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Biomedical subjects

S K Verma

Publications and source records attributed to S K Verma.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

A phenomenological analysis of symptoms in obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

Eighty-two obsessional neurotics were studied from a phenomenological point of view in order to delineate the various forms and contents of obsessions and compulsions. An attempt was made to ascertain the frequency with which the different forms and content occur and their effect on the final outcome of the disorder. Five types of obsessions were identified: doubts, obsessive thinking, fears, impulses, and images, in order of frequency of their occurrence. Compulsive acts could be classified in two types, depending on whether they yielded to or diverted the underlying obsession. One-fourth of the patients displayed no compulsions. The content of obsession could be classified in five broad categories as relating to: dirt and contamination, aggression, inanimate-impersonal themes, religion, and sexual matters, in order of the frequency of their occurrence. The paper, while offering an interpretation of these findings, emphasizes the part played by socio-cultural factors in the character of an obsession's thought content. The absence of compulsions was found to be associated with good prognosis. A downward gradient was noted in the final outcome of patients without compulsions, those with controlling compulsions alone, those with both varieties of compulsions, and those displaying yielding compulsions alone, in that order. Based on this observation the paper suggests a prognosis-related hierarchical continuum of the severity of obsessional disorder.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Respiratory pressures in normal Indian subjects.

Regression equations for the prediction of maximum inspiratory pressures (MIP) in North Indian adults are reported, based on observations in 120 females and 153 males. Age and sex were the only significant predictor variables. MIP was significantly related to vital capacity, FEV1 and peak flow rate. The MIP observed in the present study are similar to those reported earlier in Caucasians and Chinese. The lower lung volumes and flow rates in Indians are not explained by differences in MIP.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of self-care manual in bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND: Asthma continues to be a substantial cause of morbidity. Various educational programmes have shown an increase in knowledge and self-management skills of asthmatic patients and also revealed a reduction of severe attacks, hospitalisations and days lost from work. METHODS: A self-care manual on bronchial asthma was prepared. A total of 523 bronchial asthma patients were enrolled in the study. Out of these, 260 patients were included in the study group to whom self-care manual was provided and 263 were included in the control group to whom no specific instructions were given. After the initial interview (0 week), follow up of all the patients was carried out at two weeks, six months and at one year. RESULTS: Out of the enrolled patients, 240 (92.31%) and 240 (91.25%), 212 (81.54%) and 210 (79.85%), and 204 (78.46%) and 194 (73.76%) patients completed the follow up at two weeks, six months and one year in the two groups, respectively. Various parameters analysed were knowledge of the patients, their symptomatology, various triggering factors which were inducing and/or precipitating symptoms, the self-care measures they adopted at the time of acute attacks and the indices of asthma morbidity during the last one year. The knowledge scores were significantly higher at all the three follow up visits (F = 633. 98, p < 0.001) as compared to the baseline in the study group patients. In both the groups, the symptom scores decreased at all the follow up visits (F = 71.78, p < 0.001 in the study group and F = 24.19, p < 0.001 in the control group). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed a significant improvement in knowledge and symptoms in the study group as compared to controls after adjusting for various confounding variables (p < 0.001). The number of patients whose symptoms were induced and/or precipitated by exposure to various triggering factors was significantly reduced in study group for all the triggers. There was a statistically significant decrease in the number of severe attacks, number of emergency visits and need of injections during last one year in both the groups, though the differences were more marked in the study group. However, there was a significant decrease in hospital admissions and absence from school/or job in the study group at one year as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The self-care manual was effective in self-management of bronchial asthma.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prediction model for peak expiratory flow in North Indian population.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a model for predicting peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in North Indian healthy population. Study subjects. Eight hundred and ninety-seven healthy, non-smoker individuals (681 males and 216 females) in the age group of 10-60 years. METHODS: The study was carried out at a health exhibition organised by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, at King George's Medical University, Lucknow. Only healthy, non-smoker individuals were enrolled for the study. Age was noted in completed years and weight in kg and height in cm were taken without shoes. PEFR was measured by Mini Wrights peak flow meter in standing position after prior instructions and demonstration of technique to each individual. The test was performed three times on each subject and best of the three attempts was selected for data computation. The statistical solftware SPSS was used to fit the model and perform residual analysis. RESULTS: The highest reading for males was recorded in the age group of 20 to 24 years and for females in the age group of 25 to 29 years. Using age, height and weight, we established a regression model for predicting PEFR values for males and females separately in the age group 19-60 years. In the age group 10-18 years, the model for predicting PEFR was same for both the sexes. PEFR values were found to be more in males as compared to females. The predictive power of the model as described by explained variation was found to be 80 and 82 percent for males and females, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Prediction model for north Indian subjects was drafted for age range 10-60 years. While separate models were required for males and females because of sex related differences in the age group 19-60 years, a common model sufficed for age group 10-18 years.

Adolescent↗