Age Group In India Research Articles

Antibiotic prescribing pattern among paediatric patients attending tertiary care hospital in South India

Background: The usage of antibiotics among paediatric age group in India is on the higher side, that more than 60% of children in the age group 0 to 4 years received antibiotics. The higher use of antibiotics results in antibiotic resistance, increased health care costs, adverse drug reaction and may complicate the treatment of infections in future. There is a continuous need to monitor the prescription of antibiotics at all health care levels to prevent antibiotic resistance.Methods: A prospective and descriptive study was conducted in one of the pharmacies which dispenses the paediatric prescriptions in a tertiary hospital. The prescriptions used to treat infection were collected and analysed. A total of 500 prescriptions were collected and analysed.Results: The prescriptions were analysed for the WHO prescribing indicators. The average number of drugs per prescription is 1.84 with 21% of the prescriptions containing antibiotics. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were penicillin like amoxycillin, phenoxymethyl penicillin followed by cotrimoxazole and cephalosporin group of antibiotics. The antibiotics prescribed belonged to the access group of antibiotics. The percentage of the prescriptions with drugs form essential drugs list and prescribed with generic name is 65.8% and 67% respectively. There were no injections prescribed.Conclusions: The antibiotic prescribing pattern and the average drugs per prescription falls with the WHO range indicating reduced use of antibiotics and absence of polypharmacy. However, the prescription of generic drugs and the drugs from the essential drug list is less.

SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in India: epidemiological features and in silico analysis of the effect of interventions

Background: After SARS-CoV-2 set foot in India, the Government took a number of steps to limit the spread of the virus in the country. This included restricted testing, isolation, contact tracing and quarantine, and enforcement of a nation-wide lockdown starting 25 March 2020. The objectives of this study were to i) describe the age, gender distribution, and mortality among COVID-19 patients identified till 14 April 2020 and predict the range of contact rate; and ii) predict the number of COVID-19 infections after 40 days of lockdown. Methods: We used a cross-sectional descriptive design for the first objective and a susceptible-infected-removed model for in silico predictions. We collected data from government-controlled and crowdsourced websites. Results: Studying age and gender parameters of 1161 Indian COVID-19 patients, the median age was 38 years (IQR, 27-52) with 20-39 year-old males being the most affected group. The number of affected patients were 854 (73.6%) men and 307 (26.4%) women. If the current contact rate continues (0.25-27), India may have 110460 to 220575 infected persons at the end of 40 days lockdown. Conclusion: The disease is majorly affecting a younger age group in India. Interventions have been helpful in preventing the worst-case scenario in India but will be unable to prevent the spike in the number of cases.

SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in India: epidemiological features and in silico analysis of the effect of interventions

Background: After SARS-CoV-2 set foot in India, the Government took a number of steps to limit the spread of the virus in the country. This included restricted testing, isolation, contact tracing and quarantine, and enforcement of a nation-wide lockdown starting 25 March 2020. The objectives of this study were to i) describe the age,gender distribution and mortality among COVID-19 patients identified till 14 April 2020 and predict the range of contact rate; and ii) predict the number of active COVID-19 patients after 40 days of lockdown. Methods: We used a cross-sectional descriptive design for first objective and a susceptible-infected-removed model for in silico predictions. We collected data from government-controlled and crowdsourced websites. Results: Studying age and gender parameters of 1161 Indian COVID-19 patients, the median age was 38 years (IQR, 27-52) with 20-39 year-old males being the most affected group. The number of affected patients were 854 (73.6%) men and 307 (26.4%) women. If the current contact rate continues (0.25-27), India may have 110460 to 220575 infected persons at the end of 40 days lockdown. Conclusion: The disease is majorly affecting a younger age group in India. Interventions have been helpful in preventing the worst-case scenario in India, but will be unable to prevent the spike in number of cases.

Female Foeticide and Gender Inequality in India: Issue of Attention

In spite of a high rate of growth and ample government initiatives to maintain equality in case of gender, the gap between genders still exist in India. In India, based on their sex, gender variation is usually prescribed as the injustice or discrimination against women. Gender inequality limits women’s participation in various fields and it also hampers the life of the future generation also. Women are confronted with many hurdles in everywhere. Female foeticide is one of the worst types of discrimination against females where a female is refused her most essential and fundamental right, i.e. the right to live life. In India, female foeticide means outside of valid law, the abortion of a female foetus. In India, the recurrence of female foeticide is expanding day by day. In present day, it seems that the sex determination test leading to the practice of female foeticide overlooked and uncomplicated than before. Since ancient days, killing of female foetus is an extraordinary feature under the rule of patriarchy in Indian society. According to census report, the child sex ratio has decreased from 945 girls (0-6 years) per 1000 boys (0-6 years) in 1991 it is 927 girls per 1000 boys in 2001 to 919 girls per 1000 boys in 2011. The picture of female foeticide in North-East India is quite good as compared to the other states of India. As per the census 2011, Arunachal Pradesh has the highest child ratio among the Indian states i.e. 972 while Haryana has the lowest child sex ratio i.e. 834 per thousand males. According to decennial Indian census, the sex ratio in the 0 to 6 age group in India has risen from 102.4 males per 100 females in 1961, to 104.2 in 1980, to 107.5 in 2001, to 108.9 in 2011. On this background, here, an attempt has been made to examine the issue of female foeticide as an indicator of gender inequality in India. This paper is mostly descriptive in nature entirely based on secondary data.

Injury pattern and outcome of assault victims: An emergency department perspective

Background: Violence-related injuries top the list as a cause of mortality in the 15–40 years' age group in India. In contrast to the West, the spectrum of assault injuries in Southeast Asian countries is different. Our main aim was to profile intentional injuries due to interpersonal violence treated in the emergency department (ED) and to describe the severity, pattern, etiology, and outcome in such patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a case-series analysis of assault victims who presented to the ED of Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, India, from January 2017 to December 2018. Data were retrieved electronically from the clinical workstation. Categorized variables were summarized using counts and percentages. Quantitative variables were summarized using mean and standard deviation (SD). Results: During the study period, a total of 381 patients with a mean age of 36.16 (SD: 13.9) years presented to the ED. Male (81.9%) predominance was noted among these victims. A majority of them, i.e., 257 (67%) victims, were assaulted by people that were known to them, of which 66 (17.3%) victims were reported as domestic violence. Blunt objects were used in most, i.e., 234 (61.4%) cases. A spike in the incidence of assault, in general, was noted in the month of September during the South Indian festival season. Approximately one-fourth (21.3%) of the victims required hospital admission. Overall, 15.74% of the victims had to undergo major surgical procedures. There were no mortalities recorded among these study participants. Conclusions: Violence and its consequences lead to severe injuries and levy a heavy burden on health care. There is an urgent need to address the social and emotional needs of adolescents and young adults who are most at risk of being the victims of assault.

School Mental Health Program: Scenario in India

Globally, 10-20% of adolescents suffer from psychiatric illness, and about half of the psychiatric illnesses have their onset before fourteen years of age. India has the largest number of children and adolescents in the world. As per the National Mental Health Survey, the prevalence of psychiatric illness was about 7.3% in adolescents aged between 13-17 years. Depression, anxiety disorders, substance use disorder, attentive deficit hyperactive disorder, conduct disorder are the common psychiatric illnesses in children and suicide is the leading cause of death in the adolescent age group in India.

Acceptability and Feasibility of an Innovative Anesthesia Technique in a Low-Resource Setting at a Rural Community Ophthalmic Center: A Prospective Journey.

Background:Ocular blindness and ocular morbidities are very much prevalent in pediatric age group in India. Mostly, these are all surgically amenable, provided they have access to safe anesthesia. Suboptimal facilities for conventional general anesthesia (GA) led to a different thought process. The combination of anesthetic and analgesic property of ketamine was utilized in a low-resource setting at a tertiary ophthalmic center for pediatric ophthalmic surgeries.Aims:The aim of this study was to decipher whether this technique is acceptable and feasible.Settings and Design:It was a prospective consecutive series at a rural eye center done over a period of 5 years.Materials and Methods:Inclusion criterion was children undergoing eye surgeries between the ages of 7 and 18 years, who could be adequately counseled about the concept of painless intravenous cannulation and subsequent painless block. Intravenous anesthesia comprised of ketamine, in conjunction with peribulbar block. Complications of the technique, time to discharge, mean pain score, and patient and surgeon satisfaction score were documented.Statistical Analysis Used:Data were analyzed on Microsoft Excel.Results:A total of 905 cases were conducted uneventfully without conversion to GA. No emergency resuscitation was required. The surgeon and the patient had a satisfying experience, with the technique being totally acceptable to them.Conclusions:Intravenous ketamine is an inexpensive and safe anesthetic technique when used in conjunction with regional block and is certainly a boon for minimal resource ophthalmic setup in rural India.

Causes and Management Outcomes of Acquired Corneal Opacity in a Preschool Age (0-5 Years) Group: A Hospital-Based Study.

To evaluate the causes and management outcomes of acquired corneal opacity in a preschool age group (0-5 years) at a tertiary care hospital. Medical records of all cases (0-5 years) with acquired corneal opacity presenting to the cornea clinic of a tertiary eye care hospital from February 2013 to January 2014 were evaluated for age of onset, age at presentation, sex, laterality, cause of opacity, visual acuity, nutritional status, and socioeconomic class of the parents. The etiology of corneal opacity and the type of intervention with outcome at 3 months follow-up were recorded. A total of 106 cases were included in the study. The most common cause of corneal scarring was healed infective keratitis (35.8%). Chemical injury, mechanical trauma, and keratomalacia were the other causes, affecting 21.8%, 20.8%, and 16% of the cases, respectively. Optical iridectomy was the most commonly performed procedure (35.8%), followed by lens aspiration with intraocular lens implantation (17.9%) and penetrating keratoplasty (17%). The mean corrected visual acuity (spectacle or contact lens) at the time of presentation and at 3 months after treatment was 2.9 ± 0.3 (perception of light) and 2.2 ± 0.9 (hand motions) logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) units, respectively. Chemical injury and keratomalacia are the major causes of acquired corneal opacity in preschool age groups in India and are associated with poor visual prognosis.

National Iron Plus Initiative: Current status & future strategy.

Anaemia is a severe public health problem amongst all vulnerable age groups in India. The National Nutritional Anaemia Prophylaxis Programme initiated in 1970, was revised and expanded to include beneficiaries from all age groups namely children aged 6-59 months, 5-10 yr, adolescents aged 10-19 yr, pregnant and lactating women and women in reproductive age group under the National Iron Plus Initiative (NIPI) programme in 2011. The dose of iron, frequency and duration of iron supplementation and roles and responsibilities of the functionaries were described. At present, the coverage of beneficiaries with iron and folic acid has been poor at the national level. The prevalence of anaemia has continued to remain high during the last 60 years, and there has been no significant change in the scenario due to various reasons. The constraints in implementation and measures to improve the NIPI programme are discussed in the current article.

A retrospective study of female breast cancer: Stage and age correlation

Background: With 1 million new cases in the world each year, breast cancer is the commonest malignancy in women and comprises 18% of all female cancers. At present carcinoma breast is the leading cancer in India and is competing cancer cervix in incidence. Epidemiological studies at regional and global levels suggest the occurrence of carcinoma breast at a younger, premenopausal age in Indian and Asian women as compared with western women. Knowledge of this factor emphasizes the need to modify the timing of modalities of detection of early carcinoma and its management. According to literature, majority of carcinoma breast cases in the western countries present in Stages I and II of the disease whereas in India majority cases present in Stage III of the disease. The objective of this study is to observe and study age correlation with female breast cancer. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 267 patients of histopathologically confirmed breast cancer. Results: Mean age of subjects was 44.34±8.55 years. Age distribution showed peaks at 41-50 years with 134patients.This study shows that 71.90% of the total patients were having advanced carcinoma breast (Stage III, IV) and 73.7% of these patients were below 50 years of age. Conclusions: Breast cancer is increasingly occurring in younger age groups in India when compared with western countries and a more aggressive nature of the disease strikes in their reproductive period suggesting the need for change in modalities of early cancer detection and adjusting preventive and therapeutic efforts.

Clinical Profile of Novel H1N1 Influenza in Children at a Tertiary Care Centre: Pune

Background: With worldwide presence, Novel influenza virus (H1N1) carries great potential for causing a pandemic,there are limited studies about clinical profile of H1N1 in paediatric age group in India hence the present study was undertaken at Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital in Pune. Methods: This was a prospective observational study, conducted during the time period from 01/03/2015 to 31/05/2016. Patients with influenza-like illness (Category B and C) aged 1 month to 16 yrs were included. Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data was collected. For each patient one nasal and one throat swab was collected and sent to laboratory for RT-PCR (Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction). All cases were treated with oral Oseltamivir according to MOHFW (Ministry Of Health and Family Welfare) guidelines. Data was analyzed for patients with positive RT-PCR. Results: Total 148 patients were enrolled in the study. H1N1 Influenza infection was confirmed on RT-PCR in 24.32% (n=36) patients. Majority of H1N1 infected patients (66.66%; n=24) were between 1-6 yrs and 22.22% were more than 6 yrs with mean age of 5.2 yrs. Male: Female ratio was 1.57:1. History of positive contact was obtained in 22.22% (n=8). In spite of earlier vaccination for H1N1 22.22% (n=8) suffered from infection.Common symptoms were fever (100%), cough (88.88%), rhinorrhoea (83.33%), vomitings (22.22%) and loose stools (22.22%). Normal chest X-ray was found in 38.88% of them, patchy consolidation in 33.33%, prominent broncho-vascular markings in 22.22% and pleural effusion in 5.55%. Fever lasted for more than 7 days in 33.33%. Secondary bacterial infection was found in 16.66% and 5.55% had evidence of myositis. 5.55% had evidence of encephalitis. Mechanical ventilation was required in 11% during the course of treatment. Mean duration of hospitalization was 4.1 days. One deaths occurred.

Linear alopecia areata versus trichotillomania: The game of time

Linear variant of alopecia areata (AA) is a rare entity posing as a diagnostic challenge owing to the ability to mimic multiple conditions ranging from trichotillomania, dermatitis artefacta to linear lupus erythematosus profundus. Awareness regarding this entity optimized with dermoscopy and histopathology examination is essential for an effective diagnosis and treatment. Herein, we describe a case of a 7-year-old female with linear AA simulating trichotillomania which we believe is the first reported case in pediatric age group in India.

Effect of Mula Bandha Yoga in Mild Grade Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background:Pelvic organ prolapse is the growing health issue related to women of the reproductive and postmenopausal age group in India and across the globe. Treatment option for pelvic organ prolapse includes both surgical and non-surgical intervention. The development of pelvic organ prolapse is an indication for major surgery among 20% of all women. Nevertheless, the recurrence of pelvic organ prolapse is detected among 58% of the patient after surgery. This highlights the need for preventive measures for reducing the impact of pelvic organ prolapse.Aims and Objective:To study the effect of 3 months yoga therapy in female patients suffering from mild pelvic organ prolapse.Material and Methods:50 Participants were allocated into two groups (25 in each group) by generating Random allocation sequence. Women aged 20-60 with symptomatic mild pelvic organ prolapse in the yoga group were offered Mulabandha yoga therapy along with other conventional treatment modalities, while the control group was only on conventional treatment. All participants gave written informed consent. An assessment was done by improvement in chief complaints and Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20) & Pelvic floor impact Questionnaire-7 (PFIQ-7) at baseline and at the end of 4, 8 & 12 weeks. Results At the end of 12 weeks, Post-study comparison between the two groups showed a significant improvement in chief complaints like perennial pain, P/V discharge, Perineal muscle laxity and Feeling of something coming out P/V (P < 0.001). Participants in the yoga group improved by (on average) 5.7 (95% confidence interval 3.1 to 14.7) points more on the PFDI-20 than did participants in the control group (P = 0.1) and a mean score of PFIQ-7 was also improved significantly.Conclusions:Although Mulabandha (Root Lock) yoga therapy led to a significantly greater improvement in PFDI-20 & PFIQ-7 scores the difference between the groups was below the presumed level of clinical relevance (15 points). More studies are needed to identify factors related to the success of Mulabandha (Root Lock) yoga therapy and to investigate long-term effects.

Mercury exposure and Alzheimer's disease in India - An imminent threat?

India is an industrial giant with one of the fastest growing major economies in the world. Primary energy consumption in India is third after China and the USA. Greater energy production brings the burden of increasing emissions of mercury (Hg). India ranks second for Hg emissions. Rising atmospheric Hg release, high Hg evasion processes, and increasing monomethylmercury (highly neurotoxin) accumulations in marine food products increase the potential for human and ecosystem Hg exposure. Hg has been identified to increase the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease (AD). There are increasing reports of AD and dementia in different age groups in India. The relationship between increasing Hg exposure and increasing neurodegenerative disorder in India is not known. This commentary points to the need for better understanding of the relationship between Hg release and AD in India, and other countries, and how to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of Hg.

Malocclusion and dental caries experience among 8-9-year-old children in a city of South Indian region: A cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND:Although numerous studies have documented malocclusion in various age groups in India, the literature on the prevalence of malocclusion in mixed dentition is scanty. Dental caries is another most common condition affecting the general health. However, its association with malocclusion in mixed dentition is not well known.AIM:The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence of malocclusion and its association with caries experience in 8–9-year-old children of Davangere city, South Indian region.SETTING AND DESIGN:The study design was a cross-sectional survey.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A total of 800 children from 350 schools (both males and females) were randomly selected for the study. t-test and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis.RESULTS:The overall prevalence of malocclusion among 8–9-year-old children was 40.9%. The most prevalent malocclusion was crowding (11.5%), followed by excessive overjet (9.4%), deep bite (6.8%), spacing (6.5%), crossbite (4.5%), and open bite (3.2%). Class I molar relationship prevailed in 95.5% of children.CONCLUSION:The prevalence of malocclusion in our study was in accordance with the other studies reported in India, which ranged from 19.6% to 90%. Furthermore, correlation of malocclusion and dental caries in the primary dentition, although nonsignificant, presented children with malocclusion to have a higher caries experience than children without malocclusion.

Assessment of psychological problems in schoolgoing adolescents of Aligarh.

Background:Adolescence is a period of physical, nutritional, and sexual transition, also remarkable for the accompanying psychological changes. Worldwide, 20% of children and adolescents suffer from a disabling mental illness. Therefore, knowledge of the prevalence of these disorders can be used to design intervention strategies. The present study was conducted in the 13–15 years' age group schoolgoing adolescents, with the objective to estimate the prevalence of psychological morbidity, employing Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in three different schools of Aligarh, in the 13–15 years' age group, with a prior permission from the school authorities. The study was approved by a multidisciplinary Institutional Ethics and Research Advisory Committee.Results:A total of 1456 students were sampled for the study. The prevalence of psychological morbidity on the basis of total difficulties score was found to be 9.75% (95% confidence interval - 8.33–11.39). The prevalence of emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, peer, and prosocial problems was 5.42%, 5.56%, 3.78%, 4.40%, and 4.26%, respectively.Conclusions:Psychological problems are fairly common in the adolescent age group. Despite the need, there is a dearth studies conducted in this crucial age group in India. Of the studies available, a wide variance is reported either due to the difference in diagnostic tools or due to the types of psychological disorders considered in different researches. For the purpose of uniformity and comparability, SDQ stands as a good option.

Ocular trauma in Indian pediatric population

Background: Trauma to the eye and ensuing visual disability is an important cause of preventable mono-ocular blindness in the pediatric age group in India. Policy decisions are helpful in preventing this kind of trauma and improving the required trauma management services warrant an accurate estimate of various aspects of ocular trauma and its outcome in Indian population. Aims: To understand the patterns of ocular trauma in Indian pediatric population and its short-term visual outcome. Settings and Design: A tertiary center based, retrospective, observational study. Materials and Methods: Data collection from January 2010 to June 2013 including demographic profile, place of injury, distance from tertiary center, type of health care facility first sought, time delay in first treatment, medico-legal status, pattern of ocular injury on Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology System (classification), trauma elsewhere in the body, treatment given by us, and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at the time of presentation and 3 months. Statistical Analysis: Multinomial logistic regression analysis to identify factors independently affecting BCVA posttreatment which included age, time of the first contact, and time delay in treatment, pretreatment BCVA. Results and Conclusions: Mean age of injury was 7.6 ± 3.3 years with 151 (79.1%) males and 40 (20.9%) females. Seventy-eight percent of patients were from rural areas and 43% first sought treatment at some other government health facility. Majority of children 83/191 (43.5%) sustained injuries at agricultural fields. Best visual acuity was observed in cases of closed globe injuries which was better than 6/18 in 81.8% (18/22) cases.

Firstborn female offsprings are significantly more common among Indian anaesthesiologists as compared to national child sex ratio.

Sir, I sincerely appreciate Nagella et al.[1] for accomplishing comprehensive analysis into reproductive outcomes of anaesthesia practice among Indian anaesthesiologists. Similarly, our team, Gupta et al.,[2] had completed clinical survey few years ago that had primarily focused on firstborn offspring ratio investigation among American anaesthesia providers. However, contrary to their statement in their paper's discussion, their survey results do not contradict our results according to my review and post hoc analysis of their results. As elicited below, the reason for their incorrect interpretation of their own results in regard to firstborn offspring sex ratio is most likely due to their incorrect analysis based on misquoted national sex ratios. Among their survey respondents, male to female (firstborn) offspring ratio was 0.94 meaning that 458 firstborn female children and 430 firstborn male children were born to their 888 respondents who successfully conceived. This ratio effectively means 1065 firstborn female children born to Indian anaesthesiologists per 1000 firstborn male children born to Indian anaesthesiologists. Comparatively, as per the census of India for the year 2011 (a) child sex ratio (CSR) for 0–6 years age group in India was 919 (and NOT 940 as misquoted by them) female children per 1000 male children which equals male to female offspring ratio as 1.09 (and not 1.4 as miscalculated by them)[3] and (b) sex ratio at birth (SRB) was based on the Annual Health Survey of only Empowered Action Group States and Assam (total of nine states).[4] As per the census of India, low SRB reflected low CSR in the surveyed nine states and hence, it can be safely said that a national CSR can be expected to correspond to a matched SRB nationally even though national SRB was not assessed in the census. Therefore, effectively, CSR is the authentic national sex ratio that should be used for comparing with their paper's results. Herein, the Chi-square test shows significant value of P = 0.03 (and not 0.14 as misinterpreted by them) when applied to observed frequency of 458 female children/430 male children and expected frequency (based on CSR) of 425.259 female children/462.741 male children. In summary, I personally think that Nagella et al.[1] should submit an erratum to their paper and take the credit in their paper for eliciting that firstborn female offspring is significantly more common among Indian anaesthesiologists as compared to national CSR.

A study on awareness of HIV/AIDS and attitude toward people living with HIV/AIDS among engineering college students of Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, India

Background: AIDS is one among the complex health problems of today’s world, in the year 2014 there were 36.9 million people living with HIV. Since 2000, around 38.1 million people have become infected with HIV and 25.3 million people have died of AIDS-related illnesses. India has the third highest number of estimated people living with HIV in the world. Though the overall trend of HIV in India shows a declining trend, the HIV infected cases among adolescent age group in India is on the rise. The aim is to assess the knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS among engineering students and to assess the attitude of students towards people infected with HIV/AIDS. Methods: Cross sectional study done among 500 college students from an engineering college in Nellore district from August 2015 to September 2015. The selection of study subjects was done using convenience sampling. After consenting, each participant answered a questionnaire comprising of questions pertaining to awareness and attitude of people toward PLHA. Results: About 54% of the participants were aware that HIV can spread through body fluids such as blood, semen/vaginal fluid and breast milk and 58% knew that HIV can spread by having sex with an infected partner. About 37% of the students answered that they would not sit next to a HIV infected person on a bus and 59% of the students responded that they would divorce their spouse if they happen to know that (he/she) is infected. Conclusions: Though the study population is aware of the disease HIV/AIDS, complete knowledge about the disease, its modes of spread and protective measures is not satisfactory. It is observed that stigmatization and tendency to discriminate people living with HIV/AIDS is still present and there is no complete acceptance of positive cases by the study subjects.

English

BACKGROUND: Skin disorders affect 20-30% of the general population at any one time. Personal hygiene, nutrition and Socio demographic factors play pivotal roles in determining the pattern of skin disease. Very few studies provide information on the prevalence and determinants of skin disease among children of school going age group in India There are hardly any studies focusing on children of Hyderabad. Hence, the following study was carried out to determine the prevalence of dermatological disorders among school children of age group 11-16 yrs. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of dermatological disorders among Govt. high school children in relation with personal hygiene, nutritional status and socio demographic indicators. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted and the study subjects included students of Govt. high school located at Musheerabad, belonging to class VI to IX. A total of 100 students have been studied and the study period was from 19th Nov to 25th Nov 2011.the sample size was calculated from prevalence shown in various studies (50% skin disorders), with an allowable error of 20% of P. Data collection included personal hygiene questionnaire, clinical examination, magnifying lens, measuring tape and a weighing machine. Prevalence of common skin diseases was calculated and statistical analysis was done. RESULTS: The proportion of skin disorders is seen to be 77% of the total study. The proportion of skin disorders is higher in females (p<0.05), mid adolescent age (p<0.05), fathers being heavy workers and working mothers, hostel residence (p<0.05) and infrequent head bath. The proportion of skin disorders is not seen to be influenced by BMI-for-age and bathing frequency. Common dermatological disorders elicited were Pytiriasis simplex capillitii (27%), Acne vulgaris (22%), Pediculosis capitis (18%), Pytiriasis alba (14%) and Scabies (11%). CONCLUSION: Skin disease constitutes a public health problem in this population and is not given due attention. Thus appropriate interventions are needed.