Medicine
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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
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Item Prevalence and correlates of noise induced hearing loss among traffic policemen in the city of Colombo(College of the Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2013) Nagodawithana, N.S.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Pannila, A.S.; Sathiakumar, N.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.INTRODUCTION: Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a high frequency sensory-neural hearing loss in subjects who are exposed to environmental noise, but this diagnosis is made only after excluding other reasons for the hearing. Traffic policemen are exposed to environmental noise due to the nature of their duty and are susceptible to develop NIHL. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of NIHL among traffic policemen in the city of Colombo. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study and traffic policemen working in the city of Colombo were selected for study. Cluster sampling method was adopted to select 350 participants. Pure tone audiometry test was performed to assess the level of NIHL. The test was performed in an audiology laboratory or in a sound treated, air-conditioned conference hall. Hearing levels of participants were classified according to a classification obtained by modifying the Clark’s classification. Correlates of NIHL were assessed using information collected using an Interviewer Administered Questionnaire (IAQ). RESULTS: Pure tone audiometry was performed on 287 policemen. High frequency hearing of, 169 participants (58.9%) was normal. Seventy nine participants (27.5%) had minor NIHL and 39 participants (13.6%) had major NIHL. In bivariate analysis 23 variables showed statistically significant association with mild and major NIHL of traffic policeman in the city of Colombo. However according to multi-variate analysis only age had statistically significant association with major NIHL with odds-ratio (OR) of 1.088 while only “duration of work as a policeman” had statistically significant association with any NIHL (major or minor) with OR of 1.007. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Prevalence of NIHL among traffic policemen working in the city of Colombo was 41.1% (95% CI=35.5%–46.9%). A third of those having NIHL had major NIHL. Traffic policemen should undergo periodic hearing assessment. The police department should explore the feasibility of reducing the number of hours per day spent on the road by traffic policemen. Traffic policemen with NIHL must be transferred to a different division immediately.Item Prevalence and correlates of noise induced hearing loss among traffic policemen in the City of Colombo(Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health, 2013) Nagodawithana, N.S.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Pannila, A.S.; Sathiakumar, N.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a high frequency sensory-neural hearing loss in subjects who are exposed to environmental noise, but this diagnosis is made only after excluding other reasons for the hearing. Traffic policemen are exposed-to environmental noise due to the nature of their doty and are susceptible to develop NIHL The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of NIHL among traffic policemen in the city of Colombo. METHODS: A cross sectional study was carried out among traffic po icemen in the city of Colombo, 350 participants were selected by cluster sampling. Pure-tone ; udionietry test was performed to assess the level of NIHL. Hearing levels of participants were classified using a classification obtained by modifying the Clark's classification. Correlates of NIHL were assessed using an Interviewer Administered Questionnair (IAQ). RESULTS: High frequency hearing of, 169 (total 287} participants (5->.9%) was normal. Seventy nine participants (27.5%) had minor NIHL and 39 participants (13.6%) lad major NIHL. In bivariate analysis 23 variables showed statistically significant association with mild and major NIHL while multi-variate analysis showed only age had statistically significant association with major NIHL with odds-ratio(OR) of 1.088 and only 'duration of work as a policeman" had statistically significant association with any NIHL (major or minor) with OR of 1.007. Conclusions: Prevalence of NIHL among traffic policcrien working in the city of Colombo was 41.1 %(95% CI=35.5%-46.9%). A third of those having r IHL had major NIHL. Traffic policemen should undergo periodic hearing assessment. The police department should explore the feasibility of reducing the number of HOLTS per day spent on the road by traffic policemen. Traffic policemen with NIHL must be transfe'-red to a different division immediately.Item Noise-induced hearing loss among traffic policemen in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka(IOS Press, 2015) Nagodawithana, N.S.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Pannila, A.S.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Sathiakumar, N.Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a high frequency sensory-neural hearing loss and exposure to traffic noise by traffic policemen makes them susceptible to develop NIHL. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of NIHL among traffic policemen in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. A cross sectional study was carried out using 350 traffic policemen who are working in the city at least six months of duration. Pure-tone audiometry test and interviewer-administered questionnaire were used to assess hearing and correlates of NIHL, respectively. The chi-square test and logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between risk factors and NIHL. 287 policemen attended pure-tone audiometry test to check their hearing. Of 287 subjects, the prevalence of NIHL was found in 118 policemen (41%; 95% CI: 36%-47%). Of those with any type of NIHL, 33% (39/118) had major NIHL while 67% (79/118) had minor NIHL. In bivariate analysis 23 variables showed statistically significant association with mild and major NIHL. Multivariate logistic regression modelling found statistically significant association between “duration of employment as a policeman” and any type of NIHL (OR = 1.007; 95% CI = 1.005-1.009), adjusted for 23 variables including age. The prevalence of NIHL among traffic policemen in the city was high. Of those with any type of NIHL, one-third had major NIHL. Traffic policemen should undergo periodic hearing assessment. The police department should explore the feasibility of reducing the number of hours per day spent on the road by traffic policemen.