Socioeconomic Disparity and Risk Factors of Non-communicable Diseases: Analysis of Longitudinal Ageing Study in India using a Decomposition Approach.

INTRODUCTION: Many countries prioritize health-related research and policy around socioeconomic inequality. In India, data on socioeconomic disparity and risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are limited. The study provides empirical information on socioeconomic disparities in NCD risk factors in India as part of a preventative and policy initiative. METHODS: The study used nationally representative data from wave 1 of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India which adopted a multistage random sampling design. To achieve the objectives of the study, binary logistic regression was used to demonstrate the association between socioeconomic status and NCD risk factors, and further analysis was conducted employing the decomposition method approach using STATA 14 software to assess socioeconomic disparity. RESULTS: Concentration Indices (CIs) revealed that overweight/obesity (CI = 0.157) was more prevalent among the nonpoor, whereas smoking (CI = -0.067) and alcohol consumption (CI = -0.014) were more prevalent among the poor. Wealth status was identified as the primary contributor to socioeconomic inequality for all of the risk factors of NCDs. Education was also the leading cause of socioeconomic inequality with respect to alcohol, smoking, high blood pressure, and obesity. CONCLUSION: Identifying the specific needs of impoverished and nonpoor populations is necessary for addressing NCD risk factors and inequalities. It is essential to implement interventions that address the underlying social determinants of health and promote health equality to reduce the burden of NCDs and enhance health outcomes for all.

Incidence of acute kidney injury and assessment of its associated risk factors in patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolisation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of acute kidney injury in intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing trans-arterial chemoembolisation, and to analyse various causative factors. METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted at the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Memorial Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan,, and comprised data from January 2012 to December 2015 of adult patients of either gender with intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma and undergoing trans-arterial chemoembolisation with Child-Pugh score A. Outcomes were measured in the form of development of acute kidney injury, and its causative factors. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. RESULTS: Of the 133 patients, 90(67.6%) were male. The overall mean age of the sample was 59±8.4 years (range: 26-86 years). Of these, 19(14%) developed acute kidney injury. Higher alpha-fetoprotein levels and lower albumin levels were found to be the significant causative factors (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of trans-arterial chemoembolisation-related acute kidney injury was 14%. Higher baseline alpha-fetoprotein and lower baseline albumin levels were found to be the significant risk factors.