ABSTRACT
The principal aim of drug utilisation studies (DUS) is to facilitate the rational use of drug in a population.DUS is an essential part of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomic as it describes the extent,nature and determinants of drug exposure. Diabetes at present appears as a common non communicable disease. It leads to high morbidity and mortality due to the disease itself and its diverse complications like coronary artery disease, hypertension, renal complication, retinal damage, neurological disorders, incidence of stroke at different sites, generalised infections etc. With such multifactorial background of high prevalence , progressive nature of the disease, availability of multiple therapeutic regimens prescribed on trial and error basis, the treatment is individualised and neither complete nor satisfactory. Objectives: This study was undertaken to analyse the current prescribing pattern in obese patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus with regard to drug/drugs precription ,dose, duration of treatment and frequency of change of drugs. Methods: This is a prospective, parallel group, comparitive observational study. The enrolled obese patients were divided as a)New diabetic b) Old diabetic(<3 years duration). Each category was further divided into four subgroups according to the treatment recieved a)Monotherapy-only Metformin b)Combination therapy- Metformin+another antidiabetic groups,preferably sulfonylureas, alphaglucosidase inhibitors or DPP 4 inhibitors c)Triple therapy( Metformin+SU+Voglibose or Gliptins or Glitazones) d)Insulin with other oral hypoglycemic drugs. Results: In the study of prescribing pattern, it was observed that most prescriptions in this tertiary care hospital were found to be in compliance with the ADA guidelines. Metformin monotherapy was prescribed as initial treatment. Sulphonylureas/ Gliptins / Alpha glucosidase inhibitors/ thiazolidinediones were used as second line therapy mostly anyone, in addition to metformin or as monotherapy according to patient requirement, tolerability and cost.Conclusions: The antidiabetic medications prescribed in this hospital,were found to be in compliance with ADA guidelines with metformin being the first line of treatment followed by sulfonylureas and alphaglucosidase inhibitors
ABSTRACT
Background: Obesity is emerging as a serious problem throughout the world, not only among adults but also children, teenagers and young adults. Of the factors contributing to obesity, stress seems to be particularly important as stressful condition leads to irregularity in diet, lack of exercise and addiction, each being considered an independent factor leading to obesity. Medical education is stressful throughout the whole course of training. The amount of material to be absorbed, social isolation, pressure of examination, discrepancies between expectation and reality all can be anticipated to bring psychological stress. Hence, this study was undertaken to find out the prevalence of overweight and obesity among undergraduate medical students. Aims and objectives: To assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity among medical students in Azeezia Medical College and also to find the relationship of the following risk factors with obesity; a) Physical inactivity, b) sleeping habits, c) diet, d) stress and e) association with other diseases (thyroid disorders, menstrual disorders). Study design: A cross-sectional study was conducted in selected sample of 89 subjects. Settings: The study setting was in a rural area in Kollam district of Kerala. Material and methods: Anthropometric measurements including height and weight were taken as per WHO criteria. Body mass index were calculated and classified accordingly as normal, overweight and obese. Details of factors influencing were obtained using a pretested questionnaire in a pilot study. Results and conclusion: The study revealed overall a high prevalence of overweight (44%) and obesity (10%). In males 35% were overweight and 11% were obese, while in females 49% were overweight and 9% were obese. Relation with increased frequency of meals (p = 0.007), increased sleep duration (p = 0.003) and regular exercise (p = 0.047) were found to be significant. Increased prevalence of overweight among females and obesity among males in rural area were observed. The importance of regular physical activity and certain aspects of healthy aging need to be emphasized in the elderly population. Growing old is not an end to everything but an opening for challenges and approach.