Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an important cause of preventable blindness in the world. In India also as more and more premature babies are being saved the incidence is on the rise. Aim of this study is to know the incidence, prevalence and risk factors of ROP in preterm babies with birth weight < 1750 gms and /or gestational age < 35 weeks in a teaching hospital. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted at Amala Institute of Medical Sciences from August 2016 to July 2018. All preterm babies < 1750 gms and/ or gestational age < 35 weeks and babies > 35 weeks and > 1750 gms with significant risk factors were screened for ROP. Results: Out of 202 babies, 180 babies fulfilled the criteria and completed the study. 12 babies did not meet the follow up criteria and 10 babies died before screening in the hospital. Out of 180 babies, 12 babies were found to have ROP with a prevalence rate of 6.7%.Conclusion: ROP is an important cause of preventable blindness in these vulnerable babies. Timely diagnosis and intervention will help to prevent the same.
Background: Jaundice is a very common problem in newborns. Though measuring serum bilirubin is considered the gold standard method for estimating jaundice, Transcutaneous Bilirubin (TCB) measurement by TCB meter is now used in various centers. The accuracy of TCB meter is affected by many factors, skin colour being one of them. Aim: To analyze the accuracy of TCB meter in comparison to serum bilirubin for assessing jaundice in babies with different skin colours, in a tertiary care centre in South India. Methods: The study was performed in 200 babies in a medical college, in South India over a period of five months from august 2016 to December 2016. Term babies upto 7 th post natal day without any complications were analyzed. Babies were categorized based on their skin colour into 6 groups using the Fitz Patrick's colour scale. Jaundice was quantified in these babies by TCB meter and by measuring serum bilirubin at the same time and the values were compared. Results: Out of 200 babies, 6 babies were in group 2, 100 in group 3, 83 in group 4 and 11 in group 5. Though the Pearson correlation was linear in all the groups, it was lesser in the dark skinned babies. So we concluded that assessment of jaundice by TCB meter is not accurate in dark skinned babies. Hence serum bilirubin must be done in these babies before intervention. Conclusion: TCB is not accurate in assessing jaundice in dark skinned babies. Still it can be used as a valid screening tool.
Background: Asthma is a chronic and potentially seriousconditionwith most children developingit at an early age. Every decade globally the prevalenceis increasing by 50%. Long term management focuses on preventingacute exacerbations, emergency attendances, hospitalizations, morbidity and mortality. Control of asthma is achieved by long term inhalers and bypreventing therisk factors.Various risk factors influence the variation in prevalenceand the long term outcome.Socioeconomic status(SES) is considered a major risk factor and is linked to various health outcomes especially in chronic diseases.Aim: To study the effect of SES on long term management of childhoodasthma.Subjects and Methods: 500 parents of children attending the asthma outpatient clinic in a medical college were interviewed.Results: Based on the Revised Kuppuswamy’s SES scale it was noted that 1.4% were upper class,33.6% upper middle,47%lower middle, 18%lower class. Our data revealed that parents from lower SES are unaware of diagnosis (0%), are reluctant to accept diagnosis (26.6%), reluctant to start inhalers (84.4%) in comparison to upper and middle classes.Conclusion: Failure to diagnose asthma, lack of awareness of disease, poor understanding of the chronicity, and failure to initiate early inhaler therapy and poor adherence to inhalers was significantly noted in children from low socioeconomic background and this can adversely affect the long term outcome.
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