Asthma is a chronic reversible respiratory problem commonly seen by Family Physicians. Pregnancy can produce physiological and physical changes that can affect the severity of asthma and its management. Conversely poorly controlled asthmatic attacks can result in adverse obstetric outcome: prematurity, low birth weight babies, foetal hypoxia and increased maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality. It is important that Family Physicians should be able to manage competently and provide appropriate counseling for women with asthma in pregnancy, labour and lactation. Assessment of asthma control using a peak flow meter is recommended. The use of the usual inhaled and oral corticosteroids, beta 2 agonists, cromones and anticholinergics are generally safe in pregnancy, labour and lactation. But methylxanthines should be used with caution. Women should be advised that asthma medication would not adversely affect their unborn babies and the birth outcome of well-controlled asthmatic women approaches that of the normal population but uncontrolled asthma would be detrimental to the health of mother and child.
A full-year study of sickness absence was done on 148 workers in a bus company. 58.8% of the workers took one or more than one day of absence while 42.2% took no absence at all. Sickness absence rates were 1.64 spells per person, 2.26 days per person and mean length of spell was 1.38 days per spell. The figures were low compared with Western countries or Singapore. Indian had higher absence rates and bus drivers and conductors had less days and spells of absence than office staff and mechanics in the same company.
Contact lenses provide an alternative to spectacles for many people. However, the hazard of bacterial corneal ulcers exists. This article describes a soft contact lens wearer who developed a bacterial corneal ulcer. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is essential for eradication of the infection and prevention of loss of vision.
471 ovarian tumours were available for study from 1980 to 1987. Epidemiological breakdown by race, age and the histological type of the tumours was obtained. The diagnosis of the individual tumours was based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) histological classification of ovarian tumours. There were 324 (68.8%) benigh and 147 (31.2%) malignant tumours. 253 (53.7%) of the tumours were seen in the Malays. The third decade was the peak age for the benigh tumours, and for the malignant tumours, the fourth and fifth decades. 138 (42.6%) of the benign ovarian tumours were cystic teratomas and 45 (30.6%) of the malignant tumours were cystadenocarcinoma.