VOLUME 7 , ISSUE 1 ( January-June, 2025 ) > List of Articles
Vetrivel Chezian Sengodan, Kalidas Ponnusami, Vijay KA Subramaniyan, Venkatesh Venkatachalam, Sreehari Vikram
Keywords : Diabetes mellitus, Hypertension, Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam
Citation Information : Sengodan VC, Ponnusami K, Subramaniyan VK, Venkatachalam V, Vikram S. Screening the Unidentified Noncommunicable Disease Prevalence in Orthopedic Outpatient Department in a Tertiary Care Teaching Institute in India. J Orth Joint Surg 2025; 7 (1):43-48.
DOI: 10.5005/jojs-10079-1199
License: CC BY-NC 4.0
Published Online: 15-01-2025
Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2025; The Author(s).
Introduction: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) pose a serious threat to global health and have dire repercussions. Nearly 41 million people worldwide lose their lives to NCDs each year, accounting for 74% of all deaths globally. The fact that 17 million of these deaths happen prematurely—before the age of 70—and that 86% of these premature deaths occur in low- and middle-income nations—of which 77%—makes the situation even more concerning. The majority of NCD deaths are caused by diseases, including diabetes (2.0 million, including kidney disease deaths caused by diabetes). The pressing need to address the underlying social, economic, and environmental factors that contribute to the rise in NCDs is highlighted by the disproportionate burden that developing countries bear. The response to NCDs includes palliative care in addition to NCD detection, screening, and treatment. In this study, patients visiting the orthopedic outpatient department (OPD) at a tertiary teaching institute in India will be asked about the incidence of unknown NCDs. NCDs, including diabetes and systemic hypertension, can have a major impact on general health and quality of life yet are frequently misdiagnosed, particularly in the early stages. Through screening this cohort, the researchers intend to find NCDs that have gone undetected and offer prompt therapies to enhance patient outcomes. With the burden of NCDs rising faster than that of communicable diseases like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis (TB), and other vector- or waterborne illnesses, India is going through a rapid health shift. Over 63% of all-cause deaths in the population are attributable to NCDs, making them the leading cause of death worldwide. NCDs also significantly reduce the number of years of life that may be productive. Over time, it is also anticipated that losses from noncommunicable disease-related early deaths will rise. In order to prevent and control major NCDs, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancers, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke (NPCDCS) in 2010. The programme places a strong emphasis on human resource development, health promotion, early diagnosis, management, and referral. Among the most recent initiatives under the NPCDCS for early detection of diabetes, hypertension, and common malignancies in the community are the guidelines for beginning population-based screening of common NCDs using the services center. Three levels of prevention and five levels of preventive interventions, as promoted by Leavell and Clark, are taught in all healthcare institutions under the concept of health and disease. “Prevention is better than cure” is the most common saying in all cultures. However, the focus of healthcare institutions is often ignoring primordial and primary prevention. Why should we wait till it is too late to regain well-being? We should actively strive to gain health. It is better explained by a medical sociology professor, Aaron Antonovsky, in his 1979 book Health, Stress and Coping, who coined the term salutogenesis. It is the study of human health and well-being, rather than a focus on factors that cause disease (pathogenesis). Preventive care “has the aim of preventing disease or its consequences. It includes healthcare programs aimed at warding off illnesses, early detection of disease, and inhibiting further deterioration of the body.” On the contrary, preventive medicine is “the branch of medicine dealing with the prevention of disease and the maintenance of good health practices” through primordial prevention, health promotion, and specific protection. The WHO defines prevention as “approaches and activities aimed at reducing the likelihood that a disease or disorder will affect an individual, interrupting or slowing the progress of the disorder or reducing disability.” The health policy of India aims at achieving improvement of health status through concerted policy action in all sectors and expanding preventive, promotive, curative, palliative, and rehabilitative services provided through the public health sector with a focus on quality. The objective of this study was to enumerate the results of screening for NCDs in the NCD clinic over a period of eight months in a tertiary health center. Aim of study: To detect unidentified systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and both diabetes and hypertension in the orthopedic OPD. Objective of the study: The objective of the study is to describe the percentage of new (unidentified) systemic hypertension and diabetes mellitus in the orthopedic OPD and the process of establishing the preventive health and screening OPD in a tertiary care hospital in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Materials and methods: This prospective analytical study was conducted using data collected over a period of 8 months, from August 2023 to March 2024. The results from screening tests conducted in the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam (MTM) clinic for detecting hypertension and diabetes mellitus in the government tertiary care hospital, Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, Coimbatore, were recorded. The study was conducted in the OPD, Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Coimbatore Medical College, after Ethical Committee clearance. Early detection of disease and its management plays a key role in reducing the associated morbidity and mortality. Policies for screening should consider socioeconomic issues, as they impact the cause of disease. It is important to emphasize the adoption of novel methods for screening large populations. Additionally, raising public awareness of early detection through screening is crucial.