Divya Ramamurthi - The Hindu

Many blogs are run by doctors and scientists
Several patients turning to blogs for information
Some details on blogs may not be accurate

Bangalore, Apr 3: When 42-year-old T. Sumithra's son was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, she wanted to learn more about the condition. She turned to the Internet for information. But instead of pouring through medical sites and trying to understand what they said, Ms. Sumithra turned to personal blogs.

"I wanted to find out as much as I could about the condition - recent medical interventions, what happens and why it happens - but I did not want to be put away by the jargon that appeared on medical sites or be scared by what they had to say. So, I turned to blogs," Ms. Sumithra says.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease affecting mostly boys, with symptoms of muscular weakness, difficulty in walking, running, hopping, and muscle deformities. It is mostly because of mutations in the dystrophin gene, with two-thirds of the cases being hereditary.

She says that she has been able to locate more than 150 blogs on muscular dystrophy. Some with medical information, some on personal stories on how to cope with it, and others with stories of courage and commitment to fight the situation. "The blog has been like a support group to me. It has given me courage and strength to take things in my stride," she says.

After perusing through several blogs, Ms. Sumithra is now having her son read some of the blogs. "I want him to see that others have this situation and have been able to lead good, active lives," she says.

"May be, he will also create one of his experiences," she says.

She has also been able to pick up medical information. For instance, she says that she learnt from a site that chances of heart attack for a person with muscular dystrophy can be lessened with a new medicine. "That was good news because I have heard many muscular dystrophy patients die in their 20s because their heart muscles weaken," she says.

There are also some scientific and medical blogs that she frequents to find out more about the latest therapies. Many are run by doctors and scientists. "I have spoken to some scientists abroad on the success rates of the new therapies," she says.

Like Ms. Sumithra, there are several others who are now turning to blogs for information on diseases. Neurologist M. Krishna says that a lot more of his patients these days are aware of conditions and complications. "Earlier, we had to provide all explanations, but these days every one is well informed. They come armed with questions to ask us," he says.

He adds that there is also a flip side to information on blogs. "Some details on blogs are not accurate. Patients can easily be misled if they do not check them with their doctors," he says.