ABSTRACT
Background: Alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS) usage has become one of the COVID-19 pandemic-related adapted responses. Some disulfiram-ethanol reactions are reported in people who use alcohol-based hand rub/sanitizer and take Disulfiram as a treatment for their alcohol use disorders. Aim & Objective: To determine the practice experiences of psychiatrists on disulfiram prescription to alcohol use disorder victims. Methodology: A cross-sectional study on the psychiatrists to find the experiences of disulfiram prescription to their clients with alcohol use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Nearly 84 (51%) were reverted with a completed questionnaire. Among the respondents, 28 (33.3%) of the respondents decreased to prescribe Disulfiram, 48 (57.1%) reported that their patients stopped using ABHS due to fear of Disulfiram-Ethanol Reaction (DER), and 20 (23.8%) responders notified that their patients were expressed their worry on DER with Disulfiram and ABHS. Conclusion: Disulfiram prescribed for alcohol use disorders; treatment got peculiar experiences with the incidences of DER reported with Alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Many practitioners were scared to prescribe disulfiram due to DER with ABHS. The prevailing evidence that there is no possibility of cutaneous application of ABHS producing enough significant DER. Hence using ABHS is not a contraindication for disulfiram prescription.
ABSTRACT
Background: HIV/AIDS was first recognized in USA in 1981 when centre for disease control (CDC) reported unexplained occurrence of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in 5 healthy homosexuals. Soon it was recognized in drug abusers and blood transfusion recipients. The present study has been taken up with an aim to know the incidence of various opportunistic infections in HIV positive patients and to correlate different opportunistic infections (OIs) with the CD4+cellcount.Methods: Sample of 132 cases admitted in Gandhi hospital during the study period were taken. CD4+ counting of blood samples was done by Flow cytometry as per manufacturer’s instructions (FACS Calibur, Becton- Dickinson, Immunocytometry system). Correlation of CD4 cell counts was done with the respective opportunistic infections.Results: TB (50%) is the most frequent OI followed by candidiasis (49%), pneumocystis (16%) and others. The mean CD4 cell count in TB was 110.80/mL and in candidiasis 97.84/mL. Low values were observed in CMV (27/mL) and in toxoplasmosis (61.66/mL).Conclusions: In most of the patient’s respiratory system was the most common system involved by OIs and had CD4 T cell count below 200/mL. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of opportunistic infections is important. This study helps the clinicians in proper guidance to come up before development of severe immunodeficiency to prevent serious and fatal outcome.