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Biomedical subjects

M A Gupta

Publications and source records attributed to M A Gupta.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Aging-related concerns and body image: possible future implications for eating disorders.

We observed a direct correlation between aging-related concerns about the appearance and Drive for Thinness (Eating Disorders Inventory [EDI]), among males (n = 71) (Pearson r = .36, p < .01) and females (n = 102) (Pearson r = .44, p < .01) from a nonclinical sample of shoppers. Among the women there was a direct correlation between the belief that weight loss is associated with youthful looks and both Drive for Thinness (EDI) (Pearson r = .44, p < .01) and Body Dissatisfaction (EDI) (Pearson r = .27, p < .01). Concerns about the cutaneous stigmata of aging, a commonly recognized sign that a person is older, correlated directly with Drive for Thinness (Pearson r = .27, p < .01) and Body Dissatisfaction (Pearson r = .38, p < .01) among the women. These correlations were all obtained after statistically controlling for the effects of age and body mass index. Our empirical observations may have important future implications in the development of eating disorders, as our society continues to place an inordinate value on youthful looks.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Alcohol intake and treatment responsiveness of psoriasis: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol has been reported to be a risk factor in psoriasis mainly based on the observation that there is a higher prevalence of alcohol abuse in persons with psoriasis, especially in men. OBJECTIVE: We prospectively examined the relation between pretreatment average daily ethanol consumption and treatment outcome in inpatients with moderate to severe psoriasis. METHODS: The severity of psoriasis of 94 inpatients (48 men and 46 women) was assessed before and after treatment. Ethanol use was determined by obtaining the patients' reports of their average daily consumption of alcoholic beverages during the 6 months before admission. RESULTS: The average daily ethanol intake of more than 80 gm before treatment was more frequently associated with less treatment-induced improvement (less than 10%) (p = 0.02) in the percentage of the total body surface area affected by psoriasis in men but not in women. CONCLUSION: Ethanol abuse may have an adverse effect on treatment outcome in men with psoriasis.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Suicidal ideation in psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis has been associated with depressive disease and case reports of completed suicide. METHODS: 217 consenting psoriasis patients completed the Carroll Rating Scale for Depression (CRSD), a 52-item self-rated scale, with four of the items directly addressing wishes to be dead and suicidal ideation. The patients also self-rated the severity of their psoriasis. RESULTS: 9.7% of patients reported a wish to be dead, and 5.5% reported active suicidal ideation at the time of the study. The death wish and suicidal ideation were associated with higher depression scores (P < 0.0001) and higher patient self-ratings of psoriasis severity (P < 0.05). Patient self-reports of psoriasis severity correlated directly with the overall depression scores (r = 0.39), P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The comorbidity between depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and psoriasis severity is in contrast with reports that severe depression and suicidal ideation are mainly a feature of life-threatening medical disorders such as malignancies. Our finding may have important implications in the management of psoriasis.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Stature, drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction: a study of males and females from a non clinical sample.

A study of 174 subjects selected from a Canadian shopping mall revealed an inverse correlation among the males but not among females between body stature and body image parameters related to dieting, body weight and shape (for example, drive for thinness, and body dissatisfaction). These correlations were independent of body weight. Among the females, there was a direct correlation between the Body Mass Index and these body image parameters. Height is generally associated with desirable looks and academic success among men and most likely has a positive effect upon body image. Therefore, males who are dissatisfied with their stature, a feature that is generally not within their control, may attempt to alter an aspect of their body that they can control (for example, weight). This finding may have important implications among males with eating disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Fluoxetine is an effective treatment for neurotic excoriations: case report.

A fifteen-year-old girl with a two-year history of severe neurotic excoriations and an obsessive-compulsive disorder experienced a dramatic improvement of her neurotic excoriations after a six-week course of fluoxetine 20 mg per day. This is in contrast to most previously reported treatments, which typically were only moderately effective. The neurobiological basis for the efficacy of fluoxetine, an antidepressant that is a potent serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in the treatment of neurotic excoriations associated with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, is reviewed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Bulimia nervosa and acne may be related: a case report.

Acne is a very common, often cosmetically disfiguring, cutaneous condition of adolescence that is associated with increased sebaceous gland activity. We present the case of a patient with bulimia who reported that the negative effect of acne on her appearance increased her body image concerns and exacerbated her eating disorder. Improvement of the acne was associated with a significant improvement in her eating disorder. Eating disordered patients may go on restrictive diets in order to control their acne since levels of androgens, which are one of the primary stimulants of sebaceous gland activity, are lower in starvation. As a significant number of adolescents with eating disorders also develop acne, it is important for the clinician to be aware of this previously unreported association between acne and eating disorders, and to evaluate the impact of acne upon the patient's body image and eating behaviour.

Acne Vulgaris↗
PubMed1991

Office therapy for human papillomavirus infection in nongenital sites.

The many different treatment possibilities for the eradication of warts provide evidence that no single method that is completely effective has been found. Although the various methods described herein are usually successful therapies for warts, they are all associated with treatment failures and side effects. Until the perfect cure for warts is discovered, the physician must evaluate every wart carefully before deciding on a course of action.

Bleomycin↗
PubMed1990

Psychiatric aspects of the treatment of mild to moderate facial acne. Some preliminary observations.

The improvement of acne appears to be associated with decreased depression and anxiety and greater satisfaction with aspects of body image that are generally unrelated to the appearance of the skin, ie, body shape and weight. The latter emphasizes the profound effect of the appearance of the skin upon the patient's overall body image. Our preliminary findings underline the need for larger controlled studies of psychosomatic factors among patients with mild to moderate acne.

Acne Vulgaris↗
PubMed1990

The aging face: a psychocutaneous perspective.

The cutaneous stigmata of aging may affect an individual's mental well-being, body image, and quality of life. Before proceeding with treatment, the dermatologist should take into consideration the patient's overall life situation and evaluate whether or not there is severe psychopathology and body image distortion.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Some psychosomatic aspects of psoriasis.

The contribution of psychosomatic factors toward the morbidity associated with psoriasis should be evaluated in the context of the patient's developmental stage and life situation. The skin, as a sensory organ, plays a critical role in an individual's physical and emotional growth in early life. The skin also plays an integral role as an organ of communication throughout life and greatly affects an individual's body image and self-esteem. If these factors are not taken into consideration, the morbidity associated with psoriasis may increase, or the patient may remain dissatisfied with treatment even in the face of clinically satisfactory treatment outcome. Some recent studies indicate that the adverse impace of psoriasis upon the quality of life can result in significant chronic stress, which may in turn exacerbate the psoriasis in a subgroup of patients. As disease-related stress is present in every patient to some degree, the dermatologist should regularly assess the psychosocial impact of the disease. Certain personality factors, such as a tendency to want the approval of others and difficulty with assertion of angry feelings, may make the patient with psoriasis more vulnerable to stress and contribute toward the stress reactivity of the disease. The presence of depression in psoriasis may modulate itch perception, exacerbate pruritus, and lead to difficulties with initiating and maintaining sleep. Helping the patient to develop assertiveness skills in addition to supportive psychotherapy may facilitate the patient's capacity to cope with the daily stresses associated with psoriasis. Treatment of depressive symptoms may prove to be a helpful adjunct in the management of pruritus and sleep difficulties in psoriasis.

Humans↗
PubMed1989

A psychocutaneous profile of psoriasis patients who are stress reactors. A study of 127 patients.

Psoriasis is a chronic, relapsing, cutaneous condition with a 1%-2% prevalence in the general population. About 40% of psoriatics report that psychosocial stress significantly exacerbates their condition. However, the clinical characteristics of the subgroup of psoriatic patients who are stress reactors have not been delineated. At a practical clinical level it is therefore difficult to implement specific psychosocial treatments among the psoriatic population. In this study, we compared the psychocutaneous characteristics of patients who reported that stress exacerbated their psoriasis, i.e., the high stress reactors (N = 64) to the subgroup who reported no significant association between stress and their psoriasis, i.e., the low stress reactors (N = 63). The high stress reactors had more disfiguring disease clinically (p less than 0.02); psychologically they tended to rely more upon the approval of others (p less than 0.05) and experienced more psoriasis-related daily stress (p less than 0.005). The high stress reactors also reported more flare-ups of their psoriasis during the 6 months prior to admission (p less than 0.05). We have shown that the high stress reactors can be clinically delineated from the low stress reactors. Certain psychosocial interventions will most likely decrease the morbidity associated with psoriasis among the high stress reactors, and may possibly even result in a decline in the number of major flare-ups of the psoriasis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

Pruritus associated with nocturnal wakenings: organic or psychogenic?

Pruritus that interferes with sleep is generally diagnosed as having an organic rather than a psychogenic basis. We compared the dermatologic and psychosocial parameters of 79 inpatients with psoriasis with moderate to severe pururitus with (W group; n = 46) and without (NW group; n = 33) wakenings from sleep in association with pruritus. At the time of the patients' admission, compared with the NW group the W group had more severe depressive psychopathologic features (p less than 0.05); were possibly alcoholic, according to behavioral criteria for alcoholism (p less than 0.005); reported a higher daily alcohol consumption (p less than 0.05); and had symptoms suggestive of periodic movements in sleep, or nocturnal myoclonus (p less than 0.05), a sleep physiologic disorder. The two groups did not differ with respect to pruritus severity or other dermatologic parameters at the time of admission or during inpatient treatment. Contrary to the generally accepted criterion for the organicity of pruritus, psychiatric and possibly sleep pathologic factors rather than primary dermatologic factors determined the wakenings from sleep as a result of pruritus.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1988

Pruritus in psoriasis. A prospective study of some psychiatric and dermatologic correlates.

Among 82 inpatients with psoriasis, 67% (55 patients) reported moderate or severe pruritus. The degree of depressive psychopathology discriminated between the mild, moderate, and severe pruritus groups at admission. Prospectively, the change in depression scores correlated with the change in pruritus pretreatment to posttreatment. Pruritus severity did not correlate significantly with stress due to life events, age at onset, ethyl duration of psoriasis, age, sex, marital status, and average reported daily alcohol (ethanol) consumption. Among the objective dermatologic measures, including extent and severity of lesions, only the degree of perilesional irritation discriminated between the mild, moderate, and severe pruritus groups at admission, and prospectively, change in this measure correlated with the change in pruritus pretreatment to posttreatment. This finding was most likely related to the self-excoriation associated with pruritus. Intrapsychic factors (eg, the severity of depression) rather than external psychosocial or well-defined dermatologic factors, were the most significant correlates of pruritus in psoriasis.

Adult↗