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Biomedical subjects

G Gururaj

Publications and source records attributed to G Gururaj.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Epidemiological study of child & adolescent psychiatric disorders in urban & rural areas of Bangalore, India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: There are limited data on child mental health needs in our country. Therefore, an epidemiological study to determine the prevalence rates of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders was initiated as a two-centre (Bangalore and Lucknow) study by the Indian Council of Medical Research. It also aimed to study the psychosocial correlates of the psychiatric disorders. We present here the findings of Bangalore Centre. METHODS: In Bangalore, 2064 children aged 0-16 yr, were selected by stratified random sampling from urban middle-class, urban slum and rural areas. The screening stage was followed by a detailed evaluation stage. The ICD-10 DCR criteria were used to reach a penta-axial diagnosis. RESULTS: The results indicated a prevalence rate of 12.5 per cent among children aged 0-16 yr. There were no significant differences among prevalence rates in urban middle class, slum and rural areas. The psychiatric morbidity among 0-3 yr old children was 13.8 per cent with the most common diagnoses being breath holding spells, pica, behaviour disorder NOS, expressive language disorder and mental retardation. The prevalence rate in the 4-16 yr old children was 12.0 per cent. Enuresis, specific phobia, hyperkinetic disorders, stuttering and oppositional defiant disorder were the most frequent diagnoses. When impairment associated with the disorder was assessed, significant disability was found in 5.3 per cent of the 4-16 yr group. Assessment of felt treatment needs indicated that only 37.5 per cent of the families perceived that their children had any problem. Physical abuse and parental mental disorder were significantly associated with psychiatric disorders. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Prevalence rates of psychiatric morbidity in 0-16 yr old children in India were found to be lower than Western figures. Middle class urban areas had highest and urban slum areas had lowest prevalence rates. The implications for clinical training, practice and policy initiatives are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Prevalence of neurological disorders in Bangalore, India: a community-based study with a comparison between urban and rural areas.

A population-based neuroepidemiological survey of 102,557 individuals in urban and rural Bangalore in Southern India was conducted to determine the prevalence and pattern of neurological disorders. The study population included subjects from urban (51,502) and rural (51,055) areas, identified through a two-stage stratified random sampling method. Trained social workers administered the screening questionnaire, which had been tested and validated in an earlier pilot study and a neurologist examined the individuals who screened positive. Adults, children (<15 years) and elderly adults (>60 years) constituted 61, 34 and 5% of the study group, respectively. There was a distinct difference in education, occupation and income levels between urban and rural areas with all these parameters being lower in the rural population. In the surveyed population, 3,206 individuals with neurological disorders were detected resulting in crude and age-adjusted prevalence rates of 3,126 and 3,355 per 100,000 population, respectively. The prevalence rate among children, middle-aged (31-40 years) and elderly adults was 2,653, 3,932 and 5,012 per 100,000 population, respectively. The prevalence of neurological disorders among women (3,617) was higher compared with men (2,657). The prevalence rate in urban and rural populations was 2,190 and 4,070/1,00,000, respectively, implying that neurological disorders were twice as frequent in rural areas as in urban areas. The prevalence rates per 100,000 population of the most frequent disorders in the descending order of frequency were: headache (1,119), epilepsy (883), febrile convulsions (330), cerebrovascular disorder (150), and mental retardation (142). This large-scale population-based survey provides data that will be crucial for developing hospital and community-based neurological services in India and other developing countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Risk factors for completed suicides: a case-control study from Bangalore, India.

INTRODUCTION: Suicides are a hidden and unrecognized epidemic in the Indian region, affecting predominantly younger age groups. Information on causative risk factors and mechanisms is not available in the country, which is crucial for designing intervention programmes. OBJECTIVES: To identify and quantify risk factors for completed suicides in the city of Bangalore. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted with the families of 269 completed suicides and 269 living controls within the broader population of the city using psychological autopsy methods. RESULTS: The study has shown that several factors in the areas of family, marriage, education, occupation, general health, mental health and absence of protective factors contribute significantly for suicides. The cumulative and repetitive interaction of several factors in a complex manner results in suicides. The significant factors were presence of previous suicidal attempt in self (odds ratio (OR) = 42.62), interpersonal conflicts and marital disharmony with spouse (OR = 27.98), alcoholism in self (OR = 23.38), presence of a mental illness (OR = 11.07), sudden economic bankruptcy (OR = 7.1), domestic violence (OR = 6.82) and unemployment (OR = 6.15). Individuals completing suicides did not have a positive outlook towards life, problem-solving approaches and coping skills. CONCLUSION: The observed findings are at variance with suicidal causation in the West in some areas operating in a different sociocultural and economic environment. The intervention strategies should include prioritized macro and micro level efforts aimed at individual, family and society.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Alcohol and road traffic injuries in South Asia: challenges for prevention.

Among the one million people killed on the roads during 2000, nearly 75% died in developing countries of the world, about half of them in Asia. A selective examination of RTIs in the region indicate that they constitute the second or third leading cause of death in the 5-44 years age group. The increase in direct and indirect health risk associated with alcohol usage has been well-documented in recent years. Alcohol is a major risk factor for RTIs as it impairs judgment and increases the possibility of involvement in other high risk behaviours (e.g., speeding, violating traffic rules, etc.). Precise information on the involvement of alcohol in RTIs and deaths is clearly not available from South Asian countries. With the recognition that road safety needs to focus on reducing drinking and driving, many high-income countries have formulated and implemented a number of coordinated, integrated and sustainable programmes based on scientific research. Considering the gravity of the situation, ongoing efforts to reduce the problem and lessons learnt from high-income countries, it is important to change strategies and mechanisms to reduce drink driving in South Asia.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2004

The effect of alcohol on incidence, pattern, severity and outcome from traumatic brain injury.

Alcohol consumption is known to be a major contributing factor for the occurrence of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in both developed and developing countries. It also influences diagnosis, management and recovery from TBIs, subsequent to injury occurrence. The present report examines the association of alcohol in injury occurrence, and its impact on severity and outcome from TBIs. Subjects were identified from 7 major hospitals in the city of Bangalore, India with data collection undertaken by standardised methods. Alcohol users (n = 243) and non-users (n = 1310) were compared on various characteristics and injury details. Sixteen per cent of the injured patients were intoxicated at the time of hospital registration. While the incidence of road traffic injuries was similar in both the groups, falls were higher in the alcohol user group. Evening-and night-time consumption of alcohol was a major risk factor for injuries. Drivers and occupants of motorised two wheeler vehicles, and pedestrians were involved in crashes to a greater extent among alcohol users. Severity of brain injuries (based on Glasgow coma scale), duration of hospital stay, death and post-traumatic disabilities among alcohol users were significantly higher compared with non-users. With the emergence of injuries and alcohol as twin major public health problems, immediate efforts are required to reduce the burden in developing societies. Legislative and enforcement strategies along with education developed on epidemiological, clinical and public health research need to be co-ordinated, target oriented, visible and with stiffer penalties for achieving desired results.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2003

Epilepsy control program in India: a district model.

Based on data originating from neuroepidemiologic studies in India, epilepsy has been identified as a public health problem. The treatment gap varies from 50 to 70% among persons with epilepsy and is compounded further by limited availability of neurologists, often working in urban metropolises, thus restricting the availability of services in a predominantly rural agrarian country. Cost-effective, sustainable epilepsy care programs are urgently required in India. To bridge this wide gap, a district model was developed with the central focus on training the district medical officers in providing epilepsy care with sensitization of state health administrators and nodal neurologists to support and sustain the program. Workshops were conducted for all three groups during the period 1999-2001, with the involvement of 21 state health administrators, 148 district medical officers, and 28 neurologists. Preliminary evaluation indicates a growing interest, enthusiastic commitment, and willingness among health professionals to expand epilepsy care to the periphery. The program revealed that it is possible to reach people with epilepsy on the premise of early diagnosis and management, need-based referral network, and a rational planning for uninterrupted availability of antiepileptic drugs along with education of families. Policy-level initiatives are required further to transform this on a wider scale and to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of this approach.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed2002

Epidemiology of traumatic brain injuries: Indian scenario.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, disability and socioeconomic losses in India and other developing countries. Specific topics addressed in this paper include magnitude of the problem, causes, context of injury occurrence, risk factors, severity, outcome and impact of TBIs on rapidly transforming societies. It is estimated that nearly 1.5 to 2 million persons are injured and 1 million succumb to death every year in India. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause (60%) of TBIs followed by falls (20%-25%) and violence (10%). Alcohol involvement is known to be present among 15%-20% of TBIs at the time of injury. The rehabilitation needs of brain injured persons are significantly high and increasing from year to year. India and other developing countries face the major challenges of prevention, pre-hospital care and rehabilitation in their rapidly changing environments to reduce the burden of TBIs.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2001

Hunting genes in Parkinson's disease from the roots.

Parkinson's disease (PD), a common, neurodegenerative disorder, has a worldwide distribution. The genetic basis of PD is not well understood, although some recent leads have emerged. Epidemiological studies suggest that there is significant variation in the prevalence of PD between different populations and rates are highest in populations of European origin. Significant differences in molecular pathology in PD and control brain tissue have been observed between African, British and Indian populations. In view of this epidemiological and pathological evidence, it is proposed that allelic variations in genes that predispose to PD may account for the ethnic variation. Advances in our knowledge about the human genome will allow us to make detailed comparisons between affected and control subjects in different populations. This may help us to understand the reasons for the variation, and a better understanding of the genetic processes underlying the disease process.

Genetics, Population↗
PubMed1996

Neuro-epidemiological pilot survey of an urban population in a developing country. A study in Bangalore, south India.

A feasibility study was conducted in an urban population of 3,040 in Bangalore, South India, to understand the baseline characteristics, evaluate screening questionnaires, identify potential problems and determine the magnitude of the problems. The target population was selected by a random method, from four census enumeration blocks of a specific urban area. A two-phase study design was adopted consisting of screening by trained field investigators in the initial stage and clinical examination by a neurologist in the second stage. The information was collected by an interview method on a house-to-house basis. Evaluation of the screening instruments yielded high sensitivity and specificity rates, and it became clear that there is a need to reduce false-positive results in the screening questionnaire for individuals above 7 years of age. The prevalence of neurological disorders was 32.8 per 1,000 population (with a rate of 7.8/1,000 for epilepsy). It appears feasible to detect a wide range of neurological disorders using the methods described.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Suicidal ideas during premenstrual phase.

The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency of suicidal ideas and death wish among 296 women from urban, rural, industrial and college populations. Suicidal ideas and/or death wish during premenstrual period were reported by 30 (10%) subjects, more so among college students and industrial working women and less among housewives. Premenstrual symptoms, like depression, irritability, mood swings, sense of losing control and water retention, were significantly more often reported by women who had suicidal ideas as compared with women without suicidal ideas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Correlates of hot water epilepsy in rural south India: a descriptive study.

Seizures precipitated by the stimulus of hot water known as 'hot water epilepsy' (HWE) have been commonly reported from South India. The present report outlines certain descriptive epidemiological aspects of 78 cases from two rural satellite clinics of National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India. Geographical clustering was observed in one of the centres. HWE was common in the age group of 26-35 years with a male to female ratio of 3.6:1. The frequency of seizure occurrence was more than 1-4 attacks/month in 89% of cases. Past history of febrile convulsions and family history of HWE was noticed in 27 and 18% of our cases, respectively. The conversion of reflex to nonreflex epilepsy occurred in 30.8% of cases. Population-based epidemiological studies are essential for further understanding of HWE for developing strategies towards prevention and control.

Adolescent↗