Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Dies Of 3 Major Health Conditions - Know More!

Arun Jaitley, 66 the former finance minister and a stalwart of the Bharatiya Janata Party, died on 24th August 2019, Saturday, at 12:07 pm. 

Arun Jaitley got admitted in AIIMS, New Delhi in August 2019 when he suffered from severe uneasiness and breathlessness. On 17 August, it was reported that Jaitley was on life-support. By 23 August, his health had deteriorated leading to his demise.  

Jaitley had been unwell for a large part of the last two years when his condition took a turn for the worse in 2019. So, he wrote to PM Modi that he would not like to be part of the Cabinet because of health issues, and instead offered to undertake informal work for the government and the BJP.

While the exact nature of health complications leading to his demise have not been revealed yet by doctors, it is fair to assume that the severity and complexity of his pre-existing illnesses due to which he underwent various complicated procedures and treatment methods in the recent past may have caused his death. 

Let’s examine the 3 major health conditions for which he underwent extensive treatment: 

1. Kidney Failure for which he underwent a Kidney Transplant in 2018 -

• The kidneys filter waste from the blood and get rid of it from the body when we pass urine. They also maintain the body’s fluid and electrolyte balance. In the case of kidney failure, waste builds up in the body causing a great deal of sickness. 
• People with kidney failure typically get a treatment called dialysis. The dialysis mechanically filters waste that builds up in the bloodstream when the kidneys fail.
• Meanwhile, kidney transplant is a surgical procedure that’s done to treat kidney failure by replacing the failed kidney(s) with a new fully functional one or pair. 
• The advantage of a kidney transplant is that you don’t have to depend on dialysis and the regimented lifestyle that needs to be practised because of it. 

2. Excess weight due to Diabetes for which he underwent Bariatric (Gastric bypass) Surgery in 2014 -

• Arun Jaitley was a longtime patient of severe Diabetes type 2. Patients with excessive weight who suffer from Diabetes 2 typically see tremendous progress in their condition after bariatric surgery. However, they have to follow a strict diet and lifestyle for this to be successful.
• In the type of bariatric surgery Arun Jaitley underwent, the surgeon makes a small stomach pouch by partitioning the top of the stomach from the rest of it. When you consume food, it goes to the small pouch and bypasses the top of the small intestine. As a result, you feel full faster and absorb fewer calories and nutrients, thereby losing weight.  

3. Soft-tissue Sarcoma for which he underwent treatment in January 2019 -

• This was the final (and probably sharpest) nail in Jaitley’s coffin. Arun Jaitley had gone to the US for a health-check up pertaining to his kidney treatment where he was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer. He started treatment in New York with immediate effect. 
• This rare cancer known as a soft-tissue sarcoma is a form of cancer in the connective tissue. 
• What makes it hard to diagnose is that it doesn’t have noticeable symptoms. Soft tissue is relatively elastic, so tumours can grow quite big, pushing aside normal tissue, before they are felt or cause any issues. 
• Moreover, they account for less than 1% of all new cancer cases each year and are usually found in patients over the age of 50. 

Because of the multitude of conditions Jaitley suffered from, his case was both highly complex and critical due to which a cross-functional team of senior medical practitioners were working on his recovery at AIIMS. 

The team consisted of doctors from departments of cardiology (heart), endocrinology (diabetes), nephrology(kidney), pulmonary (lungs) and medical oncology (cancer) department at AIIMS. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be saved. May the veteran leader’s soul rest in peace.