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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty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 Haemoglobin, BMI and productivity of apparel factory workers(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2018) de Alwis, R.A.S.D.; de Costa, M.C.N.; de Zoysa, E.C.E.S.; Dias, I.D.A.P.M.; de Silva, N.D.D.N.; Williams, H.S.A.; Pathmeswaran, A.INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Apparel exports bring the largest amount of foreign exchange in to the country. Thus the productivity of the apparel sector is an important factor in the -economic development of Sri Lanka. Therefore, it is paramount to identify factors associated with productivity in this sector. Previous studies in the plantation sector have shown a significant correlation of productivity with haemoglobin levels. Thus the objective of this study was to determine the association of haemoglobin levels and BMI with the productivity. METHODS: A cross sectional analytical study was performed on 148 women workers from an apparel factory. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Height, weight, haemoglobin and blood pressure were measured. A star score system (ranging from 1 to 4) used by the management was taken as the measure of productivity. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 32. 1 years (SD = 8.9). The mean haemoglobin level was 12.24 g/dL (SD: 1.13). 18.9% of participants were anaemic (Haemoglobin< 11.5g/dL). Anaemia was associated with low productivity (OR= 3.0; p-value = 0.01). Mean BMI was 24.36 kg/m2 (SD= 5.84). 21.1% of the participants were below 18.5kg/m2 suggesting chronic energy deficiency. 23.8% of the participants were overweight and 14.3% had obesity. No significant association was found between BMI and productivity (p-value = 0.54). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of anaemia was lower in this population compared to the non-pregnant women of the general population. There was a significant association between anaemia and low productivity.Item Studies on Haemoglobin E β-thalassaemia in Sri Lanka(Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Premawardhena, A.P.Haemoglobin E β-thalassaemia is the commonest cause of non-transfusion dependent thalassaemia in Sri Lanka. It is a disease exclusively restricted to people of South and Southeast Asian descent. It is phenotypically very variable, presenting great difficulties in the establishment of management guidelines. A cohort of patients with this disease has been followed up at the Kurunegala Thalassaemia Centre for nearly 20 years, in an attempt to study the basis for the enormous phenotypic diversity. All were initially taken off transfusion and observed closely for their response. Patients were classed into five groups based on growth and clinical responses, and further laboratory studies were done in an attempt to explain the reasons for observed variations. Primary, secondary and tertiary modifiers involved in phenotype modification were identified, along with some clinical factors which may predict disease severity. Older patients were observed to have lower markers of bone marrow expansion.