Maternal ; morbidity aspects ; Aspects of mortality statistics ; Hospitals, General

Mortality from acute diarrhoea in developed countries is low, but the morbidity and financial cost remains significant. A one-year prospective, descriptive, non-interventional, hospital-based study of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) was conducted in the year 2002 in the paediatric unit of University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, an urban hospital in Malaysia, to determine its morbidity and management. During the study period, 393 children with AGE were admitted, utilizing 0.50% of total patient-bed-day of the hospital. The median duration of symptoms before admission was two days. Seventy-seven percent of patients had consulted family physicians before admission. Antidiarrhoeal drugs (57%) and anti-emetics (48%) were commonly prescribed, but oral rehydrating solution (36%) was rarely advised. Upon admission, severe vomiting (24%) and severe diarrhea (24%) were not common, while 17% had moderate or severe dehydration. Rotavirus (22%) was the commonest pathogen identified. Electrolyte derangement, secondary septicaemia and chronic diarrhoea were all rare. Eighty-nine percent of patients received intravenous fluid therapy whilst in the hospital. No death was noted. The morbidity and mortality of children with AGE requiring hospital care in this study was low. However, preadmission management and fluid therapy after admission was not ideal. Efforts to encourage better adherence to established management protocol of AGE among family physicians and hospital clinicians should be instituted.
Hospitals ; Acute ; Age, NOS ; morbidity aspects ; Malaysia

A significant concern about body weight and shape is the pathognomonic feature of eating disorders. According to the cognitive view, ideation and belief component is the primary cause for the development and maintenance of eating disorders. Higher psychiatric morbidity and psychological stress increases the development of eating disorders. This study was conducted to examine whether there is a relationship between psychological stress and cognitive aspect of eating, and between secondary and tertiary students. A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine beliefs about weight and shape concerns among secondary and tertiary level students. A total of 1253 students consisting of 13-18 years old secondary school students and 19-24 years old medical students were involved in this study. The students completed a questionnaire assessing psychopathology on beliefs and attitudes towards weight and shape and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30). The results indicate a high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among university students compared to secondary students. Year 1 medical students appear to have a higher frequency of psychiatric morbidity (53.9%) than year 4 medical students (28.4%). Eating beliefs relating to weight and shape were significantly higher in secondary school students than medical students. The results of multiple linear regression on the eating belief questionnaire were a significant predictor of psychiatric morbidity. Higher GHQ scores were negatively related to eating belief question 28 of bulimic component. It would be useful to conduct future studies to explore the possible causal factors for weight and shape concerns among secondary school students and higher psychiatric morbidity among medical students in Kelantan.
seconds ; morbidity aspects ; Students, Medical ; Weight ; secondary school student

Feeding and dietary regimes ; Respiratory ; morbidity aspects ; Acute ; Malaria