deficiency, gum infection, kidney disease, diabetes, dental implants, and HIV can also suffer from mucositis. 

Symptoms of mucositis

Swelling in the mouth and gums Dryness

in the mouth

Thick saliva

Mouth ulcers

Pus-filled white pimples in the mouth

Difficulty swallowing, talking, or eating

Bleeding in the mouth and Abdominal

pain

Nausea and vomiting

Diarrhea

Blood or mucus in the stool

Painful bowel movements

Mucositis treatment

Mucositis resolves on its own as soon as cancer treatment is stopped. If you have taken chemotherapy, mucositis usually occurs one to two weeks after the start of treatment and gets cured after one to six weeks. On the other hand, if you are taking radiotherapy, mucositis occurs two to three weeks after the start of treatment and gets cured within two to four weeks after the end of therapy. Apart from this, the doctor can give some painkillers to reduce the pain.