ABSTRACT
Background: According to the census of 2011, 13% of the Indian population was 60 years of age or older. As the geriatric population is the most vulnerable part of society, they are prone to all type of diseases including eye problems which are preventable or correctable but requires constant medical, financial, and social support. This study will find the magnitude of various ocular morbidities and their relationship with sociodemographic factors among geriatrics. Objective: 1. To find the magnitude of ocular morbidities among the elderly. 2. To study the relationship of different sociodemographic factors with ocular morbidities. 3. To estimate the average time spent for getting ophthalmic care at the outpatient department (OPD). Subjects and Methods: It was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted in the Ophthalmology OPD of Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, Odisha, from January to December 2016. A total of 1320 geriatric persons were enrolled during this period. Ethical clearance was obtained. Results: Out of the 1320 geriatric patients, 58.86% were in the age group of 60–69 years, 35.22% in 70–79 years, and 5.9% ?80 years with a mean age of 67.7 ± 6.7 years. Males accounted for 70.98% and females for 29.02%. Different ocular morbidities detected are cataract (59.2%), refractive error (18%), ocular injury (5.9%), diabetic retinopathy (3.9%), glaucoma and chronic dacryocystitis (3%), and foreign body in the eye (2%). The total waiting time in the ophthalmology OPD to get ophthalmic care was 7.8 ± 3.2 min. The total consultation time in the OPD was 75.59 ± 27.15 min. Conclusion: The most common cause of visual impairment/blindness in the geriatric age group are cataract and refractive errors which are treated/corrected free of cost at any government health facility under the National Programme for Control of Blindness. People should be aware of the causes, prevention modalities, and treatment of the causes of blindness.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Of the total population, elderly people comprised of 8.14% in India where in India or globally. Main challenges faced by the elderly in our country are feminization, ruralisation, migration, and an increasing number of 80?plus adults. This sudden change of environment or being left stranded alone unattended or being dependent on children for their necessities is a major cause of mental illnesses. Objectives: To study the socio?demographic profile, find out the different morbidities and assess the health?seeking behaviour of the study subjects. Materials and Methods: A community?based cross?sectional study was conducted in the field practice area of urban health and training center using the simple random sampling method. Results: The mean age of study subjects was 67.58 ± 6.53 years. Majority of participants, i.e., 308 (73.0%) were young old. 207 (49.1%) were illiterate, 272 (64.5%) unemployed 272 (64.5%) and 224 (53.1%) were living with their children, i.e., 224 (53.1%). Inappropriate health?seeking behavior was significantly associated with under?weight (P < 0.001) which accounted for 2/3rd of participants. Severe depression was observed among 59.5% participants. Females showed a higher proportion of myalgia (5.7%), whereas males showed preponderance of upper respiratory tract diseases (19.2%). The prevalence of inappropriate health?seeking behavior was higher in females (65.1%). The proportion of the elderly with poor health?seeking behavior was found to be 50.4%. Conclusion: Morbidity among the elderly is very high and health?seeking behavior is very poor. Hence, strong efforts are needed to provide them holistic care. Hence, this study was conducted to threw some light on health status of the elderly, their morbidity pattern and health?seeking behavior. It will help the policy-makers to prepare the intervention strategies at the community level.
ABSTRACT
Background: Gastrointestinal and mesenteric injuries are the third most common type of injury from blunt trauma abdomen and are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality.Objectives: To determine the clinico-demographic profile, localization of injury, diagnostic and management methods and the outcome in cases of hollow viscus injury (HVI) following blunt trauma abdomen which were admitted to our unit. Methods: Records of patients who were admitted emergently with gastrointestinal injuries and blunt abdominal trauma between July 2014 and July 2016 were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The study group comprised 65 patients with mean age of 33.3 ± 16.2 years and a male predominance (89.2%). The commonest cause of injury was road traffic accident in 44 (67.7%) cases. Ileum was the most common site of injury detected in 31 (41.3%) followed by jejunum in 26 (34.7%) cases. Treatment comprised primary closure of perforation in 48 (64%) cases, segmental resection and anastomosis in 22 (29.3%), and stoma in 5 (6.7%) cases. Three out of 5 cases of anastomotic leak occurred in patients who were operated at 8-24 hours or beyond. Associated injury to intra-abdominal solid viscera and other sites were present in 30.7%. The mean duration of hospitalization was longer in patients with associated injuries as compared to those with isolated HVI (12.2±4.6 days versus 9.3±0.8 days). Conclusion: Early diagnosis followed by prompt surgical intervention and careful monitoring for associated injuries is the key to favourable outcome in blunt HVI.