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| Sunday, 25 May 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Compiled by Carol Aloysius Is your eye red and tearing? You could be a victim of ... Conjunctivitis Recent hospital statistics have recorded top alarming increase in patients seeking admission to eye units in state hospitals. This is due to an outbreak of conjunctivitis. As this condition spreads so quickly and easily it is necessary to know certain facts to safeguard ourselves against this malady. Dr. Ahmed Abdullah of the Centre for Sight, Kandy tells you how to recognise highly infectious eye disease.
The form of conjunctivitis causing the current epidemic is attributed to a virus an adenovirus. The disease is produced by transmission of the viral particles through air on to the eye or contaminated fingers directly touching the lids or washing or bathing in an already infected water source (e.g. swimming pools). Crowded locations, bazaars, schools and hospitals are high risk places. Symptoms The disease needs 5-10 days to manifest itself. The affected individual may complain of excessive tearing, irritation, grittiness and redness of eye, swelling of lids and some times pain on seeing light. Some patients may have additional symptoms of fever, inflamed throat, abdominal discomfort and nausea. Often a tender (lymph) node is felt in front of the ear on the side of the affected eye. Involvement of the second eye commonly occurs within a week. However serious it seems, the disease usually takes a benign course. Most of the patients recover as their symptoms subside by 7-15 days. The recovery is due to the production of Antibodies (certain blood proteins) against the type of Adenovirus involved. Even though there are many different kinds of this virus, usually outbreaks are caused by a single type. Therefore it is rare for a person to get the disease twice during the same epidemic. There is no effective remedy for adenoviral conjunctivitis. The disease runs its course and nothing can be done to hasten the recovery. The eye should be kept clean by wiping it with a clean wet cloth several times a day. It is always advisable to show it to an ophthalmologist and follow his advice. Some times the virus may invade the cornea (the transparent membrane on the black part of the eye) and distort the vision. This may prolong the disease and needs special medication. An ophthalmologist may also prescribe certain medication in order to relieve the symptoms of the patient. Prevention Employing measures to prevent the disease from spreading to others is more important than treatment. Conjunctivitis is a very catchy disease. Those who get the disease should not share wash clothes, linen, pillow cases, sheets, eye glasses, sun glasses and other common objects with others. They should not wipe eyes on towels or hankies but on clean cloth or if possible on disposable tissues. They also should wash their hands thoroughly, and should refrain from close physical contact during the contagious period. Family members and those treating the patient at home should be warned about contagiousness and advised to wash their hands each time after they touch the patient. Schoolchildren should be kept at home. Those who work in crowded or closed environment should abstain from attending such places where there is high chance of spreading the infection to others. Once the symptoms start to subside most patient think that their disease is cured and resume their normal activities leaving precautions. But this is not so. It has been shown that the infective virus is present in the eyes and throat of the patient up to 10-14 days after the onset of symptoms. Therefore it is essential to practice all the said precautions until the end of this period. *** What you should know about conjunctivitis * Conjunctivitis is a condition which can occur at any age. * In addition to redness there may be tearing, a difficulty in looking at bright lights and a discharge. * Gonococcal conjunctivitis is a serious disease in babies born to mothers who suffer from gonorrhoea. If this condition is not detected and treated early the baby may become blind. * In children and adults conjunctivitis is commonly due to viruses. * It tends to occur in epidemics. * Allergic conjunctivitis is commonly seen in allergic persons. A type of allergic conjunctivitis commonly seen is Vernal conjunctivitis. In this condition there are red spots around the cornea. These may persist for several years. * Regular medications are required to prevent complications. * All types of conjunctivitis except allergic types are treated with antibiotics. Allergic conjunctivitis is treated with applications of steroids. From 'your Child, Your Family' **** Types of conjunctivitis and their commonest causes: A. Bacterial - acute and chronic bacterial conjunctivitis are the commonest types the acute becomes chronic lasting a maximum of 2 weeks if untreated. B. Chlanydial Because of its location, the conjunctiva is exposed to many micro-organisms and other noxious substances..... Symptoms of conjunctivitis 1. Foreign body sensation, 2. Scratching, 3. Burning sensations, 4. A sensation of fullness around the eyes, 5. Itching, 6. Photophobia (when cornea is also affected) Foreign body sensation and a scratching or burning sensation are often associated with the swelling that accompany conjunctivitis. If there is pain the cornea is also probably affected. If the pain is more severe on waking and improves in the day suggests staphylocial injection. ########## Speech Therapy Why is it important? Speech therapy is not a very familiar word to most of us and even if it is, most of us do not know what it really means. Savithra C. Panagoda, a speech pathologist and audiologist explains to us its importance and relevance in today's society. Speech therapy is basically dealing with rehabilitation of patients with communication disorders. What are communication disorders? In simple words, any deviation from the normal effective communication could be called as a communication disorder. These disorders could be classified into 4 main categories, namely Articulation Disorders, Language Disorders, Fluency Disorders and Voice Disorders. Articulation is a process by which sounds, syllables and words are formed by the oral structures like tongue, palate and lips etc, which modify the air-stream coming across the vocal cords of our larynx. Therefore, an articulation problem can be defined as incorrect production of sounds, which are unintelligible to the listener. Several causes can result in articulation problems such as physical handicaps (cerebral palsy, dental problems and cleft palate etc). Mental retardation, Brain damage (resulting in Dysarthria) and even faulty guidance provided by adults. Articulation disorders, not only alter the meaning of the intended word, but also affects in the speed of an individual's speech as well. Language disorders could be present in children as well as in adults. What is commonly seen in children is a delay in speech and language acquisition, as compared to any other child of the same age. This could be caused by, hearing impairment, mental retardation, brain damage, cerebral palsy and commonly due to lack of language stimulation being provided at home as well. Adults experience language disorders with a difficulty in expressing their thoughts and/or with understanding what is being said or written by others. This condition is called "Aphasia" and is caused by brain damage, resulting most often from a stroke (Cerebro-vascular accident) or direct injury to the head. Fluency disorders mainly include stuttering (stammering) and cluttering, out of which stuttering is more common than the other. This typically begins at a very early age such as 3-5 years, but occasionally appears at other ages as well. Stuttering is also found to be more common in males than in females and up to-date, there is no cause in particular, found in literature, as a direct cause of stammering. Voice is the sound, being produced by the larynx, when the exhaled air from the lungs passes through the vocal cords, setting them into vibration. A normal voice is judged by, depending on the adequacy of pitch, loudness and quality, to suit the communicative needs of a particular person. Voice disorders are of a wide range, radiating across pitch disorders, loudness disorders and quality disorders, each of which would inevitably lead to an unpleasant voice. There could be various causes which result in voice disorders, namely continuous voice abuse, puberty, laryngeal paralysis, laryngeal tumors, structural defects etc. Whatever type the disorder may be, the ultimate consequence is an extreme difficulty in communication for the speaker as well as the listener. Have you ever imagined of a life with a difficulty in expressing your thoughts? Probably, you wouldn't even dare to! Therefore, we all know how much of an important role, does communication play in our lives. This is the very same reason, most of the patients with communication disorders land up with depression. Then why do we still hesitate to reach out for the remedial programs? There was no particular treatment as such, for communication disorders in the past. Therefore, patients with such disorders had no other option other than living with it. But today, we have reached a more advanced stage, where a separate profession itself is made available to help people in need. Speech therapy is a field, which successfully deals with such disorders, with the aim of restoring the patients communicative needs, using various rehabilitative techniques and approaches. This is generally a long-term treatment program, which depends on the severity and type of disorder. Therefore, for a successful completion of a therapeutic treatment plan, motivation and patience from the side of both the patient as well as clinician is of high importance. Gaining back your lost communicative skills, is not a dream any more...but only if you reach for intervention at your earliest. ########## Myths and Facts about Asthma Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by recurrent breathing problems and symptoms such as cough, chest tightness, wheeze, shortness of breath and sputum. Symptoms worsens early morning and night. Inadequate control of asthma can lead to death suffering/loss of sleep, loss of work/school, poor work performance and economic consequences. How do we treat asthma? "Asthma cannot be cured" however with moderate medication asthma could be well controlled to lead a normal life. What are the types of asthma drugs Relievers reduces the muscle spasm egs - salbutamol, ventolin, theophyllines and preventers that reduces the swelling of the airways. The swelling of the airways persist even if you don't have symptoms. These airway are hyper responsive or twitchy to a variety of triggers. It is your preventer medication that will control this swelling. It is important that you persist with this medication as advised by your doctor. Common Asthma triggers and how to avoid them Allergy - Avoid a) sweeping and dusting, b) mattresses and pillows may be covered with polythene, c) avoid having pets eg. cats, dogs and poultry. Emotional stress - Learn to relax and breathe properly during an attack, learn to cope with stress. Lung irritants - Avoid known irritants, avoid smoking and smokers. Weather - Avoid exposure to cold weather and air conditioning Drugs - Avoid Aspirin, over the counter medications containing Aspirin and other non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, Beta blockers. Food and drink - Avoid acidic foods/drink i.e. concentrated fruit juices, sour foods, colas etc. Food additives - Avoid "Ajinomoto", Cordials. . It is a chronic disorder which requires long term management . No cure but spontaneous remissions do occur. . If properly treated can lead normal lives. . Inhalers are safe, fast acting, minimum side effects, not addictive. Safe in pregnancy. Myths and facts Can Asthma affect a person at any age? Yes, and it can vary in severity in same person over time. Is Asthma inherited? Yes, trends to run in family like other allergies. Is Asthma signs of physical weakness? No, many athletes are asthmatics. Are inhalers addictive? No, tablets and inhalers contains same amount of medications. Tablets contains 100 times more medications than inhalers. Should a child with asthma be treated as a sick child? No, allow your child to lead a normal life. What food should I take? There are no foods should be avoided in common. However if a certain food causes symptoms they should be avoided. Can I get married? Well, controlled asthma is not a barrier to marriage or pregnancy. Asthma drugs are safe in pregnancy. Inhalers are safest in pregnancy. ########## Latest Research! new studies! Eating tuna 'can harm your baby' Pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers have been advised to limit the amount of tuna they eat, in a recent news item. The warning has been prompted by the discovery of high levels of mercury in fish and also applies to women trying to get pregnant. According to the Food Standards Agency there was a small risk that the poisonous metal could harm the nervous systems of unborn babies and new borns. Mothers are advised to eat no more than two medium size cans of tuna or one fresh tuna steak a week. That equates to six sandwiches or three tuna salads, the FSA said. Spokesman Dr. Andrew Wadge added: "It is unlikely that many pregnant or breast-feeding women eat more than the recommended amounts of these fish every week. It would be sensible to change their diets. New and expectant mothers are already told to avoid eating shark, swordfish and marlin because they are also high in mercury. The advice does not apply to children or any other adults. Mercury is released in to the ocean through the earth's crust but is also absorbed by sea water as pollution from burning household and industrial waste. Scientists have also warned pregnant women not to eat 'soya' in case it damages babies', 'sex organs'. Diets high in saturated fats found in metal, dairy products and palm and coconut oils - can double the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, scientists have claimed a recent update. Jalaldeen Jayah ########## First Aid Tips for poisoning Poisoning is one of the leading causes of hospital admissions and deaths in Sri Lanka. Following are some useful tips from the National Poisons Information Centre at the National Hospital in Colombo on how to detect and treat a patient who has ingested poison. Fertilizers and liquid manures - Contain ammonium sulphate, nitrates and urea. Gastric irritation may cause abdominal pain and vomiting. Treatment: Give plenty of milk or water to drink. Floor polish - This may contain kerosene as a constituent. Usually of low toxicity. Treatment: DO NOT induce vomiting. Give plenty of milk or water to drink. Hair dyes - The more permanent the dye the more toxic it is likely to be. Phenylene diamines are the major toxic ingredients. Serious toxicity unlikely. Induce vomiting. Give plenty of water or milk to drink. Treatment: Emesis with Syrup of Ipecac or lavage if more than 10 ml have been swallowed. Insecticides - All insecticides are toxic to man. Some contain organophosphorous compounds, which are of very high toxicity. Diarrhoea, vomiting, small pupils, frothing, fits and difficulty in breathing are some of the manifestations of poisoning. Induce vomiting. Give plenty of water to drink. Treatment: Gastric lavage is required. For organophosphates Atropine and Pralidoxine I.V. should be given. Assisted ventilation may be necessary. For carbamates I.V. Atropine alone is sufficient. Control fits with I.V. Diazepam. Iron tablets - There are several iron preparations available for treatment of anaemia. Some iron tablets look like sweets and children may swallow them. All iron preparations are toxic in overdose and even 200 mg of elemental iron can cause serious poisoning in children. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, tarry stools, difficulty in breathing and loss of consciousness are some of the manifestations of poisoning. If conscious, induce vomiting. Give plenty of water to drink. Treatment: Gastric lavage is required. Parenteral Desferrioxamine should be given without delay. Renal failure may require Dialysis. Kerosene and petroleum distillates - These are very toxic to children. Features of poisoning are nausea, vomiting, cough, weakness, dizziness, slow breathing, fits and coma. DO NOT induce vomiting. Give milk or water to drink. Treatment: If the airway can be protected, gastric lavage is indicated if; (a) More than 1 ml per kg body weight has been ingested. (b) Another toxic substance is dissolved in kerosene. (c) Signs of serious poisoning present. Give Antibiotics if bacterial infection present. Laxatives - In overdose can cause severe diarrhoea. Induce vomiting. Give plenty of water to drink. ########## From our readers Soya: good or bad? Authorities must clarify Since of late several letters in the local print media have appeared both English as well as Sinhala listing several adverse effects of 'Soya', the most startling revelation appearing in a 'Sunday Journal of 20 April by a Texas Girl. She goes on to describe how she started using Soya products specially Soya Milk in order to sustain a good figure and complexion. She has been a regular taker of Soya products. After a few years she had developed various complications such as irregular menstrual cycles etc. which forced her to take birth-control pills. A few years later two 'cysts' almost the size of a Tennis Ball she says were removed from her uterus. As she developed further complications and on going through some tests she had been found to have 'Cancer'. At a comparatively tender age of 22 she and her fiancee had been devastated on hearing this gruesome news, and later the cancer was completely removed after surgery and radio-active treatment. Later she had developed thyroids and then she decided to investigate how she contacted these deadly diseases. To her utter surprise she had found the cause of all her complications were due to 'Soya' she had taken regularly in various forms. She had,in her letter, pleaded with females to immediately stop taking Soya in any form and urged the WHO to inform the world of this deadly food item, which is popular specially among third-world countries and particularly in Sri Lanka. I also have come across some articles where they say that the consumption of 'Soya' regularly has rendered several males as well as females impotent. May I urge upon the authorities to please clarify this important issue and let the people know if Soya products or Soya by-products do have any adverse effects on health of the masses. If so,it is the bounden duty of the Government to ban this deadly food item and request the various 'Soya' manufacturers to diversify into other health-friendly food products. Ranjit C. Dissanayake |
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