Indian J Med Res
-
New smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients in the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) are treated with a 6-month short-course chemotherapy (SCC) regimen irrespective of co-morbid conditions. We undertook this retrospective analysis to compare sputum conversion rates (smear, culture) at the end of intensive phase (IP) of Category-1 regimen among patients admitted to concurrent controlled clinical trials: pulmonary tuberculosis alone (PTB) or with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-TB) or HIV infection (HIV-TB), and to identify the risk factors influencing sputum conversion. ⋯ Our findings confirm that the current policy of the control programme to treat all pulmonary TB patients with or with out co-morbid conditions with Category-I regimen appears to be appropriate.
-
Comparative Study
High resolution CT (HRCT) in miliary tuberculosis (MTB) of the lung: Correlation with pulmonary function tests & gas exchange parameters in north Indian patients.
High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans are known to be helpful in early diagnosis and management of patients with miliary tuberculosis (MTB). We made an attempt in this study to identify patterns of pulmonary MTB on HRCT and to correlate the HRCT disease extent with pulmonary function tests (PFT) and gas exchange analysis (GEA). ⋯ Our findings showed that HRCT reliably diagnosed MTB, and thus could help in predicting derangement of pulmonary function tests and GEA in these patients.
-
The price and availability of medicines are key components in determining access to effective treatment. Data on prices and availability of common medicines in public and private sector in different States of India are scarce. Hence, surveys were undertaken in different States of India to evaluate these metrics. ⋯ The survey revealed low procurement prices and poor availability in the public sector. Thus, the majority of the population purchased medicines from private pharmacies, where generics were usually available although prices of certain medicines were high. Various policy measures could increase the availability and accessibility of medicines for the population.