Health Watch

Be active to keep bone diseases at bay

Hiran H.Senewiratne

Orthopaedics is the medical specialty that focuses on injuries and diseases of body’s musculoskeletal system. This complex system includes your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves and enables you to move, work, and be active.

Sri Lanka Orthopaedic Association President Dr. Narendra Pinto said orthopaedics is a branch of medicine that treats the defects in the masculoskeletal system. Fortunately it is not very common in Sri Lanka.

He said orthopaedic surgeons are familiar with all aspects of the musculoskeletal system. Many orthopaedists specialize in certain areas, such as the foot and ankle, spine, hip or knee. Some orthopaedic surgeons may specialize in several areas. musculoskeletal means physical movement of a person, he said Once devoted to the care of children’s spine and limb deformities, orthopaedists now focus in patients of all ages, from newborns with club feet to young athletes requiring arthroscopic surgery to older people with arthritis, he said.

These diseases are of the bone joints, muscles, tendons, cartilage, nerves and blood vessels, congenital deformities, like club foot and congenital dislocation of hips. Therefore these deformities of bones grow when the child grows. Sometimes due to hormone disorder or due to no apparent reason.

These diseases are prevalent among children between one to five years, he said. When the child grows, child gets bone and joint infections which can be due to an injury or due to blood bone infections originating from small infections focussed elsewhere in the body. Fortunately this type of infection is rare in Sri Lanka, Dr. Pinto said.

Dr. Pinto said injuries and trauma are concerned the orthopaedic condition includes various fractures, dislocations, strains and bruises, cuts and laceration a which also include major parts of orthopaedics diseases and 80 percent patients who are hospitalized due to an orthopaedic condition included this trauma conditions.

Modes of injuries

This includes traffic accidents, injuries resulting from violence, occupational injuries and sport injuries. The leading causes for hospital admittance in Sri Lanka is trauma. Trauma patients take priority in the need for treatment.

It is always advisable to go to the nearest Government hospital for treatment after an injury because they have all the facilities including X-ray and operative care if the patient needs them.

It is also important to note that after treatment, the fracture or the dislocation, patient needs a complete rehabilitation care including physiotherapist program, he said.

Congenital treatment

These congenital deformities/disorders are commonly detected. Club foot and congenital dislocation of hips need treatment from day one in a specialist orthopaedic unit, he said. Most deformities are self limiting. With the growth of the child deformities get corrected by themself. Only a very few need surgical treatment.

Bone infections

Bones and joints are a serious condition and open fractures should be treated in hospitals under surgical care. Heamogenous or blood bone

Infections of the bones and joints are rare but extensive pain of a limb with fever, one should seek medical advice.

Degenarative conditions

- Osteoarthritis

- Muscle strengthening

-Change of lifestyle

Reducing the stress on the joints is important but it does not mean persons affected by it should not be bed-bound or house-bound but he/she should engage in activities within the range of comforts, he said.

To reduce the incidents of osteoporosis a person should engage in weight bearing activities like walking and taking calcium rich food and additional calcium supplement on the advice by family physician.

Surgical treatments of end stage of osteoarthritis with excessive pain which cannot be controlled through conservative methods and deformities of deformed joints include artificial joint replacements.

Diet

Green leaves, small fish and pulses, calcium rich food and and milk food should be included in your diet. Physical activities also play a major role in strengthening bones in the young and the old.

Building strong bones in childhood would beget strong bones when you grow old. Smoking, alcohol and certain drugs like steroids are also major factors for these diseases, he said.

Traffic noise linked with blood pressure

Living next to busy roads may contribute to high blood pressure, a new study available on Sunday suggests.

People whose homes are in earshot of engines rumbling, horns honking and brakes screeching have an increased risk of high blood pressure, according to the study appearing in the Sept. issue of Environmental Health published in the United States.

To determine how much traffic noise they were exposed to on a regular basis, researchers at Lund University Hospital in Sweden analyzed data from nearly 28,000 questionnaires about people’s living arrangements in Scania, a province in southern Sweden. They found that young and middle-aged people who lived in homes where they were exposed to traffic noise above 60 decibels were more likely to have high blood pressure, which over time can lead to cardiovascular disease and stroke. The association with hypertension got stronger as the decibel level went up.

Among older people aged 60 to 80, higher decibel levels weren’t linked to more hypertension. One reason for the finding could be that younger people are less likely to have high blood pressure, making the impact from traffic noise more evident.

LOS ANGELES, , Xinhua

Depression in old age

Dr. Ruwan M. Jayatunge M.D.

Depression is a mood disorder -one of the common mental health problems today. Depression can interfere with a person’s ability to function effectively and productively. Depression is common among the elderly population. Some view depression as a physiological reaction in the old age. But some researches deny this factor and point out that adjustment difficulties in the old age cause depressive symptoms and emphasize depression is not a normal or necessary part of ageing.

There are many psycho-physiological and social changes faced by the elderly. With ageing, numerous physical ailments such as diabetes, arthritis digestive problems emerge. In addition to these physical illnesses retirement, death of spouse, isolation, lack of recognition, financial problems, monotonous lifestyle, lack of mobility can trigger depression.

Untreated and masked depression can cause various complications in elderly.Self harm and suicide becoming common among the ageing population as a result of depression. Therefore, this has become one of the major public health issues.

There are many sings and symptoms visible among the elderly who are suffering from depression. Sometimes these symptoms are obscured and difficult to recognize. Many depressive elders complain of excessive fatigue, and loss of appetite.

Their social withdrawal and isolation is marked and some abandon the interest in hobbies or other pleasurable activities. Sleep disturbances such as difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep, oversleeping, become prominent. Some indulge in alcohol and other drugs. Memory impairment is another factor in depression. Difficulty in concentrating and forgetfulness are common. Some depressed elders neglect their personal hygiene. Very often they can become irritated, nagging and come up with various accusations against their loved ones and caretakers.

Some of the medical conditions can trigger depression. Those include heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and diabetes. In addition, some medications such as steroids, hormones, hypertensive drugs, anti-cancer drugs too induce depression.

There are many ways to combat depression in elderly. Connecting to others is one way of breaking the social isolation. Helping people is the best way to feel better and regain perspective. Some elders get pets to keep company.

Participating in activities that brought enjoyment in the past also another effective mode to forget worries. Laughter provides a mood elevation.

Therefore watching a comedy, reading funny books, exchanging humorous stories with the friends keep the person happy and active.

Maintaining a healthy diet is essential. Consuming alcoholic beverages frequently can worsen the depression. Although elderly people have lack of mobility and strength, many safe exercises are designated for them to be active and to have an optimum mood.

If the depressive symptoms are more, prominent medical treatment and psychotherapy are recommended. Ageing population does not need to suffer in silent or otherwise. They can enjoy life as everyone else. Ageing is not an obstacle to happiness.

Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Mosquito-borne African virus a new threat to West The United States and Europe face a new health threat from a mosquito-borne disease far more unpleasant than the West Nile virus that swept into North America a decade ago, a US expert said . Chikungunya virus has spread beyond Africa since 2005, causing outbreaks and scores of fatalities in India and the French island of Reunion. It also has been detected in Italy, where it has begun to spread locally, as well as France.

Men with rare gender disorder can still have kids Men with a rare disorder in which they carry extra female genes can still have children if they undergo a surgical procedure for collecting their sperm, according to a new study. Men with Klinefelter’s syndrome carry an extra copy of the X chromosome; normally men have one each of the X and Y chromosomes, and women have two X chromosomes. Men with Klinefelter’s syndrome carry XXY, and the main effect of the disorder is less fertility.

H1N1 vaccine production far less than forecast: WHO Production of H1N1 vaccine over the next year will be “substantially less” than the 4.9 billion doses previously forecast but one dose should provide adequate protection, the World Health Organization (WHO) said . Based on clinical test results from some 25 drugmakers, weekly production of the new vaccine will be less than 94 million doses, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said.

Medical societies push standards for robotic surgery Surgeons are increasingly turning to high-tech robotic equipment to operate on patients with prostate cancer and other conditions but some medical authorities worry about inadequate training and lax standards among practitioners.

Doctors are opting for Intuitive Surgical’s popular da Vinci Surgical System over conventional surgery, especially for removing the prostate gland, because it is less invasive and allows for greater precision. There were some 80,000 robotic prostatectomy procedures in the United States last year.

Intense exercise may lower your blood count Exercise is good for you, but watch it: A new study found that young men engaging in strenuous physical activity are “an often overlooked” group that’s at risk for low blood counts and iron deficiency. Dr. Drorit Merkel from the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer and colleagues studied 153 males, all 18 years old, who were training to join an elite combat unit in the Israel Defense Force.

More active kids have easier time falling asleep If you’re one of those parents who likes to let their kids run themselves ragged so they fall asleep more easily, you may be onto something: the more activity kids get, the faster they’ll drop off to sleep, according to a new study.

The study, in 591 seven-year-olds, also found that kids who spent more time in sedentary activities took longer to actually fall asleep after they went to bed.. Swine flu travel responses seen undermining message The global public health campaign to convey a realistic view of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic is being undermined by a babble of contradictory reactions at international airports, experts said on Friday.

Air travelers are confronted by a host of inconsistent H1N1 messages and approaches as they travel between countries. Authorities at some airports quarantine suspected flu cases, while others dispense with posting even the most basic health information for passengers.

For lymphoma, where you get care may affect outcome Lymphoma patients’ survival can depend on where they live, and where they get treated, a new study out in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows. Low- to intermediate-risk patients living in rural areas fared worse if they got care at a community-based center, rather than a university-based treatment provider, Dr. Fausto R. Loberiza of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and his colleagues found.

REUTERS