Article: APPROACH FOR PATIENT PRESENTING 'SHOTHA' IN CLINICAL PRACTICE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HASTA-PADA SHOTHA: A REVIEW

Article Category: Review articles

DOI: 10.7897/2277-4343.1106189

Pages: 78-80

Author: Nitish Raj *, Surendra Kumar, Sujeet Kumar, Shyam Sundar Sharma

Abstract: Ayurveda is the age-old science of healing which encompasses the scriptures of Acharyas like Charaka, Sushruta, and Vagbhata etc. What differentiates Ayurveda from other Pathy is its supreme objective that is to help maintain the health of healthy individual and cure of diseases of a patient. Shotha (edema) is dealt in Ayurveda by different names such as Shotha, Shopha, Shvayathu, Utsheda, samhata etc. In Charaka Samhita, Chikitsa sthana chapter-12 Shvayathu chikitsa, Acharya Agnivesh questioned the great sage- Lord Atreya about the etiology, sign and symptoms and treatment of Shvayathu roga regarding which the Lord Atreya explained in detail about the disease. Although, Shotha has been documented in Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Ashtanga sangraha but the profound essence of pathogenesis is found in Madhava nidana (700 AD) which is influenced by the Brihat trayees. In clinical practice, many patients come with the symptom of hasta-pada Shotha (swelling of the limbs) and without the proper knowledge of Ayurvedic literature, it is very much difficult for an Ayurvedic practitioner to differentiate them as whether it is a symptom of disease or prodromal symptom or complication of a disease etc. This paper is an honest effort on differentiating hasta-pada Shotha in different diseases or conditions.

Keyword: Hasta-pada Shotha, Swelling, Edema, Diagnosis.