Medicine
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/12
This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
Browse
6 results
Search Results
Item Intestinal parasitoses and the nutritional status of Veddah children in Sri Lanka(SEAMEO Regional Tropical Medicine and Public Health Project, 2004) Chandrasena, T.G.A.N.; Premaratna, R.; de Alwis, A.C.; de Silva, L.D.R.; Morel, R.P.; de Silva, N.R.This study describes and compares the intestinal parasitoses and nutritional statuses of primary school children of Veddah (local indigenous population) and Sinhalese (more advanced society) in rural Sri Lanka. Children attending years 1-3 (age range 6-15 years) at Dambana Primary School (Veddah) and Wewatta Primary School (Sinhalese) were included in the study. Stools and blood samples were examined for evidence of intestinal parasites and anemia. The heights and weights of the children were measured and anthropometric indices calculated. There was a high prevalence of G. intestinalis and B. hominis (Giardia 7.8.percent and 6.2.percent; Blastocystis 17.2.percent and 17.3.percent at Dambana and Wewatta, respectively) in both communities, the predominant helminth being N. americanus (20.3.percent at Dambana and 14.8.percent at Wewatta; pgreater than 0.05). Other geohelminth infections were scarce in both communities. A greater proportion of boys than girls were underweight and stunted in both communities. Wasting and anemia was significantly high among the Veddah children.Item Geo-helminth infections in a rural area of Sri Lanka(SEAMEO Regional Tropical Medicine and Public Health Project, 2001) Fernando, S.D.; Goonethilleke, H.; Weerasena, K.H.; Kuruppuarachchi, N.D.; Tilakaratne, D.; de Silva, D.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.School children carry the heaviest burden of morbidity due to intestinal helminth infection. The objective of this investigation was to study geo-helminth infections in 349 school children aged 6 to 13 years living in a rural area of Sri Lanka. Stool samples were examined by direct saline smear in an initial survey to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and thereafter the children were followed up over a two year period with cross sectional surveys of stool samples being carried out at yearly intervals. Following collection of a stool sample, all the subjects were treated with mebendazole 500 mg as a single dose. Weights and heights were measured using standardized procedures. 2 ml of venous blood were collected from each subject under aseptic conditions to determine hematological indices. The prevalence of geo-helminth infections was low, and the prevalence declined during the two-year period from 5.4 percent in 1997 to 2.2 percent in 1998 and 2.0 percent in 1999 following yearly mass anti-helminth treatment. The incidence density was 0.021 cases per child year. The reduction in the prevalence from the baseline to the second survey is probably due to the reduction of the reservoir of infection among children as a result of mass treatment at baseline. The prevalence of infection during the second and third surveys were almost the same probably due to infections originating from other segments of the untreated population.Item Intestinal helminth infections among children in a slum community in Enderamulla(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 1999) Udayani, W.I.; Uduwevidane, K.; Uvais, A.L.; Wanniarachchi, S.L.; Warnakulasuriya, S.N.; de Silva, N.R.No Abstract availableItem Morbidity and mortality due to Ascaris-induced intestinal obstruction(Oxford University Press, 1997) de Silva, N.R.; Guyatt, H.L.; Bundy, D.A.P.We examined epidemiological aspects of Ascaris-induced intestinal obstruction (AI-IO) through analysis of published reports on the subject. In 9 studies of > or = 100 patients admitted to hospital due to ascariasis, intestinal obstruction was the single most common complication and accounted for 38-87.5% of all complications (weighted mean 72%). The proportion of intestinal obstruction caused by ascariasis was identified in 14 studies from 7 countries with varying degrees of endemic ascariasis. Using relevant data on the duration of the study, the number of beds in the reporting hospital, and the number of hospital beds/1000 population in the area, the number of cases of AI-IO/year/1000 population was estimated from 11 studies. Both the proportion of AI-IO (range 0-0.71) and the number of cases of AI-IO/year/1000 population (range 0-0.25) were significantly related, in a non-linear manner, to the local prevalence of ascariasis (range 0.01-0.92). In 12 studies of > or = 30 patients with AI-IO, the case fatality rates ranged from 0 to 8.6% (weighted mean 5.7%). The mean age of patients with AI-IO was < or = 5 years in 6 of 7 studies in which age was specified.Item Intestinal worms: our turn to turn(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 1995) de Silva, H.J.; de Silva, N.R.No Abstract AvailableItem Intestinal parasitoses in the Kandy area, Sri Lanka(SEAMEO Regional Tropical Medicine and Public Health Project, 1994) de Silva, N.R.; de Silva, H.J.; Jayapani, V.P.P.The prevalence of intestinal protozoa and geohelminths was assessed among two diverse populations in the Kandy area: adults attending medical outpatients clinics at the Teaching Hospital Peradeniya, and pre-school children in low-cost housing areas within the Kandy Municipality. In addition to a brief history and examination, a fresh stool sample was obtained and examined by direct smears in saline and iodine, and by formol-ether concentration. The children's stool samples were also examined for Cryptosporidium by cold Ziehl-Neelsen staining. A total of 192 stool samples from the adult outpatients (101 males, age range 15-82 years, mean 51.4 years) and 354 samples from the pre-school children (age range 1-72 months, mean 30 months) were examined. Entamoeba histolytica was not seen in any of the samples; Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts were seen in three and one sample respectively from the pre-school children. The overall prevalence of geohelminth infections was 21.3% among the adults and 24.5% among the children. Ascaris lumbricoides was the predominant species in both populations. Comparison of the rate of intestinal parasite infection among 37 adult patients patients with non-specific abdominal complaints, with the rate among 37 matched controls with no abdominal complaints showed no significant difference (16% and 19% respectively). This suggests that the presence of abdominal pain or diarrhea was unrelated to the presence of intestinal parasites in the adult study population. Although the techniques used were not highly sensitive, the absence of E. histolytic probably reflects a true decline in the prevalence of this parasite in Sri Lanka