No abstract

No abstract

Background: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is now considered as a manageable chronic illness with the availability of ART. A high level of adherence (>95%) is required for antiretroviral therapy to be effective. It is a syndrome that builds a vacuum in a person affecting his/her quality of life (QOL) as a whole. Aim& Objective: The aim of our study was to determine adherence and its effect on their quality of life among HIV/AIDS patients attending FIART (Facility Integrated Anti-retroviral therapy) clinic. Materials and Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design,  257 HIV positive patients receiving antiretroviral therapy at Facility integrated anti-retroviral therapy centre Ambala Haryana. QOL of patients taking ART was assessed using WHO-QOL-BREF questionnaire.  Results: Of 257 participants, 88.3% were found to be adherent, adherent to ART therapy and ambulatory had better QOL (p < 0.05) than their counterparts from other socio-clinical strata. Mean scores of physical (70.89±7.384), psychological (47.37±9.174), social (51.97±11.119) & environmental domains (52.33±9.081), were having highest in patients those who were adherent (adherence rate >95%) to ART therapy. Conclusion: Adherence to antiretroviral therapy in Haryana India is suboptimal. Intensive adherence counselling should be provided to all patients before initiation of antiretroviral therapy and on every visit to FIART centre.

National Sample Survey (NSS) reported that top most reason of sensory deficit and second most common cause of disability in Indian households is hearing disability. The development of hearing loss is influenced by various factors and role of alcohol consumption has been reported in previous studies but inconsistent results were found in the past related studies. So the present study was planned to study response to acoustic stimuli with different tone on alcoholics using a reaction time apparatus. It was done on 60 subjects of which 30 were included in study group and 30 were in control group. The chronic alcoholics were diagnosed on basis of history examination and Alcohol Use Disorder Screening Test. The findings revealed that the reaction time to acoustic stimuli significantly increased (p-0.0001)in the study group compared to the control. It can be concluded that there is an increased response when acoustic stimuli with different tone is presented .This increase can be attributed to the nerve damage caused by dietary deficiencies as well as because of the direct damage of ethanol by oxidative stress on tissues .Thus we can say that there is a need to highlight the steps towards motivating and developing a positive attitude for abstinence.

No abstract