ABSTRACT
Background: The hematological values of the new born is amenable to certain changes under the influence of fetal, maternal, and environmental factors. Aims and Objectives: The aims of this study was to study the effect of maternal factors on hemoglobin content and reticulocyte count in umbilical cord blood of newborns of Sikkim. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 cord blood samples from newborns delivered at CRH Hospital and STNM Govt. Hospital, Gangtok, Sikkim were analyzed. Two ml of cord blood was taken in an ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid tube under aseptic condition and within 6 h: Hemoglobin estimation and Reticulocyte count was done. Results: The mean reticulocyte count was 2.48 ± 0.87% in normal vaginal delivery (NVD) and in C/S was 3.06 ± 0.97%. The mean hemoglobin content was 13.9 ± 2.6 g/dL in NVD and in C/S was 16.1 ± 3.4 g/dL. P < 0.05 for cord hemoglobin and reticulocytes in relation to mode of delivery was found to be highly significant. The mean reticulocyte count was 2.85 ± 1.0% in normal pregnancy and in complication of pregnancy was 2.9 ± 0.70%. The mean hemoglobin content was 15.36 ± 3.31 g/dL in normal pregnancy and in complication of pregnancy was 16.1 ± 3.4 g/dL. The reticulocyte count was found to be statistically significant in relation to complication of pregnancy. The mean mother’s hemoglobin was 11.16 ± 1.27 when cord hemoglobin content was <14 g/dL and was 11.88 ± 1.24 g/dL when cord hemoglobin content was >14 g/dL. There was statistical significance between the cord hemoglobin content and the hemoglobin content of the mother. Conclusion: Maternal anemia leads to lower circulating hemoglobin in new born. Cord blood screening is a useful means for identification of anemia in neonatal period. High reticulocyte count in neonates denotes active erythropoiesis which might help to defer transfusion unless there were other special reasons for proceeding.
ABSTRACT
Background: It has been assessed that around 32 million pregnant women are affected by anemia globally. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to assess anemia among pregnant women attending antenatal outpatient department of Central Referral Hospital and to assess the risk factors associated with anemia. Materials and Methods: Venous blood was collected from 250 antenatal women to access the hemoglobin level, red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration (Hb), mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH), and mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and platelet count. Pretested questionnaires with a face to face interview to assess the risk factors associated with anemia were carried out. Results: The general prevalence of anemia in the antenatal group was 13.6%. Furthermore, the prevalence of anemia (P = 0.031) was more among multiparas (14.70%) then primiparas (12.60%). Furthermore, we found that anemia was more common in patients residing in rural areas (79.50%) than in urban areas (20.50%). Furthermore, the educational qualification of the subjects was significantly related to anemia (P = 0.006) with the percentage prevalence of anemia most common among high school group (27.20%) then graduates (8.20%) and postgraduates (4.70%). Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in Sikkim was found to be low with iron deficiency anemia being the most common, but other causes of anemia were also found to be substantial. Hence, a detailed community-based studies to assess the true burden as well as causes of this disease are imperative to further decrease its prevalence.
ABSTRACT
Background: Several studies support the influence of ethnicity on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Aim and Objectives: This study aims to investigate the difference in correlation between obesity profile and blood pressure (BP) between Sikkimese and immigrant students in Gangtok. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, Sikkim, Gangtok. A total of 274 students aged 18–25 years were included in the study. The anthropometric parameters (Height, weight, BMI, and Waist Circumference [WC]), systolic and diastolic BP (DBP) of the ethnic and immigrant group, were recorded. Two-tail Students’ test was performed to compare two groups and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to measure the linear correlation. Results: Mean value of all variables-BMI, WC, Systolic BP (SBP), and DBP was higher in the immigrant group as compared to the ethnic group, but the differences were not statistically significant. Lower prevalence of general obesity, abdominal obesity, elevated BP., and hypertension was found among Sikkimese compared to non-Sikkimese young adults. A stronger positive correlation was found between BP and WC and between BP and BMI in immigrants compared to the ethnic group. Conclusion: Higher incidence of different cardiovascular risk factors in young immigrant adults as compared to the ethnic Sikkimese group in this study points toward ethnicity-dependent differences in the relationship between obesity profile and BP.
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Background: Vehicular or automobile emission constitutes a significant health injury to traffic policemen posted at thenumerous traffic junctions. Aim and Objectives: Evaluating the spirometric lung function test parameters of traffic policemen posted in Gangtok town and to compare and measure the findings with general police personnel and also to study the effect of exposure to long-term automobile pollution. Materials and Methods: In this study, after matching for anthropometric variables such as weight, height, and body mass index, 40 traffic policemen were taken as case and 40 general duty policemen were taken as control groups. The exclusion criteria were duly screened, and only those subject who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included after which the spirometric pulmonary function tests (PFT) ‘s evaluation was done. The indices measured in the study included (1) Forced vital capacity (FVC) (2) Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (3) FEV1/FVC ratio (4) Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) (5) Forced mid expiratory flow (FEF 25–75%). Spirometric indices of the subjects and controls were statistically analyzed using the student’s t test and p value computed against the degree of freedom. Results: The traffic policemen showed decline in various PFT indices as compared to controls in terms of FVC(L), FEV1 (L), FEV1/FVC, FEF 25–75%, PEFR, although it was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The traffic policemen working in Gangtok town had decreased PFT, although it was not statistically significant in this study. Even then, we strongly recommend for the adoption and practice of various preventive measure from vehicular pollution and conduction of further studies on larger samples.
ABSTRACT
Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness that is known to be endemic in the South East Asian countries and the Western Pacific region. We here report an outbreak in the tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim. Patients with pyrexia of unknown origin were evaluated. They were screened by Weil-Felix test and the rapid immunochromatographic method. Samples that were positive by either Weil-Felix agglutination test or by rapid immunochromatography were confirmed by IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total 204 samples were screened. Sixty-three patients were confirmed positive among which 42 were male and 21 were female. Effective management and early administration of antibiotics will help prevent the complications and mortality associated with scrub typhus.
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BACKGROUND: Rheumatic heart disease remains a major public health problem in developing countries with its very high prevalence. Rheumatic and congenital heart disease are significant causes of morbidity and mortality among Nepalese schoolchildren. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of rheumatic and congenital heart disease among schoolchildren of the Kathmandu valley in Nepal. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study included 9420 students, of whom 4466 were male and 4954 were female, with ages ranging from 5 to 18 years. A clinical survey was conducted by the examining team in selected schools, and involved answering standard questionnaires. A total of 83 children were suspected of having heart disease. Out of these 83 children, 23 were confirmed to have heart disease; 11 had rheumatic heart disease, and 12 congenital heart disease, giving a prevalence of 1.2/1000 and 1.3/1000, respectively. The commonest cardiac lesions were mitral regurgitation in the rheumatic heart disease group, and atrial septal defect in the congenital heart disease group. A higher prevalence of congenital heart disease was detected in females. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of rheumatic heart disease and congenital heart disease among schoolchildren of Kathmandu is 1.2/1000 and 1.3/1000, respectively, with mitral regurgitation and atrial septal defect being the commonest lesions.