|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Friday, 9 January 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Sri Lanka Centenarians in Oxford Dementia Study by Edward Arambewala
Oxford University in UK has included centenarians in Sri Lanka in one of its Dementia studies now under way, in association with the Kelaniya University. The centenarians included are those in Daily News collaborated Prof. Colvin Goonaratna Centenarian Study in Sri Lanka which commenced in 2001. The Sri Lanka collaborators in the Oxford study are, (1) Dr. Asitha de Silva (Senior Lecturer and Head Department of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Kelaniya University. (2) Prof. S. B. Gunatilake (Consultant Neurologist and Head Department Medicine Kelaniya, Medical Faculty) (3) Prof. Colvin Gooneratna (Emeritus Professor of Physiology Colombo University). The Oxford University study is headed by Prof. A. D. Smith, Director OPTMA and Prof. Pharmacology of the University. Dr. Asitha de Silva is now visiting the Sri Lankan Centenarians at their homes for the study with a representative from the Goonaratna Study Committee. The Gooneratna study has so far identified 48 centenarians in Sri Lanka, including Buddhist monk Ven. Nandarama thera in Kandy, who is 104 years now and is in good health. ############## Blocked hearts but no symptoms Dr. Amit Chandra, an Indian Heart Surgeon from the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre in New Delhi, firmly believes that most of the Sri Lankans generally have a healthier heart than other people which enables them to carry on life even with blocked arteries with the heart on its own creating bypasses to make up for the blocks. Dr. Amit who has been in Sri Lanka since July last year heading the Colombo Durdans Hospitals Heart Surgery Unit was speaking through experience he had gained in attending to Sri Lankan heart patients at the Durdans centre. He said he had examined a number of patients with arterial blocks with the patients not experiencing any of the symptoms normally associated with coronary artery blocks. Dr. Amit said, "I found it very difficult to convince some of these patients, even after showing blocked arteries in the scan, that they were really sick and could get a heart attack at any moment. In other countries people even with minor blocks were getting the chest pain, and feeling exhausted and tired easily, but not in the case of the Sri Lankans. Dr. Amit says that this specific condition of the Sri Lankan hearts calls for a thorough study, to find out the reason or reasons for it. He felt it could be due to the fair amount of fish consumption of these people, among other things. He felt the incidence of heart disease in the fishing community of Sri Lanka has to be studied. This could give some clue to the point where we are seeking a clarification. Dr. Amit said since coming here he had done over fifty bypasses up to date. The oldest being a 75-year-old who had four blocks, and the youngest a 35-year-old with two blocks. His advice was for all over 40 to get their hearts checked, and if there are any blocks to get the operations done early without delaying as it would be easy to the patient, easy to the doctor and easy on the purse too to the patient. ############## After a bypass how normal are you? Many bypass operated patients ask this question from the doctors. Can I lead a normal life after this operation? The young pose the question, will it affect my married life in any way? Medical Advisory Panel in association with Durdans Hospital has arranged a Talk and discussion - 'Life after a Bypass covering this topic by Dr. Amit Chandra (Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon) Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, India, presently heading the Escorts affiliated Heart Unit at Durdans. The talk and discussion is for the bypass operated patients, their family members and any others who may be interested in the subject. It will be held on February 1st Sunday from 10 am to 1.30 pm at Durdans Hospital Heart Unit Auditorium at No. 3, Alfred Place, Colpetty, Colombo 3. The event will be participated by the following members in our Medical Advisory Panel. They will also be willing and ready to answer any queries in relation to their specialities put them by the audience. Prof. Colvin Goonaratna (Emeritus Professor of Physiology, Colombo Medical Faculty and head Sri Lanka Centenarian Study). Dr. Dennis J. Aloysius (Family Physician and visiting lecturer PGIM). Dr. D. P. Atukorale (Consultant Cardiologist). Dr. Githanjan Mendis (Consultant Neurologist). Prize for the Most Interesting Question Durdans Management is offering a prize for the most interesting and thought provoking question on heart disease sent by the readers to be answered by the panel at the Talk. Send your questions to Edward Arambewala, Co-ordinator, Health Page, Daily News Features Department, Lake House, Colombo. Please write on top left hand corner of the envelope. Question for Feb. 1st Heart Talk. Register yourself Since there is limited accommodation for about a 100 at Durdans Auditorium register your name with Margaret Gunawardene at Durdans Heart Unit, Mobile 0722252301. ############## Health Letter box Prof. Ravindra Fernando on attending to poisoning cases Eye contact If a poison enters eyes, they should be washed thoroughly for 15 minutes with running water. The patient should continuously blink during the procedure. If blurring of vision, pain or redness persists, an ophthalmologist should be consulted. Chemical antidotes should never be used locally on the eye. Skin contact Skin contact with a poison can be harmful if it is absorbed through the intact skin, or if the skin is inflamed or damaged by disease or injury. The contaminated skin should be washed thoroughly with soap and water if possible, water from a tap, a hose or a shower should be used to wash the body, or water may be poured from a bucket. Clothing should be removed carefully while bathing the skin with a stream of water. Chemical alcholic to neutralise a poison should not be used locally on the skin. Further management Most patients who deliberately ingest poisons may need social, economic or psychiatric support to prevent a fatal recurrence. The attitude of a few medical and paramedical staff to treat these patients with contempt and to discharge them as soon as possible, must change. It is strange that a heavy smoker who suffers from a myocardial infarct or an alcholic with bleeding oesophageal varices gets sympathy and better care, than a young patient with socio-economic problems admitted following deliberate poisoning. Once the patient is fit to be discharged, doctors should carefully asses his or her socio-economic and psychological status. The reason to consume poison must be determined. Doctors or nurses should counsel them adequately before discharge. Patients with psychiatric illnesses like depression and schizophrenia, who have suicidal intent, are likely to repeat deliberate poisoning or other methods of suicide. A similar risk exists in patients suffering from incurable illnesses (e.g. cancer, severe disabling rheumatoid arthritis) or chronic painful conditions or when there is a past history of suicidal attempts. They should not be discharged without psychiatric referral. Victims of occupational poisoning need eduction on safety and preventive aspects. ############## Greek diet eases Rheumatoid Arthritis by Sid Kirchheimer The so-called "Mediterranean diet," already believed to help prevent heart disease and some forms of cancer, may also reduce the pain and swelling of joints stricken with rheumatoid arthritis although relief may not begin for at least six weeks, suggests a new study. Still, significant improvement was reported by most of the 26 arthritic patients who followed the well-studied dietary regimen for three months. The Mediterranean diet includes olive and canola oils as the primary dietary sources of fat along with plenty of fish, poultry, produce and legumes, say Swedish researchers. By comparison, no relief was reported by another group of 25 patients who followed a typical Western diet. Their finding, published in the March issue of Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, is the latest to suggest arthritis relief may result from this eating plan, which is typical on "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" Crete and other Greek islands. Just over two years ago, University of Buffalo researchers found that mice fed high doses of fish oil and vitamin E abundant in the two oils studied by the Swedish investigators had reduced levels of a specific protein that causes joint swelling and pain. And just a few months earlier, Greek investigators found that a similar Mediterranean diet reduced the onset of rheumatoid arthritis by nearly three-fold compared with those who ate less olive oil and fewer fruits and vegetables. And once again, it appears as though the ingredients in these key cooking oils may be the key to relief. In addition to being good sources of heart-healthy fats, olive and canola oils are rich in oleic acid and vitamin E. Like vitamin E, oleic acid has an anti-inflammatory effect and is thought to reduce inflammatory protein levels. The fish eaten by these study participants didn't have the same high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids found in cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, and others associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and other conditions. But the nutrients in these oils may have a similar anti-inflammatory effect. And like produce, they are also good sources of other antioxidant phytochemicals believed to reduce inflammation and inhibit tissue damage. The other foods in the studied diet legumes, poultry, and cereals are low in fat, which may further reduce inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the joints and other parts of the body in more severe cases leading to inflammation and pain that eventually erodes bone and soft tissue. It affects more than two million Americans, most of them women. In this study, which lasted only three months, researchers studied people with rheumatoid arthritis, average age 58, who had the disease for at least two years. Those on the Mediterranean diet first began to experience relief after six weeks (although their cholesterol levels dropped after three) and improvement continued throughout the study. In addition to being provided with meals, those patients also received nutritional counselling on how to cook more healthfully. They lost an average of seven pounds by study's end. Meanwhile, those on a diet richer in dairy foods and red meat, typical in Sweden as well as the US, also received prepared meals, but no counselling. They lost no weight and reported no measurable symptom relief. None of the study participants in either group had previously followed the Mediterranean or a vegetarian-based diet. "The results of this intervention programme indicate that a Cretan Mediterranean diet suppresses disease activity in patients who have stable and modestly active rheumatoid arthritis," write the researchers. "Thus, by eating a Mediterranean diet for three months, patients with RA can obtain better physical function and increase their activity. In theory, even a minor effect that is persistent and accumulates over time might be important." - Ariyasumithra Wijeyaratne ############## Top ten health risk factors by Dr. Terence Perera, Former WHO Senior Adviser, Family Health The World Health Organisation in 2003 has identified the top ten health risk factors throughout the world as: 1. underweight The WHO report explains that focusing on risks to health is the key to preventing disease and injury, therefore, the importance of communicating risks clearly and openly to the public and creating an atmosphere of trust and shared responsibility between the Government, the public at large, and the media. The report also emphasize the global gap between the haves and have nots by showing just how much of the world's disease burden is the result of undernutrition among the poor and overnutrition among those who are better off, wherever they live. Did you also know...? * Together these ten risk factors account for more than a third of the deaths worldwide; * 170 million children in poor countries are underweight and 3 million of them die each year from weight related illnesses; * Ninety nine per cent of HIV/AIDS infection in Africa is thought to be caused by unsafe sex; * Hypertension is the commonest cardiovascular disorder both in developing and the developed world and causes 7 million deaths per year; * Over 5 million premature deaths per year worldwide as a result of tobacco consumption; * Alcohol consumption causes 1.8 million deaths per year worldwide, Global consumption of alcohol has increased in recent decades, with most or all of this increase occurring in developing countries; * Over 2 million children die each year from diarrhoeal diseases as a result of poor sanitation and unsafe water supplies; * Iron deficiency is one of the most prevalent nutrient deficiencies in the world, affecting an estimated 2 billion people, and causing almost a million deaths per year, and children and their mothers the most commonly and severely affected; * Half the world's population is exposed to indoor air pollution mainly the result of burning solid fuel (wood, dung, agricultural residue, coal) for cooking and heating, and globally it is estimated to cause 36 per cent of all lower respiratory infections and 22 per cent of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; * High cholesterol is estimated to cause 18 per cent of global cerebrovascular and 56 per cent of global ischaemic heart disease, and overall accounts for about 4 million premature deaths per year; * There are over 1 billion overweight people in the world, and that half a million people in North America and Europe are expected to die this year from obesity related illnesses. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
