ABSTRACT
Introduction: Depression is the most common mental illness among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA). While depression is common among other chronic illnesses, it is expected to be more with HIV/AIDS, which is a more stressful state. Thus, in this study, we tried to estimate the prevalence of depression along with its associated factors in people with HIV/AIDS. Method: This cross-sectional study was done at one ART Centre in North India. Over a period of one year, HIV/AIDS patients taking antiretroviral therapy were interviewed, estimating depression with PHQ-9. Using multivariate logistic regression, we examined the association of various factors with depression among HIV patients. Results: We observed that 16% of PLHA suffered from depression, while 3% had moderate and moderately severe depression. Among the factors associated with depression, we found alcohol consumption [OR 2.553; 95%CI 1.180 - 5.526], lower CD4 cell counts [OR 2.630; 95%CI 1.297 - 5.330], side effects from ART [OR 2.442; 95%CI 1.302 - 4.577], unsatisfaction from family support [OR 2.683; 95%CI 1.334 - 5.394] and no improvement from ART [OR 0.412; 95%CI 0.190 - 0.896] to be individually and significantly associated. Conclusion: Higher prevalence of depression among HIV/AIDS patients and its association with various factors should worry policymakers, prompting them to take necessary action.
ABSTRACT
Background: High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the most commonly used method for detection and quantitative estimation of hemoglobin variants. Hemoglobinopathies are amongst the most common genetically inherited disorders, however, the exact magnitude of different hemoglobinopathies is obscure in India. This study was done with the aim of analyzing the different findings in HPLC using D-10 analyzer and evaluating the spectrum of different hemoglobin disorders in a hospital-based population of South Delhi. Such a prevalence study would be useful to review the various strategies that can be implemented for effective control and prevention of these disorders. Methods: A hospital based descriptive observational study was conducted in which all OPD and IPD patients who were advised HPLC during their clinical workup were included. Analysis of EDTA blood samples was done by Bio Rad D10 Dual program HPLC instrument. The exact percentage of HbA, HbA2, HbF and any other variant hemoglobin was estimated. Presumptive identification of hemoglobin variants was made primarily by their percentage, retention time (RT) and peak characteristics. HPLC findings were correlated with the clinical history, family history and the CBC and peripheral smear findings in all cases. Results: On HPLC analysis, 79% of the patients had no abnormality detected and the report was within normal limits. The commonest hemoglobinopathy was Beta Thalassemia Trait followed by HbE trait. The other hemoglobinopathies detected were HbD Punjab Heterozygous (3 cases, 0.5%), Beta thalassemia homozygous (3 cases, 0.5%), Sickle cell Heterozygous (2 cases, 0.3%), HbJ Meerut Heterozygous (2 cases, 0.3%). One case each of Sickle cell Homozygous (0.15%), Compound Heterozygous HbS/beta thalassemia trait (0.15%), HbE Homozygous (0.15%), Compound Heterozygous HbE/beta thalassemia trait (0.15%), and Homozygous delta beta thalassemia (0.15%) were also diagnosed. Conclusion: This study gives an important insight to the present day scenario of hemoglobinopathies in patients in South Delhi in relation to the hematological profile. It highlights the chromatogram findings of different hemoglobinopathies on the D10 analyzer. The comprehensive data obtained by such series can help in the formulation and development of infrastructure and policies for hemoglobinopathy prevention, diagnosis and management.
ABSTRACT
Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are significant public health problem in India. Studies have shown a considerably higher prevalence of STIs among females as well as in high-risk groups. Thus, we conducted this study to estimate the prevalence of STIs and to find out its associated factors among women living with HIV/AIDS. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the ART centre, Aligarh. A total of 170 HIV positive women were approached with study tools comprising of pre-structured proforma. NACO STIs Syndromes were used to estimate STIs. Data was analyzed using the SPSS version 20.0, keeping significance at p<0.05. Results: We found the self-reported prevalence of STIs in HIV positive women to be 18.2% (31/170) at the time of interview and 49.4% (84/170) ever since the diagnosis of HIV. Most of the HIV women were presently having vaginal/cervical or urethral discharge syndrome (93.5%) and genital ulcer syndrome (16.1%). STIs were significantly associated with uneducated females and with irregular use of condoms. Conclusion: This study found the prevalence of STIs to be still higher among HIV positive women, in spite of years of targeted interventions reducing it. A proper action and further researches are required to explore and manage variables associating STIs for reducing its prevalence