Multiplicity of noncommunicable diseases among the elderly in a suburban area of Delhi

Introduction: Continuing advancements in quality of health care has led to increased life expectancy over time. This in turn has resulted in increased prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), especially among the elderly. An appropriate portrayal of its epidemiology is essential to adequately understand the health-care needs of the population. The evidence generated from the study will give us an incentive to address the rising burden of polymorbidities. We did the study to assess the prevalence and pattern of NCDs in the elderly above 60 years of age and to determine age- and sex-wise distribution of single and multiple NCDs. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 elderly participants over 60 years of age in Mehrauli area of Delhi. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Detailed general and systemic examination was also done. Results: A total of 87.4% of the study population were suffering from at least one NCD. The number of NCDs per person is 2.41. Overall, 80 out of the total 350 study participants(22.9%) had a single NCD, whereas 226 (64.6%) had two or more NCDs. Hypertension was the most prevalent NCD, followed by cataract, osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. Conclusion: The prevalence of NCDs was quite high among the elderly. Multimorbidity was more common among the oldest-old age group and elderly women. This calls for increased focus on timely and comprehensive screening for NCDs in adults and asserts the need to approach the screening and management of NCDs in a more holistic way and not as isolated health events.

A study of clinical and treatment profile of tuberculosis patients attending DOTS centre at Primary Health Centre

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is an age-old disease killing significant number of humans over history and one of the major cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. It killed 1.4 million people annually worldwide in the year 2019. India had 2.69 million cases in 2019, according to TB report 2020. Despite the presence of the programme for it's control, TB continues to threaten the population due to emergence of more and more resistance cases challenging it's elimination. This study reflects the annual burden of tuberculosis in an area served by a Primary Health Centre in Urban Delhi and the treatment outcomes. The records of the patients attendingMethods: the DOTS centre was obtained from the treatment register at Primary Health Centre, Palam, Delhi. The records of patients visiting between April 2020 to March 2021 were included. Data analysis was done on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 and appropriate statistical tests were applied. The total number ofResults & Conclusion: tuberculosis patients registered from April 2020 to March 2021 were 260. Out of these 260 patients, 155 (59.6%) were pulmonary and 105 (40.4%) were extra-pulmonary. A total of 175 (67.3%) were microscopically confirmed and 85 (32.7%) were clinically/radiologically diagnosed.

Gender specific variation in risk factors of gallstone disease among adult patients

Background: Gallstone disease (GSD) is a common gastrointestinal disease diagnosed in patients presented with abdominal pain. The present study was aimed to find the association between demographic, personal, behavioural and dietary factors and GSD by gender among adult population for suggesting specific gender wise intervention to control GSD.Methods: Case-control study was conducted in 120 cases and same number of controls. Data was collected on a self-designed pretested “interview schedule”. To measure the strength of association OR was calculated by matched pair analysis using McNemar’s test.Results: Among 120 study subjects, 83 cases were females and 37 were males. Strength of association was found to be significantly higher for family h/o GSD in females (OR=8), physical inactivity (OR=8), waist-hip ratio (OR=4.2), calorie intake more than recommended dietary allowance (RDA) (OR=2.09), and diabetes (OR=4) as compare to males OR=3, OR=2.8, OR=2.5, OR=1.43, OR=2.33 respectively.Conclusions: Family h/o GSD, physical inactivity, high waist-hip ratio, calorie and fat intake more than RDA, protein intake less than RDA, hypertension and diabetes were found to be potential risk factors for the development of GSD in females. Consumption of smokeless tobacco, physical inactivity, non-vegetarian diet and intake of fats more than RDA were risk factors for GSD in males.

Universal health coverage in relation to antenatal care services and its correlates

Universal health coverage (UHC) means all people receiving the health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective while at the same time ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship. So, we did this study to assess the extent of UHC in relation to antenatal care services in Palam area of Delhi. Objectives: 1) To study the extent of coverage of antenatal services in Palam area of Delhi. 2) To assess the correlates of coverage of antenatal services among mothers. Material and methods: study type- a community based descriptive study was conducted between September 2015 to March 2017, among 250 mothers who delivered during the year 2015. A pretested, self-designed, semi-structured interview schedule and health records was used to collect information. Data was analysed using software – statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: Out of 250 study participants, complete coverage of antenatal care services was seen in only 28.8% women. Literacy and presence of complication in previous pregnancy found to have statistically significant correlation with the extent of coverage of antenatal services. Conclusion: Women need to be educated about their health needs and services available to them, in order to increase the demand of maternal health services and improve utilization of available services.

Wealth index and maternal health care: Revisiting NFHS-3.

The third National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) is a large dataset on indicators of family welfare, maternal and child health, and nutrition in India. This article using NFHS-3 data is an attempt to bring out the impact of economic status, i.e., the wealth index on maternal health. The study was based on an analysis of the NFHS-3 data. Independent variables taken were the wealth index, literacy, and age at first child birth. Effects of these variables on the maternal health care services were investigated. Out of the total 124,385 women aged 15-49 years included in the NFHS-3 dataset, 36,850 (29.6%) had one or more childbirth during the past 5 years. The number of antenatal care (ANC) visits increased as the wealth index increased and there was a pattern for choice of place of delivery (for all deliveries during the last 5 years) according to the wealth index. Logistic regression analysis of the abovementioned variables were sought to find out the independent role of key determinants of the different aspects of maternal health care. It showed that the wealth index is the leading key independent determinant for three or more ANC received: Tetanus toxoid (TT) received before delivery, iron tablet/syrup taken for more than 100 days, and institutional delivery. Mother's literacy was the leading independent key determinant for early antenatal registration. The study suggested that along with the mother's literacy, the wealth index that is an important predictor of maternal health care can be added for categorization of the districts for providing differential approach for maternal health care services.

Designing New Growth Charts for Low-birth Weight Babies: Need of the Hour in India.

Literature reveals theories explaining low birth weight (LBW) babies’ unplanned catch-up growth is related to several non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in adult-life. Is the current growth chart as per World Health Organization child growth standards of healthy breast feed infants and young child is applicable for even LBW or small for gestational age babies? There are high chances that these LBW babies who are growing “in their centiles” will be diagnosed as mild or moderate protein energy malnutrition (PEM) in clinical settings as the current diagnostic criteria for PEM do not include birth weight as an indicator. Besides they are encouraged for home based extra caloric food to gain weight and thereby encouraging them to “crossing the percentile” in the growth curve. Do these managements really benefit the baby or are we inadvertently exposing them to increased future risk of adult diseases must be considered seriously. Thus, we may require revision to make a separate standardized growth chart for LBW babies indicating how they should grow.

Bioterrorism - “My Role as a Dentist”.

Bioterrorism is the intentional use of micro-organisms and toxins to produce disease and death in humans, livestock and crops, their attraction in war and for use in terrorist attacks is attributed to various unique features. Biological weapons can be disseminated by aerosol sprays, explosives or food and water contamination. They can strike suddenly without any warning and inflict considerable mortality and morbidity that can continue for a long period, such attacks may create high level of panic, environment contamination and extreme pressures on emergency health services. Accurate and substantial information given to the public by credible public health and medical experts can do much to allay their fears and encourage their cooperation and participation in constructive, organized community response efforts. The dental profession could potentially play a significant role in the emergency response to a major bioterrorism attack.

Pattern and Burden of Animal Bite Cases in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Haryana.

Rabies is an endemic disease in both developed and developing world and is responsible for a large number of morbidities and mortalities in humans. Limited supply of vaccine hampers the accessibility of life saving treatment. In our study carried out in a tertiary care hospital in Haryana showed that there were 3617 animal bite cases reported in a year with an average of 9.91 new cases per day. The average economic burden related to management of these bite cases is 3.5 lacs per month. This cost along with vaccine demand can be substantially reduced if intradermal schedule is introduced.