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Background and Objectives: Acanthosis nigricans is characterized by hyperpigmentation and velvet-like thickening of the skin. It symmetrically involves the neck, axilla, groins, antecubital and popliteal fossae, umbilical, and perianal areas. Acanthosis nigricans is a marker for insulin resistance and is increasingly found to be associated with metabolic syndrome. We conducted this study to estimate the frequency of metabolic syndrome in acanthosis nigricans. Methods: In this hospital-based, cross-sectional study, we evaluated 60 patients with acanthosis nigricans with neck involvement. They were examined for other areas of involvement by acanthosis nigricans. Axillary and neck severity was graded based on the scale described by Burke et al. Insulin resistance was interpreted using homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR). Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to the SAM-NCEP criteria. Collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 22 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp). Results: Axilla was the most common site involved in 51 patients (85%) followed by knuckles (55%). Metabolic syndrome was found in 78.3% of our patients, and 56.66% had insulin resistance. A statistically significant association of severity grading of axillary acanthosis nigricans with both metabolic syndrome (P = 0.001) and insulin resistance (P = 0.03) was noted. However, no meaningful association was found between the severity grading of neck acanthosis nigricans with both metabolic syndrome (P = 0.4) and insulin resistance (P = 0.08). The association of neck texture grading of acanthosis nigricans with insulin resistance was statistically significant (P = 0.005). Conclusions: Metabolic syndrome was seen in 78.3% of acanthosis nigricans. Axillary severity grading was associated with metabolic syndrome.
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INTRODUCTION: Stroke is the development of a focal neurological disturbance lasting >24 h, of vascular origin. In India, stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Most stroke patients, during their duration of treatment and posthospitalization, want relief of suffering, a sense of control and minimized burden on the family. AIM: The aim of this study is to describe treating doctors' perspectives on the palliative needs of stroke patients in India. METHODOLOGY: This qualitative study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in South India. A total of 17 doctors involved in the care of stroke patients were interviewed, using an interview guide. The interviews were audio recorded simultaneously. The audio recording was transcribed verbatim, and the data were coded using a grounded theory approach. An inductive approach using thematic analysis was used to manually analyze the data. RESULTS: Eight themes emerged. (1) Functional disability: loss of independence due to immobility, speech deficits, visual disturbances, feeding difficulties, and incontinence cause immense distress. (2) Physical burden: pain in the form of central poststroke pain, periarthritic shoulder, psychogenic pain, and various sequela of chronic bed bound state like bed sores and pneumonia add to the burden. (3) Psychological needs: depression is common in stroke patients along with other psychological issues such as anxiety, agitation, apathetic state, and behavioral disturbances (4) Social issues: Cost of treatment of stroke patients coupled with their loss of employment leads to huge economic burden. They also face abandonment by children or spouse, in all sections of socioeconomic strata. (5) Caregiver burden: caregiver has a major role in a setting of stroke and in the long-term affects all domains of their lives, compromising their psychological and physical health. (6) Counseling-an unmet need: counseling is particularly important in a setting of stroke for the patient as well as the caregivers and results in a better patient outcome. However, clinicians expressed that it was inadequate due to the huge patient load, time constraints, and lack of effective counseling skills. (7) Spiritual needs: few clinicians stated that existential distress and spiritual struggle are seen in debilitated stroke victims and are often unaddressed. (8) Issues at the end of life care: patients with massive stroke, multiple comorbidities, and poor rehabilitative potential requires end of life care. CONCLUSIONS: From the interviews of the clinicians, we can conclude that care of a stroke patient is more than medical management and rehabilitation, as several other aspects of the patient's life are affected by the condition. The quality of life aspect has to be looked upon as an area that requires active intervention in a setting of stroke. Physical disabilities were viewed as the most significant factor in reducing the quality of life. Spiritual needs have a low priority in comparison to other physical needs. Due to high patient load and time constraints, many of the needs are unaddressed. Two important areas where palliative medicine has a major role in a setting of stroke are counseling and alleviating caregiver burden. However, referral of stroke patients to palliative medicine is low and further research to identify barriers to specialist palliative care of stroke patients will help in promoting the referrals to palliative medicine.
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OBJECTIVE: To describe the background and events that may precipitate thyroid storm (TS) with coma as well as the course of treatment intervention and our patient's response to treatment. METHODS: We present a case of TS with coma including precipitants, thyroid function tests, thyroid ultrasound, computed tomography findings, course, treatment, and outcome. RESULTS: A 71-year-old woman was hospitalized with back pain and right leg weakness due to a newly diagnosed, 12.4-cm sacral tumor. The tumor had metastasized from poorly differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma. The patient developed TS characterized by thyrotoxicosis with fever, tachycardia, and mental status change progressing to coma over several days. Treatment including antithyroid drugs, steroids, saturated solution of potassium iodide, L-carnitine, therapeutic plasma exchange, and thyroidectomy reversed the prolonged coma and TS, but left residual flaccid quadriplegia. The patient eventually died. CONCLUSION: This patient presented with multiple rare causes of TS (computed tomography contrast and Graves disease in the setting of high-volume thyroid cancer) and a rare manifestation of TS (coma). The TS included fever, tachycardia, and rapid onset of prolonged coma in the setting of thyrotoxicosis. Precipitants of the TS may have included enlarged thyroid tissue from goiter, distant metastasis, the operation, computed tomography contrast exposure, and high levels of thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin. Multifaceted treatments, most importantly therapeutic plasma exchange, resolved the coma and TS, but the patient still succumbed to comorbidity. We agree with the Japan Thyroid Association recommendation for therapeutic plasma exchange in patients with TS, especially those in a coma who do not awaken within 24 to 48 hours of starting conventional TS treatment.
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OBJECTIVES: To estimate the occurrence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its risk factors in a rural Indian population using screening questionnaire and Level III sleep study. To determine the feasibility to train community health workers to administer Level III sleep study in the high-risk population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted from seven villages with adult population of 2247, in Mugalur, near Bengaluru, from January to April 2014. Berlin questionnaire was used to screen 321 participants chosen by stratified random sampling. A total of 26 out of 321 patients underwent Level III sleep study at home, administered by the health workers, who were trained in three sessions to hook up the machine. Data were verified by a certified sleep physician. RESULTS: The mean age was 39.43 ± 15.6 years with the M:F ratio of 0.98:1. Prevalence of risk of OSA by Berlin questionnaire was 8.72% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.63, 11.81) in the total population, 7.4% in males and 11.7% in females. Older age (odds ratio [OR] 3.97; CI 1.63, 9.6), hypertension (OR 11; CI 4.3, 28.2), obesity (OR 2.35; CI 1, 5.5), and higher Mallampati score (OR 3.78; CI 1.7, 8.4) were significantly associated with high risk of OSA (P = 0.0001-0.04). Twenty-six patients underwent Level III sleep study and OSA was diagnosed in 12 patients. The mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of this group was 9.7/h. The prevalence of OSA by AHI criteria was 3.74%. CONCLUSIONS: OSA is underdiagnosed in rural populations, although risk factors are present. Training community health workers to administer Level III sleep study is a feasible and cost-effective strategy.
