Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Glaucoma Presenting to Bharatpur Eye Hospital: An Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Glaucoma will affect 79.6 million individuals by 2020, according to projections. Improved glaucoma screening and treatment approaches are urgently needed. The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical characteristics of glaucoma patients who visit Bharatpur Eye Hospital and aims to calculate the number of new diagnoses of glaucoma from 01 February 2020 to 15 March 2020. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a hospital-based, cross-section study. All patients with a diagnosis of glaucoma were invited to participate. The examination findings, diagnosis, and management were all documented. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect patient knowledge and understanding of glaucoma. RESULTS: Among 127 patients 52.8% were newly diagnosed with glaucoma. Many patients (59.8%) were symptomatic for more than 6 months. The mean presenting intraocular pressure was 20.86 mm Hg with an SD of 11.55 mm Hg. Only 44.9% of the participants had heard about glaucoma. Many participants (65.4%) did not have knowledge of glaucoma. Among 127 participants 9.4% had a family history of glaucoma. CONCLUSION: Glaucoma is a significant burden that presents challenges to ophthalmic services in Chitwan. Many people have a poor understanding of their condition and have limited access to services. There is a need to build a treatment infrastructure and raise public awareness.

Association of processed food, synergistic effect of alcohol and HBV with Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a high incidence region of India.

BACKGROUND: Dietary factors, tobacco, and alcohol use have been identified as important factors of rising various cancer incidence in several northeastern states of India. However, little is known about the factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in this region. The aim of the paper was to identify the factors associated with HCC in the northeast region. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, two northeastern states of India, including 104 histologically-confirmed cases of HCC and same number (104) of age and sex matched control enrolled. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with HCC. RESULTS: A statistically significant association was demonstrated between HCC and alcohol consumption, consumption of 'Sai-mod' (OR 2.77, CI 1.57-4.87) a homemade alcohol beverage, and with HBV (OR 7.97, CI 3.36-18.94). Positive synergism index (S = 3.04) was observed between HBV and alcohol consumption to risk of HCC. Higher intake of processed meat (OR 2.56, CI 1.09-6.03) and processed fish (OR 2.24, CI 1.02-4.95) were found associated with increased risk of HCC; and decreased risk of HCC with fresh fish, fruits, and milk. CONCLUSIONS: Strong relationship between different dietary factors, alcohol beverage with HCC suggests that control on dietary and drinking habit will be an important strategy to combat HCC in this region. Risk factors identified in this study will help to plan more effectively targeted risk reduction strategies and programs in this region.