Self-medication sees sharp increase in Chennai: Study

The cross-sectional study on a Chennai-based population that also involved a mix of rural and urban residents – a total of 180 adult participants found out that self-medication was prevalent with close to 51.7 per cent of the population resorting to it. 

The study covered Parivakkam, Pidarithangal, Vyalanallur and urban areas Adayalampet, Erekarai and Chinnanolambur. 

Another finding was that self-medication was more common among subjects aged above 35 years of age. The main reasons cited for self-medication were financial constraint (40.80 per cent), easy availability of drugs (26.80 per cent), distance from healthcare facility (23.60 per cent), lack of confidence on doctors (6.40 per cent), etc.

The commonest condition that was self-medicated was common cold (73.02 per cent), followed by aches and pain (51.97 percent), fever (32.2 per cent), etc. 

Talking to DTNext, Dr Christina Paul, Professor of Community Medicine, ACS Medical College, who co-authored the study, said that it was significant, given the inequitable distribution of healthcare between rich and poor, apart from the unchecked sale of drugs over the counter. She added that such high prevalence of self-medication led to a delay in diagnosis of serious ailments in some cases.

She said, “A layperson is not expected to have in depth understanding of health. A headache could be indicative of brain malignancy. Therefore, there is a delay in diagnosis by self-medicating because when you go to a qualified doctor, he or she will evaluate you and rule out possibilities. Moreover, our healthcare system is inequitable – there is a wide rich and poor divide. The poor class settles for whatever is available. When the government healthcare system is not easy to access, we can’t blame patients.” 

Since a larger section of the respondents were women, Dr Paul said that it was important to note that it was proven that women tend to self-medicate. The study noted that the findings made check on sale of OTC drugs and educating patients about adverse effects an urgent need. 

The study has been published in the February edition of International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health.