1.Determinants of Glucose Control among Elderly Diabetics in Kulim
Medicine and Health 2011;6(2):78-85
Globally, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and the average life expectancy is on the rise. As diabetes mellitus is commonly associated with old age, it is very important to ensure good glucose control to reduce complications and improve quality of life. A cross sectional study was conducted among elderly diabetics in Kulim with the aim to determine the prevalence of glucose control and its associated factors. Three hundred and twenty nine respondents were chosen through stratified random sampling in all the seven health clinics in Kulim. Respondents were interviewed personally using a structured questionnaire. HbA1c level of 6.5% and below was considered as good glucose control. Prevalence of good glucose control was 22.5%. Being male (Adjusted prevalence odds ratio, APOR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.02-3.00), age of 70 years and above (APOR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.40-4.39) and duration of diabetes less than five years (APOR = 2.10, 95% CI:1.21-3.64 ) were found to have significant association with good glucose control. As a conclusion, this study showed that the low prevalence of good glucose control was determined by gender, age and duration of illness.
2.Do the majority of Malaysian women have dense breasts on mammogram?
Zulfiqar MA* ; Rohazly I ; Rahmah MA
Biomedical Imaging and Intervention Journal 2011;7(2):1-6
Purpose: To determine: (i) the mammographic parenchymal patterns in Malaysian women and whether the breasts
are dense on mammogram; (ii) the effect of age on breast density; (iii) the effect of parity on breast density; (iv) the
difference in breast parenchymal patterns among the major races of women in Malaysia.
Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 1,784 patients (981 Malays, 571 Chinese, 214 Indians and
18 others) who had undergone mammography during the 1-year study period. Majority of women (41.7%) were aged
between 51 and 60 years and majority (43%) had 3–4 children. The Tabar classification (Pattern I - V) was used to
evaluate breast parenchymal patterns on mammogram. Tabar Pattern I was further divided into 3 sub-groups (Pattern IA,
IB, and IC). The different patterns were then grouped into dense (IB, IC, IV, V) and not dense (IA, II, III) breasts. The
SPSS package was used for statistical analysis.
Results: Majority (59%) of Malaysian women had dense breasts (Pattern IB 29%, IC 20%, IV 5%, and V 5%) and
41% did not have dense breasts (Pattern IA 28%, II 6%, and III 7%). Age and parity were inversely related to breast
density (p < 0.0001). Chinese women (65.7%) had the highest percentage of dense breasts (p = 0.69, odds ratio = 1.22),
followed by the Indians (57.2%) and the Malays (50.5%).
Conclusion: Majority of women had dense breasts but Pattern IV, which has been associated with increased risk of
breast cancer, was seen in only 5% of the women. The breast density reduced steadily with increasing age and parity.
There was no statistically significant difference in breast density in the three main races.
3.Do Elderly Women In Malaysia Go For Mammogram Screening?
Rahmah MA ; Aniza I ; Che Engku Nor Bahiyah CEM
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2013;13(2):20-26
Despite the debates of the benefits of continuing mammography screening among elderly women, studies in Malaysia have shown that the prevalence of breast examination declines after age 45 years and for mammogram per se, the prevalence of examination increases until age of 64. This study aims to determine the prevalence of mammogram screening among elderly women in Hulu Langat, Selangor and its relationship with factors such as demographic factors, family history of breast cancer, perceived health status, perceived general psychological factor and lifestyle factors. Data used were from a cross sectional study of health status among community in Hulu Langat area by the Department of Community Health, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia carried out from the year 1998 till 2002. However this paper focused on the database involving elderly women age 60 and above. The sample population was 652. The mean (standard deviation) age was 67.17 (5.995). Only 8.3% of the elderly women claimed to ever had mammogram screening done. Hence, the prevalence of mammogram screening is still low among elderly women in Hulu Langat. Having family history of breast cancer (p < 0.001) and perceived positive psychological status (p=0.003) had shown significant associations with mammogram screening among them. It is therefore important for researcher to further look into the reasons behind this and qualitative exploration is highly recommended.
4.Precocious puberty in children: A review of imaging findings
Faizah MZ ; Zuhanis AH ; Rahmah R ; Raja AA ; Wu LL ; Dayang AA ; Zulfiqar MA
Biomedical Imaging and Intervention Journal 2012;8(1):1-8
Objectives: This review was aimed at determining the imaging findings in patients with precocious puberty.
Results: Within a period of 8 years (from 2002 to 2010) there were 53 patients diagnosed with precocious puberty. Out of the 53 patients, 37 had undergone diagnostic imaging to detect the possible organic causes of precocious puberty. Imaging findings were positive in 31 patients and out of that, 3 patients had 2 findings each (34 abnormalities). Of the patients with positive imaging findings, central precocious puberty (gonadotrophin-dependent) was more common (81%; 25/31) and the causes included: tuber cinereum hamartoma (n = 10), glioma (n = 6), pineal gland tumour (n = 4), hydrocephalous (n = 3), arachnoid cyst (n = 2) and others (n = 3). Peripheral precocious puberty (gonadotrophin-independent) causes included: testicular adrenal rest tumour (n = 3), adrenal carcinoma (n = 1), ovarian granulosa thecal cell tumour (n = 1), and tuberous sclerosis (n = 1).
Conclusion: Positive imaging findings were observed in 84% (31/37) of the subjects. Hypothalamic hamartoma was the most common imaging finding in central precocious puberty while testicular adrenal rest tumour was the most common imaging finding in peripheral precocious puberty