and inappropriate intake of calorie-rich easily available junk food has made the environment conducive to the development of obesity even in childhood. [3] The WHO classified obesity as follows: BMI of 18-24.9 kg/m 2 is considered normal weight, a BMI of 25.0-29.9 kg/m 2 is considered overweight, and a BMI of 30 kg/m 2 or higher is considered obesity. [1] Obesity is often associated with many health consequences such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, ischemic heart diseases, obstructive sleep apnea, stroke, premature death, osteoporosis, and a reduction of the overall quality of life. [4] Obesity can cause various deleterious effects to respiratory functions, such as alterations in the respiratory mechanics, decrease in respiratory muscle strength and endurance, decrease in pulmonary gas exchange, lower control of breathing, and limitations in pulmonary function tests. [5] The pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are the battery of tests that are used to assess the physiological respiratory efficiency of an individual. [6] The factors that usually affect the values of pulmonary function tests are age, gender, height, weight, race or ethnicity, Background: Obesity is considered to affect the respiratory functions. Objective: To evaluate the effect of obesity on pulmonary functions by spirometry among healthy young women. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 60 apparently healthy young women, who were further divided into two groups according to their body mass index (BMI). The first group consisted of nonobese subjects with a BMI of 18 to 24.9 kg/m 2 , and the second group consisted of obese subjects with a BMI of 30 kg/m 2 and above. All the subjects underwent spirometry tests of the following variables such as the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), and forced midexpiratory flow (FEF 25%-75%). Results: After analyzing the data and comparing by independent sample t test, we did not observe significant differences in FEV1, FVC, and FEF 25%-75% between the obese and nonobese subjects. However, there was a significant difference in FVC/FEV 1 ratio and PEFR between the two groups (p = 0.036 and p = 0.048, respectively). Conclusion: Obesity has an impact on respiratory functions even in younger age group; therefore, they should be safeguarded against the hazards of obesity by taking corrective steps through our health programs.
Alcohol consumption is on the rise in developing countries like India. Alcohol enters the blood stream and gets distributed throughout the body and exerts its effects on several organ systems of the body. 100 male subjects were included in the study out of which 50 were grouped as controls who did not consume alcohol and 50 were cases who ingested alcohol. Examination was done to measure blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, visual acuity and intraocular pressure. Alcohol has a negative impact on the eye leading to a decrease in the visual performance and interference in daily tasks by decreasing the visual acuity and decreasing the intraocular pressure. It also exerts general effects on the body causing hypertension and dyspnea.
Background: Smoking is a common habit prevalent in both urban and rural areas of India. Cigarette smoking has extensive effects on respiratory function and is clearly implicated in the etiology of a number of respiratory diseases, particularly chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial carcinoma. An attempt has been made to study the pulmonary function tests among the smoking and non-smoking population in the urban area of Secunderabad, Telangana, South India. Objective: The primary objective of this research was to study the influence of smoking on pulmonary functions. Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Duration: One year i.e. from November 2014 to October 2015. Setting: Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad, Telangana, South India. Participants: 80 patients attending the Medicine Out Patient Department, Gandhi Hospital. Methods: The study subjects were classified as smokers or non-smokers based on WHO suggested classification criteria. After recording detailed history, smoking index was calculated for smokers to evaluate dose-duration response relationship. Spirometry was performed to assess the pulmonary function of the subjects. The results are given as Mean ± Standard deviation and Standard error values. Comparison performed using student’s t-test for 2 groups. The P value of 0.05 or less was considered significant. Results: 57.5% of smokers were light smokers, 27.5% were moderate and 15% heavy smokers. FVC was significantly lower in smokers compared with non-smokers(p<0.05), Also this decrease was significantly higher as the no. of cigarettes smoked per day increased(p<0.05). FEF25-75% was also found to be significantly reduced in smokers compared with non-smokers. PEFR was significantly reduced in smokers and even this parameter showed a comparable fall(p<0.05) with intensity and duration of smoking. FEV1 also showed a significant decrease in smokers especially those with greater duration and amount of smoking (p<0.05). FEV1/FVC ratio showed a significant fall in smokers compared with non-smokers(p<0.05), but this fall was not so significant as the no. of cigarettes smoked per day increased(p>0.05), however like other indices FEV1/FVC showed a significant decrease(p<0.05) as the duration of smoking increased. Conclusion: It may be concluded that smoking causes definite pulmonary function impairments, especially the obstructive type. Keywords: Lung Volumes, Lung Capacities, Comparision, Smokers, Non-Smokers.
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