Correlation of areca habit, clinical grading, anorexia, and fatique in oral submucous fibrosis

Aim: The aim was to correlate the habit index (HI), clinical grading with anorexia, and fatigue in oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF). Settings and Design: Hospital-based study including a total of 60 individuals, out of which 30 patients were with OSMF, (27 males and 3 females). A group of 30 individuals, with areca chewing habit but without any oral lesions were selected as a control group. Subjects and Methods: Detailed case history was recorded. Height and weight measurements were made to assess body mass index (BMI). Fatigue and anorexia scores were calculated using structured questionnaires. Clinical staging of OSMF was done according to Khanna JN and Andrade NN (1995) classification. The information related to the type of habit, site of placement of areca nut, and duration was recorded using HI. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was done using Pearson's correlation and Student's t-test. Results: A statistically significant difference was found between anorexia in both the groups (P = 0.01) and a highly significant difference was seen in HI (P = 0.001). However, the comparison between other parameters was found to be statistically not significant. The correlation of HI, anorexia, and fatigue score in Grade I, Grade II, Grade III, and Grade IV OSMF within each group was not significant statistically. However, in Grade IV a strong correlation was found between BMI and anorexia score (P = 0.0188). Conclusion: The merits of this study include a positive correlation between anorexia and fatigue with disease progression and a congruent relation of HI with the grades of OSMF