ABSTRACT
Background: Self-medication is to obtain and consume the drugs without the advice of a physician about the diagnosis and treatment. Medical students are different from the general population because of their exposure to numerous clinical cases and also the knowledge about diseases, diagnosis and drugs. Aim and Objectives: The objective of the study was to evaluate the self-medication practices among undergraduate medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 150 undergraduate medical students at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Adilabad from September 2021 to November 2021 after obtaining approval from Institutional Ethics Committee. A structured and validated questionnaire was used to collect information regarding self-medication practices. The study was based on their knowledge and attitude about the practice of self-medication. Results: 150 students participated in the study. Out of 150 students, 136 practiced self-medication. Of them 86 were female and 50 were male. The most common reason which lead to the practice of self-medication was their convenience. Fever was the most common indication for self-medication. Paracetamol was the most common analgesic and Azithromycin was the most common antibiotic used for self-medication. Nausea was the most common among adverse drug reactions experienced by the students. Conclusion: This practice of self-medication masks the sign and symptoms of underlying pathology, and thus complicates and delays the diagnosis. It also creates drug resistance. The practice of self-medication assumes a special significance among the medical students as they will be the future medical practitioners and play a crucial role in counseling the patients about the practice and adverse effects associated with self-medication.
ABSTRACT
Background: Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous units. It is characterized by seborrhea, the formation of open and closed comedones, erythematous papules, and pustules and in more severe cases nodules, deep pustules, and pseudocysts. In many cases, a degree of scarring will ensues. Four major factors involved in pathogenesis are as follows: (i) Increased sebum production, (ii) hypercornification of the pilosebaceous duct, (iii) abnormality of the microbial flora, especially colonization of the duct with propionibacterium acnes, and (iv) inflammation. Aim and Objectives: The aims of the study were as follows: (1). Comparison of success rate among the patients receiving benzoyl peroxide 2.5% and adapalene 0.1% in patients diagnosed with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris. (2). To compare the decrease lesion count. Materials and Methods: After obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee, the patients for the study were enrolled from the Department of Dermatology Venereology and Leprosy, Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad. Patients diagnosed with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris according to Global Acne Grading system were included in the study. A total of 100 patients were divided into two groups (Group A and Group B). Each group consists of 50 patients each. Group A received: Topical benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel for 12 weeks. Group B received: Topical adapalene 0.1% gel for 12 weeks. Follow-up was done at 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks of treatment. Acne scores were recorded at baseline and at, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks of treatment. The global acne grading score (GAGS) was used for assessing the severity of acne at each visit. Results: All the data were entered in a Microsoft Excel sheet and analysis was done using Graph prism version 7. Continuous data were expressed in terms of mean and standard deviation. Comparison of acne scores in each group before and after treatment at each follow-up visit was performed using Student t-test. Comparison of acne scores among the two groups was performed at baseline and at the end of 12 weeks by unpaired t-test. A detailed history was recorded and clinical examination was done. Acne grading was done using the GAGS. Conclusion: There was significant decrease in mean acne scores. Decrease in mean acne scores of Group A (benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel) was compared with that of Group B (adapalene 0.1% gel) using unpaired t-test. There was no significant difference in between benzoyl peroxide and adapalene on mean acne scores. It was found that both the treatment groups were effective in reducing acne score.