A randomized comparative study of preoperative fentanyl and dexmedetomidine nebulization on the hemodynamic response to endotracheal intubation

Background: Intense sympathetic activity is linked to laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation, which could lead to intraoperative problems. We undertook this study to compare the effects of preoperative nebulized Fentanyl and Dexmedetomidine on hemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation, taking advantage of their high bioavailability and better absorption through nasal mucosa. Aim and Objectives: The objectives of the study were (i) to compare the effect of preoperative nebulization on the hemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation; and (ii) to assess intraoperative requirement of anesthetic agents. Materials and Methods: This prospective, randomized, and comparative study was conducted among 100 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I, II patients (of either gender) undergoing elective surgeries and requiring tracheal intubation, were randomized in two groups. Group A was given Fentanyl Nebulization (2 ?g/kg in 4 ml of 0.9% saline) and Group B was given Dexmedetomidine nebulization (1 ?g/kg in 4 ml of 0.9% saline) 10 min before anesthesia induction. Hemodynamic parameters were noted before and immediately after induction, 1 min, 5 min and 10 min after intubation. The main goal was to assess how Fentanyl and dexmedetomidine nebulization affect the laryngoscopy and intubation-induced stress response. The secondary outcome was to assess the intraoperative requirement of anesthetic agents, observe adverse effects of study drug and sedation score. Results: Dexmedetomidine nebulization was found to be more effective in blunting rise in heart rate post laryngoscopy compared to Fentanyl Nebulization (P < 0.0001) as well as in MAP after 10 min of intubation (P < 0.0001). Requirement of propofol was seen to be significantly reduced in Group B compared to Group A (P < 0.05). Sedation scores were significantly higher in Group B (P < 0.05). No evidence of side effects was observed in any group. Conclusion: Nebulisation of dexmedetomidine was found to be more effective in attenuation of stress response of laryngoscopy and intubation compared to nebulisation of fentanyl, with stable intraoperative hemodynamic and no significant side effects.

Study Of Febrile Seizure In Pediatric Patients

Background:Febrile seizures are among the leading cause of pediatric emergency hospital admission and affect 2% to 5% of pediatric population1,2 and are by far the most common type of seizure in childhood.Various risk factors are said to play a role in aetiology of FS are gender, developmental delay, maternal history of smoking, family history, bacterial and viral infections, certain vaccinations and iron deficiency, low serum sodium at the time of presentation. Preventive measure to remove such risk factor could lead to lower the incidence of febrile seizure.Objective: To study occurrence of predictive risk factors like gender, age, low birth weight in children with febrile seizure. To study fever and seizure pattern in above children. To observe positive family history pertaining to febrile seizure. Material And Methods:An observational prospective study was conducted in the tertiary care hospital over a 2 year period. Children aged 6 months to 60 months diagnosed as febrile seizure and admitted at pediatric ward were included in the study. A total of 69 patients were enrolled in the study. All information was collected from parents and indoor case sheets after taking verbal consent. Data was entered in Microsoft excel and analysis was carried out using SPSS version 21. Result:Gender wise amale predominance was seen. Youngerage group isa risk factor. Majority of children (92.8%) presented with simple FS with seizure duration less than 5 minutes. Majority (82.6 %) had fever for < 24 hour prior to FS. Positive family history of FS is observed in 20.2% children. Conclusion:Identification of predictive risk factor will help clinician to educate and counsel parents regarding seizure recurrence, prophylactic use of antipyretic and measures during seizure activity.

Is There Any Correlation Between Computed Tomography (CT) Attenuation Value (Hounsfield Unit) Of Dural Venous Sinuses And Hemoglobin Level: A Prospective Observational Study

Background:In our routine practice patient were undergone CT scan of brain as well as other laboratory investigation for various traumatic brain injury and neurological complain and its management. They visit many premises for diagnosis and investigation. If we can predict the hemoglobin level from CT brain itself, we can reduce turnaround time for patient and increase throughput of patients for hospital. Keeping this in mind we had conducted this study to see the correlation between hemoglobin level and CT attenuation value of cranial Dural sinuses.Material And Methods:A prospective observational study was performed to demonstrate association between computed tomography (CT) attenuation value (Hounsfield unit (HU)) of dural venous sinuses and hemoglobin level from unenhanced CT scan of the brain. The non-contrast CT brain of total 245 patients done during October 2017 to September 2018 at medical college attached tertiary care was observed. Two measurements of HU value were taken on two adjacent slices using 10mm2 of ROI for each site, from superior sagittal sinus (SSS) and torcular herophili (TOH). The value was averaged for superior sagittal sinus, confluence of sinus and is compared with hemoglobin of patients.Result:Mean HU VALUE in SSS of females and male had 48.47 and 51.85 respectively. Mean HU VALUE in TOH of females and male had 47.46 and 50.93 respectively. Positive and significant correlation was noted between HB and SSS average, HB and TOH Average.Conclusion:Based on our result CT attenuation value (HU) value of torcular herophili and superior sagittal sinus from unenhanced CT scan of brain can be used to predict the hemoglobin level of a person. The HU value of sinus can give insight into pathology such as anemia, polycythemia or cranial sinus thrombosis.

Study Of Risk Factors Associated With Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection In Children At Tertiary Care Centre (6 Months- 60 Months)

Background:Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (LRTI) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality among children in developing countries. The present study is an attempt to understand the various risk factors associated with acute LRTI; using these observations strategies can be implemented to reduce the burden of the disease.Objectives(1) To determine association of risk factors like socio-demographic, environmental, Natal and Nutritional with acute LRTI (2) To categorize the studied risk factors as Definite, Probable and Possible factors.Material & Methodology:Study was conducted at tertiary care hospital over one year. Children of age between 6 months to 60 months admitted in pediatric wards with acute LRTI were included and those who had chronic illness were excluded. It is questioner based observational crosssectional study. Detailed history of exposure to various risk factors were taken on the basis of predesigned Proforma. Data was analyzed as per standard statistical method and significance was noted. Result:Total 241 children were enrolled and total 20 risk factors were studied; divided into sociodemographic, environmental, perinatal and nutritional headings. We found exposure to biomass fuel, passive smoking, and lack of exclusive breastfeeding, LBW and malnutrition as definitive risk factor as their association with LRTI was significant (p < 0.05). We observed and categorized other factors into possible and probable category as per the occurrence. Conclusion:We have categorized the risk factors as: Definite, Possible and Probable. Since these risk factors are potentially preventable, health policies targeted at reducing their prevalence provide a basis for decreasing the burden of LRTI in children.

A Successful Feto-Maternal Outcome In Pregnancy With Wilsons Disease: An Extremely Rare Case Report With Review Of Literature

Wilson’s disease, also known as hepato-lenticular degeneration, is one of the very rare autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism.There is impaired liver metabolism of copper thereby causing decreased biliary excretion and deposition of ceruloplasmin levels mainly in the liver, corneas of eyes and brain. Untreated Wilson’s disease has been associated with menstrual irregularities, amenorrhoea, miscarriages and infertility. Hence proper chelationwith strict antenatal surveillance will lead to a successful feto-maternal outcome.

Sinonasal NUT midline carcinoma: A new histological entity

Nuclear protein in testis (NUT) midline carcinoma is poorly differentiated carcinoma defined by rearrangement of NUT gene on 15 to other genes, usually BRD4 on 19. It is first described in 1991. These tumors are most commonly seen in the mediastinum and 35% occur in head and neck. It is a highly aggressive tumor with a median survival of 7 months because of ineffective chemotherapy and undefined treatment. Hence, we must differentiate these tumors from other poorly differentiated tumors. Here, we present a case of NUT midline carcinoma of 44-year male, who presented with headache and dizziness, confirmed by immunohistochemistry of NUT antibody. The aim of this case report is to increase the awareness about this entity in adults with brief review of relevant literature.

Diagnostic and therapeutic utility of indigenous technique of pleuroscopy in undiagnosed cases of exudative pleural effusions

Background and aims: In developing countries, there is a shortage of resources and skilled manpower and a large num-ber of patients. To overcome these problems, an indigenous technique of pleuroscopy has been developed in our institute. In this technique, medical thoracoscopy is done by using a set of patented conduits and a fibre-optic bronchoscope. In this study, we describe our experience with this technique of pleu-roscopy in undiagnosed cases of exudative pleural effusion. Methods: 156 undiagnosed cases of exudative pleural effu-sion were conducted over a period of two and half years. Indigenous technique of pleuroscopy, permitted thorough exploration of the pleural space, permitting multiple biopsies to clinch the diagnosis. Results: The appearance of pleura showed as inflamed/red-dened pleura in 29 (18.6%) cases, thin transparent adhesions in 31 (19.9%), thin transparent loculations in 26 (16.7%) , thick loculations in 12 (7.7%) , hard pleural surface in 11 (7%), large nodules/masses in 13 (8.4%), small milliary seedlings or sago grain appearance in 18 (11.5%), scattered masses or nodules in 13 (8.4%) and broncho-pleural fistula in 3 (1.9%) cases. Histopathological analysis showed chronic inflammation in 40.8% (58), Tubercular lesions in 25.4 % (36) of patients. There were three cases each of Primary Aspergillosis and malig-nant mesothelioma, and the rest 26.9% (42) were malignant metastasis in the pleura. The diagnostic yield of pleuroscopy pleural biopsy was 91% (142). Follow-up chest x-rays after six months showed significant reduction in residual pleural thickening (RPT).Conclusion: TheIndigenous Pleuroscopy technique is an efficient procedure and has good diagnostic and therapeutic yield for undiagnosed exudative pleural effusions. It also reduces morbidity, complications, disease progression, and has a significant role in reduction of RPT

A study of Anti Nuclear Antibody (ANA) in collagen vascular diseases

Background: The diagnosis of collagen vascular disease is based on clinical, serological and histological findings. The classical ANA indirect immunofluorescence assay is the most efficient screening test for LE. Aim and objectives: To study ANA profile in various collagen vascular diseases. Materials and methods: A study was conducted in 170 clinically confirmed cases of collagen vascular diseases during 2010-2012. A thorough clinical examination was carried out and baseline investigations were done. All the patients were subjected to complete ANA profile. Patients were followed up regularly in department of dermatology. Results: Majority of the patients (55%) in our study were those of lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis (30%). The study revealed that 92% patients of SLE, 90% of MCTD, 85% of systemic sclerosis and 50% each of dermatomyositis and overlap syndromes showed ANA positivity. 77.14% and 42.85% patients of SLE showed anti Ds DNA and anti Ro 52 positivity respectively. Anti scl 70 positivity was seen in 75% patients of systemic sclerosis. All patients of MCTD tested positive anti u1 RNP. Conclusion: ANA profile correlated very well with clinical manifestations in majority of patients in this study.

Atypical carcinoid of the esophagus.

Occurrence of carcinoid tumors in the esophagus is exceedingly rare. We present a case of an atypical carcinoid in the mid esophagus in a 56-year-old male, presenting with dysphagia. Esophagectomy was performed followed by postoperative chemotherapy. Histopathological and immunohistochemical studies were carried out. The patient succumbed to liver and lung metastasis, 6 months after the initial diagnosis, highlighting the poor prognosis of the condition.

Comparison of Single Layer Versus Double Layer Continuous Anastomotic Technique for Small Bowel Resection and Anastomosis.

Small intestinal resection and anastomosis is an important surgical procedure. Aims and Objectives : To study efficacy and safety of single layer intestinal anastomosis using non absorbable suture material against conventional double layer anastomosis. Single layer anastomosis will decrease surgery time and minimize incorporation of foreign body [sutures]. Materials and Methods : Present study carried out in Pravara rural hospital, Loni. It is a prospective study of 50 patients who underwent elective and emergency resection and anastomosis of small intestine from May 2004 to Oct 2006. Observations : Majority of patients were in the age group of 40-50 yrs and children. Intestinal obstruction with gangrene was the most common indication for anastomosis. Significant difference was found in recovery and complications between two methods after applying Z-test. Discussion : Forty seven patients required resection and anastomosis and 3 patients operated for ileostomy closure. Single layer anastomosis has superior results as compared to double layer anastomosis of small intestine. Conclusion : Arithmetical means of these endpoints suggest that single layer method offers same or better results than double layer method.

Effect of clonidine addition to hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine for spinal anaesthesia in lower limb surgery [a comparative study].

Background: The use of subarachnoid block has become an established and reliable method of providing anaesthesia for lower abdominal and lower limb surgery. Regional anaesthesia is generally well tolerated by all patients, producing less postoperative confusion and delirium than general anesthesia. It is also associated with lesser incidence of post-operative thromboembolism. However subarachnoid block has got its own inherent complications, especially related to cardiovascular stability.Aim: to compare the haemodynamic ,sensory and motor effects of a low dose bupivacaine – clonidine spinal anesthesia versus conventional dose of bupivacaine in patients undergoing lower limb surgery.Method: Prospective, randomized double blind study was undertaken in 60 selected patients posted for lower limb surgeries. Data were collected for duration and onset of motor and sensory effects, haemodynamic changes and side effects of study drugs and they were statistically analyzed.Results: We found in our study that time of onset of adequate level of sensory block (T10) was significantly longer for group B which contains 30μ gm of clonidine (126±14) than group A (95±10). The total duration of sensory block for Group A was 227.6±9.8 mins while Group B had 351.9± 17.5 mins and motor block for group A was 162.5±7.51 mins while in group B had 274.8±14.4 mins. Conclusion: Clonidine when combined with low dose bupivacaine has prolonged the duration of motor and sensory blockage and incidence of intra operative pain with maintaining haemodynamic stability.

Effect of ozone on response to ovalbumin & its modulation by vitamins C & E in sensitized guinea pigs.

Background & objectives: Exposure to ozone and asthma are both associated with increased oxidative stress. Exposure to ozone therefore, may potentiate the airway response to allergens. We undertook this study to investigate the effect of ozone exposure on airway response to ovalbumin in sensitized guinea pigs and its modulation by dietary supplementation with antioxidant vitamins C and E. Methods: After in vivo measurements of specific airways conductance (SGaw) and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to inhaled histamine, guinea pigs were sensitized to ovalbumin and divided into three groups: (i) sensitized; (ii) sensitized and exposed daily to ozone; and (iii) sensitized, exposed daily to ozone and given dietary supplementation with vitamin C, 2 mg/kg body wt and E, 7 IU/kg body wt. A control group of nonsensitized animals was included. After 4 wk, AHR was measured again and animals were challenged with inhaled ovalbumin. Changes in SGaw were followed for early and late airway bronchoconstrictive responses. The following measurements were obtained: (i) parameters of oxidative stress - plasma malonaldehyde (MDA) as marker of lipid peroxidation and superoxide anion generation by leukocytes and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells; (ii) antioxidant status: red cell superoxide dismutase (SOD); and (iii) glutathione peroxidase (GPx). BAL cytology was studied. Results: Ozone exposure resulted in an increase in AHR and early and late bronchoconstrictive responses after ovalbumin challenge, greater superoxide anion generation in BAL cells, higher plasma MDA levels and decrease in red cell SOD activity. Dietary supplementation with vitamin C and E prevented or ameliorated these responses. Interpretation & conclusions: Exposure to ozone at concentrations of 0.12 ppm for 2 h daily for 4 wk enhances the airway response to allergens in sensitized guinea pigs. Dietary supplementation with antioxidant vitamins E and C, affords variable degree of protection against this enhancement.

Economic Evaluation of Different Initial Treatments for Primary Open Angle Glaucoma: A Markov Model

PURPOSE: To perform an economic evaluation of the different treatment methods available for primary open-angle glaucoma in a Korean setting, including medication, selective laser trabeculoplasty, or surgery. METHODS: Three independent Markov chains were constructed for each treatment option to simulate treatment progress and to evaluate the total treatment costs for each initial strategy. The Markov chain consisted of different stages (5, 10, 20 stages), with each stage being one year. Assuming 1000 patients, a Monte Carlo simulation was iterated 1000 times to evaluate the cost of treatment over 5, 10 and 20 years. RESULTS: During the initial five years, medication as the initial treatment was the most expensive, whereas laser trabeculoplasty was the cheapest. After ten years, surgery became the cheapest treatment. In ten years, if the success rate of surgery is greater than 30.1%, it was more economic to choose surgery as the initial treatment. For laser trabeculoplasty, if the success rate was greater than 16.3%, laser treatment was more economical than was medication. Our model shows that only if the annual cost of medication decreases to 60,000 won or 55,000 won, then the cost of choosing medication as the initial treatment strategy will be more economical than that of laser therapy or surgery, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The economic value of choosing laser therapy as the initial treatment strategy is the greatest over five simulated-years, whereas surgery had the greatest economic value over more than ten years.

Epidemiology of group a streptococcal pharyngitis & impetigo: A cross-sectional & follow up study in a rural community of northern India.

Background & objectives: Group A streptococcus (GAS) causes a wide array of human diseases. Epidemiological picture of streptococcal infection in India is not complete. Hence, disease burden due to GAS in 5-15 yr old school children in northern India was studied and emm typing of GAS isolates was carried out to help in designing prevention strategies. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 4249 school children (5-15 yr) from Raipur Rani Block of Panchkula district in Haryana during 2000-2002; 334 children were followed up fortnightly for one year. Standard clinical and microbiological procedures were used for collection of swabs from throat and skin and confirmation of GAS and its emm types. Results: Of the 4249 children studied, 658 (15.5%) had pharyngitis; 579 of them could be swabbed, of which 2.8 per cent had GAS. From 3591 children without pharyngitis, 3385 who could be swabbed, GAS was found in 1.3 per cent of them. Impetigo was rare (0.7%), but 7.1 per cent (2/28) children had GAS. In the followup study, 17.4 per cent (776/4447 child-contacts) had pharyngitis, 761 could be swabbed and 2.4 per cent had GAS; among those without pharyngitis, 2016 swabs could be taken and GAS was found in 1.3 per cent; whereas only 2.6 per cent (2/75) of skin sores had GAS. Three children had GAS pharyngitis twice during follow up. Fourteen different GAS emm types were found. emm 71, 77 and 81 constituted 69 per cent of the pharyngeal isolates. GAS pharyngitis and impetigo were more common in winters and summers respectively. Interpretation & conclusions: In north India, pharyngitis was more common than impetigo. Most prevalent emm types of GAS in this region differ from those included in M protein-based vaccines.

Prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable disease in a rural area of Faridabad district of Haryana.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence and levels of common risk factors for noncommunicable disease in a rural population of Haryana. METHODS: The study involved a survey of 1359 male and 1469 female respondents, aged 15-64 years. Multistage sampling was used for recruitment (PHCs/sub-centres/villages). All households in the selected villages were covered, with one male and one female interviewed in alternate household. WHO STEP-wise tool was used as the study instrument which included behavioural risk factor questionnaire and physical measurements of height, weight, waist circumference and blood pressure. The age adjusting was done using rural Faridabad data from Census 2001. RESULTS: The age adjusted prevalence of daily smoked tobacco was 41% for men and 13% for women. Daily smokeless tobacco use was 7.1% and 1.2% for men and women respectively. The prevalence of current alcohol consumption was 24.6% among men and none of the women reported consuming alcohol. The mean number of servings of fruits and vegetables per day was 3.7 for men and 2.7 for women. The percentage of people undertaking at least 150 minutes of physical activity in a week was 77.8% for men and 54.5% for women. Among men 9.0% had BMI > or = 25.0 compared to 15.2% among women. The prevalence of measured hypertension, i.e. > or = 140 SBP and/or > or = 90 DBP or on antihypertensive drugs was 10.7% among men and 7.9% among women. CONCLUSION: The study showed a high burden of tobacco use and alcohol use among men, inactivity and overweight among women and low fruit and vegetable consumption among both sexes in rural areas.

Epidemiology of type 2 diabetes: Indian scenario.

India leads the world with largest number of diabetic subjects earning the dubious distinction of being termed the "diabetes capital of the world". According to the Diabetes Atlas 2006 published by the International Diabetes Federation, the number of people with diabetes in India currently around 40.9 million is expected to rise to 69.9 million by 2025 unless urgent preventive steps are taken. The so called "Asian Indian Phenotype" refers to certain unique clinical and biochemical abnormalities in Indians which include increased insulin resistance, greater abdominal adiposity i.e., higher waist circumference despite lower body mass index, lower adiponectin and higher high sensitive C-reactive protein levels. This phenotype makes Asian Indians more prone to diabetes and premature coronary artery disease. At least a part of this is due to genetic factors. However, the primary driver of the epidemic of diabetes is the rapid epidemiological transition associated with changes in dietary patterns and decreased physical activity as evident from the higher prevalence of diabetes in the urban population. Even though the prevalence of microvascular complications of diabetes like retinopathy and nephropathy are comparatively lower in Indians, the prevalence of premature coronary artery disease is much higher in Indians compared to other ethnic groups. The most disturbing trend is the shift in age of onset of diabetes to a younger age in the recent years. This could have long lasting adverse effects on nation's health and economy. Early identification of at-risk individuals using simple screening tools like the Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) and appropriate lifestyle intervention would greatly help in preventing or postponing the onset of diabetes and thus reducing the burden on the community and the nation as a whole.

Study of health problems and nutritional status of tea garden population of Assam.

BACKGROUND: Assam is the highest tea producer state in the country. There is scarcity of reliable information on health and nutritional status among tea garden population of Assam to enable initiating public health response to their health needs. AIMS: To describe health problems and nutritional status among tea garden population of Assam. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Community-based cross-sectional survey in eight randomly selected tea gardens of Dibrugarh district of Assam. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of participants were recorded. Health problems and nutritional status were assessed through medical examination, evaluation of medical records, anthropometry and laboratory investigations. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Percentage prevalence; Chi-square test was applied wherever applicable. RESULTS: Out of 4,016 participants, 1,863 were male and 2,153 were female. They were mostly illiterate and nearly 52.9% (1,197 of 2,264) of adults were manual workers in the garden. Alcohol and oral tobacco use were common. Prevalence of underweight among children was 59.9% (357 of 596) and thinness among adults was 69.9% (1,213 of 1,735). Anemia was widespread. Worm infection (65.4%, 217 of 332); skin problems; respiratory infections, including tuberculosis; filariasis were present in a significant way. Children suffered more in various diseases. Major noncommunicable diseases like hypertension, stroke were emerging in the community and were associated with modifiable risk factors like alcohol and tobacco use. CONCLUSION: Health status of the population can be ameliorated through better hygienic practices, environmental sanitation, creating health awareness, nutritional intervention and overall improvement of socioeconomic conditions of the population.

Subjective global assessment of nutritional status of patients with chronic renal insufficiency and end stage renal disease on dialysis.

OBJECTIVES: (1)To assess the nutritional status of chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) and dialysis patients using the subjective global assessment (SGA) method. (2) To validate SGA in assessing the nutritional status of this group of patients. PARTICIPANTS: The nutritional status of 81 patients was evaluated using dietary recall, anthropometry, biochemical parameters and SGA. There were 51 males and 30 females. Their mean +/- SD age was 53.8 +/- 14.3 years. There were 27 patients with (CRI) on conservative management, 38 patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) on maintenance hemodialysis (HD) and 16 patients with ESRD on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). METHODS: SGA was done using seven variables derived from medical history and physical examination. Each variable was scored from 1-7 depending on the severity. The SGA scores were correlated with the standard methods. RESULTS: Thirteen (48%) patients with CRI, 22 (58%) patients on HD and 8 (50%) patients on CAPD were malnourished. It was seen that the dietary protein & calorie intake and serum albumin level did not correlate well with the SGA scores. The anthropometric measures correlated with the SGA scores (Skinfolds and SGA r = 0.2, MAC and SGA r = 0.5 and MAMC and SGA r = 0.5). CONCLUSION: Malnutrition is an important complication in CRI patients and ESRD patients on dialysis. SGA is a reliable method of assessing nutritional status. Most important is the fact that it can detect the changing trend of nutritional status, which may be missed by one-time anthropometry and biochemical methods.

Household environmental tobacco smoke exposure, respiratory symptoms and asthma in non-smoker adults: a multicentric population study from India.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a risk factor for childhood asthma. Its association with asthma in adults is less clear. METHODS: In a multicentric population study on asthma prevalence in adults, specific enquiries were made into childhood and adulthood exposure to household ETS, and its relationship with asthma diagnosis were analysed. RESULTS: From a total of 73605 respondents, 62109 were studied after excluding current or past smokers. Overall observed prevalence of asthma was 2.0% (men 1.5%,women 2.5%, p < 0.001). Of all asthma patients, history of ETS exposure was available in 48.6 percent. Prevalence of asthma in the ETS exposed subjects was higher compared to non-exposed individuals (2.2% vs 1.9%, p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed a higher risk of having asthma in persons who were exposed to ETS compared to those not exposed (odds ratio [OR] 1.22, 95% CI 1.08-1.38) after adjusting for age, gender, usual residence, exposure to biomass fuels and atopy. Stratification of ETS exposure revealed that exposure during childhood and both during childhood and adulthood were significantly associated with asthma prevalence. Exposure only in adulthood was not a significant risk factor (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.95-1.33). Persons reporting combined environmental tobacco smoke exposure from parents during childhood and spouse during adulthood had highest risk of having asthma (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.38-2.07). Environmental tobacco smoke exposure was also significantly associated with prevalence of respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, cough and breathlessness. CONCLUSIONS: Environmental tobacco smoke exposure during childhood is an important risk factor for asthma and respiratory symptoms in non-smoking adults.

Tobacco smoking in India: prevalence, quit-rates and respiratory morbidity.

BACKGROUND: Population prevalence of tobacco smoking especially with reference to detailed habits such as the amount smoked, the smoking forms, quit-rates and relationship with demographic variables were studied at four different centres in India along with the study on epidemiology of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: The study population included adults of over 15 years of age selected with two-stage stratified random sample design. A specifically designed questionnaire was used for the study. RESULTS: There were 11496 (15.6%) ever smokers in the study sample of 73605 subjects. Among 37682 males, 10756 (28.5%) were ever smokers and among 35923 females, 740 (2.1%) were ever smokers. Bidi was the commonest form of smoking, more so in the rural areas. The mean number of cigarettes/bidis smoked per day was 14 (+/- 11.5) and the mean age of starting smoking was 20.5 (+/- 20.0) years. Increasing age, low socio-economic status and rural residence were important factors associated with smoking. Vigorous anti-tobacco measures under the tobacco control programmes yielded only a quit-rate of 10 percent. Nearly 14% of ever smokers had some respiratory symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of population in India has current or past smoking habit with higher prevalence among males than females. The quit-rates have been low in spite of the various anti-tobacco measures. There is a significant respiratory morbidity associated with smoking.