MyMedR

Fulltext A thyroid mass that moves with tongue protrusion: An ectopic thyroid gland

Yaroko AA, Mohamad I, Abdul Karim AH, Wan Abdul Rahman WF

Malays Fam Physician, 2014;9(2):61-3.

Thyroglossal duct cyst (TDC) is a developmental anomaly that usually appears in early childhood. The common presentation is midline swelling of the neck, which moves with both tongue protrusion and deglutition. Diagnosis is usually clinical and radiological. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) can be used as a tool for the exclusion of malignancy in adult patients. In some cases thyroid scan is done to rule out the presence or absence of the normal thyroid gland. A complete work-up is mandatory before cyst removal given that it contains only thyroid tissue. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman with only thyroid tissue in thyroglossal duct cyst.

Fulltext Barrier to contraceptive use among childbearing age women in rural Indonesia

Rohmah N, Yusuf A, Hargono R, Laksono AD, Masruroh, Sujoso ADP, et al.

Malays Fam Physician, 2021 Nov 30;16(3):16-22.

PMID: 34938389 DOI: 10.51866/oa1020

Introduction: The contraceptive prevalence rate in Indonesia has not experienced much improvement, which has led to an increase in the number of pregnancies. This study aimed to analyse the barriers to contraception use among women of childbearing age in rural Indonesia.

Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design with data from the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS) of 2017. The independent variables were age, employment status, education, marital status, wealth status, health insurance and parity. The dependent variable was the use of contraception. The statistical significance was set at p <0.05 using bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression.

Results: The study showed that the age group of 45-49 years (OR 0.199; 95% CI 0.149-0.266), secondary education (OR 2.227; 95% CI 2.060-2.514), women married/living with their partner (OR 43.752; 95% CI: 35.484-53.946), wealth status: middle (OR 1.492; 95% CI 1.400-1.589) and multipara (OR 2.524; 95% CI: 2.328-2.737) exhibited the increased use of contraception among women of childbearing age in rural Indonesia.

Conclusion: The variables proven to represent obstacles to contraceptive use among women of childbearing age in rural Indonesia include old age, no education, no husband/partner, poverty and already having one child.

Fulltext A rare cause of acute urinary retention in adolescents: A case of imperforate hymen

Mohamad Zon E, Afendi NR, Mansor NB, W Adnan WF

Malays Fam Physician, 2021 Nov 30;16(3):112-114.

PMID: 34938401 DOI: 10.51866/cr1214

Imperforate hymen is a genital outflow abnormality that can occur in females. It can present with various symptoms and is associated with short- and long-term complications that may affect patients' quality of life. Acute urinary retention in adolescents is a rare occurrence. We report a case of delayed diagnosis of imperforate hymen involving multiple visits to the clinic for urinary symptoms and the subsequent development of acute urinary retention. Awareness of this rare presentation is essential since delayed diagnosis is associated with hydronephrosis, endometriosis and infertility in later life.

Translation, adaptation and pilot testing of the Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale (PFFS) for use in Malaysia - The PFFS-Malay version (PFFS-M)

Ahip SS, Shariff-Ghazali S, Lukas S, Abdul Samad A, Mustapha UK, Theou O, et al.

Malays Fam Physician, 2021 Jul 22;16(2):27-36.

PMID: 34386161 DOI: 10.51866/oa1036

Background: Frailty is an important health issue in an aging population; it is a state of vulnerability that renders the elderly susceptible to adverse health outcomes, including disability, hospitalization, long-term care admission and death. Early frailty stages are recognizable through screening and are reversible with targeted interventions. To date, however, there is no screening tool for use in Malaysia. The English Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale (PFFS) is a visual tool that assesses a person's fitness-frailty level in 14 health domains, with higher scores indicating higher frailty.

Objective: The aim was to translate and adapt the English PFFS for use in Malaysian clinical settings.

Methods: The original English PFFS underwent forward and backward-translation by two bilingual translators to and from the Malay language. A finalized version, the PFFS-Malay (PFFS-M), was formed after expert reviewers' consensus and was pilot tested with 20 patients, 20 caregivers, 16 healthcare assistants, 17 nurses and 22 doctors. Score agreement between patients and their caregivers and among healthcare professionals were assessed. All participants rated their understanding of the scale using the feasibility survey forms.

Results: A total of 95 participants were included. There were high percentages of scoring agreements among all participants on the scale (66.7% to 98.9%). Overall feedback from all respondents were positive and supported the face validity of the PFFS-M.

Conclusion: The PFFS-M reflects an accurate translation for the Malaysian population. The scale is usable and feasible and has face validity. Reliability and predictive validity assessments of the PFFS-M are currently underway.

Fulltext A postmenopausal osteoporotic woman losing bone mineral density despite bisphosphonates

Lai P, Nagammai T, Vethakkan S

Malays Fam Physician, 2013;8(2):47-52.

PMID: 25606283 MyJurnal

Bisphosphonates are pyrophosphate analogues, with a strong affinity for bones. They inhibit bone resorption and are currently the first choice of treatment for osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates should be taken in a specific manner and for at least one year to be effective in the maintenance and improvement of bone mineral density (BMD), as well as for protection against fractures. We report a case of a postmenospausal osteoporotic woman who lost BMD despite being on bisphosphonate therapy for eight years, highlighting issues that a primary care doctor needs to address before deciding on the next best option.

My journey in the last mile of elimination of leprosy among the Penan community

Utap MS

Malays Fam Physician, 2023;18:43.

PMID: 37575357 DOI: 10.51866/mol.460

Fulltext Unmet basic needs and family functions gaps in diabetes management practice among Indonesian communities with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes: A qualitative study

Adi Pamungkas R, Chamroonsawasdi K, Usman AM

Malays Fam Physician, 2021 Nov 30;16(3):23-35.

PMID: 34938390 DOI: 10.51866/oa1123

Family members play a vital role in both helping and undermining diabetes mellitus selfmanagement practices. This qualitative study aimed to explore the potentially unmet needs of family function to support diabetes self-management (DSM) practices. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted among different key informants, including uncontrolled T2DM patients, caretakers and healthcare providers (HCPs) at community health centres. An open-ended approach was applied to elicit responses from the key informants. A total of 22 participants were involved in this study. All interview and FGD processes were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. The results found that all key informants addressed six core themes, with sub-themes to describe the unmet needs of family function to support DSM practice. The critical unmet needs of family function include: 1) Lack of problem-solving skills to deal with poor diabetes management; 2) Ineffective communication and refusal to share the burden of diabetes management; 3) Lack of affective responsiveness to encourage patients' compliance; 4) Lack of affective involvement in DSM; 5) Insufficient family roles in supporting patients; 6) Poor behaviour control of T2DM. Our findings provide insights into how family function may influence the adoption and maintenance of healthy behaviours among diabetic patients. Since health providers seek new approaches to improve DSM practices, this valuable finding was essential to understand how family function can improve and empower patients in DSM practice.

Fulltext Dangerous diplopia: A case of pansinusitis

Haizul I, Umi Kalthum M

Malays Fam Physician, 2013;8(1):38-41.

PMID: 25606267 MyJurnal

PURPOSE: To report a case of pansinusitis after swimming in a common pool.

CASE REPORT: Acute sinusitis is ranked the fifth-most common indication for antibiotic prescriptions.2 Although sinusitis is often diagnosed clinically, cases that are resistant to conventional antibiotic therapy or recurrent cases may require diagnostic imaging in order to confirm the diagnosis. The complications of sinusitis, though rare, may lead to serious consequences if not diagnosed and treated early. We report a 33-year old man with pansinusitis presenting with a sudden onset of peripheral gaze diplopia associated with progressive frontal headache. His symptom resolved completely after he was given intravenous antibiotics and a nasal decongestant.

Fulltext Brief report: nail sampling technique and its interpretation

Leelavathi M, Tzar MN

Malays Fam Physician, 2011;6(2-3):58-9.

PMID: 25606224

The clinical suspicion of onychomyosis based on appearance of the nails, requires culture for confirmation. This is because treatment requires prolonged use of systemic agents which may cause side effects. One of the common problems encountered is improper nail sampling technique which results in loss of essential information. The unfamiliar terminologies used in reporting culture results may intimidate physicians resulting in misinterpretation and hamper treatment decision. This article provides a simple guide on nail sampling technique and the interpretation of culture results.

Fulltext Factors associated with depressive symptoms among adolescents in Indonesia: A cross-sectional study of results from the Indonesia Family Life Survey

Idris H, Tuzzahra F

Malays Fam Physician, 2023;18:29.

PMID: 37205142 DOI: 10.51866/oa.265

INTRODUCTION: Depression is one of the mental illnesses that affect adolescents worldwide. This study analysed the factors associated with depressive symptoms among adolescents in Indonesia.

METHOD: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey 2014. The sample included 3,603 adolescents aged 10-19 years. Data were analysed using logistic regression statistical tests.

RESULTS: Of the adolescents, 29.1% had depressive symptoms. The bivariate analysis showed that sex, region, economic status, chronic illness history, sleep quality, smoking habit, and personality type were associated with a higher probability of depressive symptoms among the adolescents.

CONCLUSION: A history of chronic diseases contributes the most to the occurrence of depressive symptoms among adolescents. To reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases associated with depression, the Indonesian government must make preventive efforts through early detection among young people.

Fulltext Prevalance of smoking among secondary school students in Sarawak

Juslina O, Leelavathi M, Khairani O, Tuti Iryani MD

Malays Fam Physician, 2011;6(2):66-67.

MyJurnal

Adolescent smoking is an emerging health concern in the developing countries. A cross-sectional study is conducted to determine the prevalence and smoking behaviour of adolescents in Sarawak. The prevalence of smoking is 32.8% with mean age of initiation at 12.8±1.9 years. Most (67.2%) adolescents are experimental smokers and the majority (67.9%) did not smoke on a daily basis. Branded cigarettes are preferred (83.1%) and the cigarettes are obtained either from friends (49.1%) or self purchased (43.6%). Students prefer to smoke at their friend’s house (31.0%) or at school (25.3%). Smoking prevalence among adolescents in Sarawak is high and begins early. Early intervention on smoking prevention and risk awareness is perhaps more effective if initiated before the age of 12 years.

Management of Atopic Eczema in primary care

Azizan NZ, Ambrose D, Sabeera B, Mohsin SS, Pf W, Mohd Affandi A, et al.

Malays Fam Physician, 2020;15(1):39-43.

PMID: 32284803

Introduction : Atopic eczema (AE) is a common inflammatory skin dermatosis that is increasing in prevalence. However, it can present in various clinical presentations, which leads to challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition, especially in a primary care setting. The Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Atopic Eczema was developed by a multidisciplinary development group and approved by the Ministry of Health Malaysia in 2018. It covers the aspects of diagnosis, severity assessment, treatment, and referral.

Correlation between cognitive impairment and depressive mood of Thai elderly with type 2 diabetes in a primary care setting

Trongsakul S

Malays Fam Physician, 2015;10(1):11-8.

PMID: 26425290

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between cognitive impairment and depressive mood in Thai elderly with type 2 diabetes at primary care centres.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two-hundred and eighty three (283) older people with type 2 diabetes were enrolled in this study. Mini-Cog and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) Thai 2002 were used to measure cognitive impairment while Thai geriatric screening test (TGDS) was used to measure depressive mood in all participants. Spearmen correlation was applied to determine the relationship between cognitive function and depressive mood.

RESULTS: There was a positive relationship between cognitive impairment and depressive mood in older people with type 2 diabetes. The scores from Mini-Cog and MMSE Thai 2002 were negatively correlated with TGDS scores while adjusting for the effects of age and years of education with rs = -0.1, p = 0.06 and rs = -0.2, p<0.01, respectively. Although it showed an inverse relationship of the scores between cognitive and depressive mood screening tests, the results between the tests were positive when interpreting the test scores. It means that the higher score in Mini-Cog and MMSE Thai 2002 (non-cognitive impairment) were associated with the lower score in TGDS (non-depressed mood).

CONCLUSION: The finding of this study showed that older people with type 2 diabetes who had cognitive impairment seemed to have depressive mood. Hence, these two co-morbidities should be considered in order to give an optimal care to older people with diabetes.

Fulltext A young man with loin pain

Tong SF

Malays Fam Physician, 2007;2(3):127-8.

PMID: 25606101 MyJurnal

Fulltext The roles of men in family planning - a study of married men at the UKM primary care clinic

Ling JES, Tong SF

Malays Fam Physician, 2017;12(1):2-13.

PMID: 28503268

INTRODUCTION: Traditionally, family planning initiatives were concentrated on women despite it being a family matter. As family dynamics evolved over the years, fathers' involvement in family planning has become crucial in enhancing the family well-being.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the role played by men in family planning activities and the association of socio-economic characteristics with these roles.
METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in a university primary care clinic. All married male attendees to the clinic, aged 50 years and below, were approached to answer a set of self-administered questionnaires, asking for their involvement in family planning practices. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
RESULTS: There were 167 participants in the study. A high proportion of men participated in the discussions regarding previous pregnancies (60.42%), future child planning (89.76%) and desired family size (89.76%). However, the discussions on the usage of family planning methods (FPMs; 39.16%) were significantly low. Socio-economic factors associated with higher likelihood of men discussing family planning activities were older age (p < 0.0), higher education level (p = 0.010), higher monthly income (p < 0.001) and longer duration of marriage (p = 0.0049).
CONCLUSIONS: The level of participation of men varied in the discussions of four family planning activities. The roles taken by men in family planning were associated with older age and higher socio-economic class. The majority of men needs to be encouraged to play a more active role in the discussion of FPMs.

Fulltext A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step: Applying evidence-based medicine to answer clinical questions

Tok PSK

Malays Fam Physician, 2021 Nov 30;16(3):132.

PMID: 34938407 DOI: 10.51866/lte1336

Are inhaled long-acting Beta-agonists (laba) really harmful in adult asthmatics?

Khajotia R, Tnew C

Malays Fam Physician, 2008;3(2):98-100.

PMID: 25606126 MyJurnal

Vision loss in an immunocompetent child post varicella infection: A case report

Lee SC, Ng M, Tan CL, Ting SL

Malays Fam Physician, 2020;15(1):54-57.

PMID: 32284807

Chickenpox may lead to several neurological complications. Optic neuritis is one of the complications which has rarely been described, especially in immunocompetent individuals. We report a case of an 11-year-old immunocompetent girl who presented with sudden onset bilateral vision loss three weeks after varicella eruption. Ophthalmic examination revealed bilateral optic disc edema. Diagnosis of bilateral optic neuritis secondary to varicella was established based upon the preceding medical history, supported with clinical and radiological findings.

Fulltext Prevalence of overactive bladder syndrome (OABS) among women with gynaecological problems and its risk factors in a tertiary hospital, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia: Implication for primary healthcare providers

Ahmad SM, Aznal SS, Tham SW

Malays Fam Physician, 2015;10(2):2-8.

PMID: 27099656 MyJurnal

The objective of this paper was to determine the prevalence of overactive bladder syndrome (OABS) and its risk factors among patients with other gynaecological problems.

Fulltext Rash in a foreign worker

Nurjahan MI, Tevaraj P

Malays Fam Physician, 2016;11(2-3):39-41.

PMID: 28461860

Hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans (HrCLM) is a zoonosis which is endemic in many sub-tropic and tropical countries including Malaysia. We report a case of a 40-year old plantation worker who presented with a pruritic rash on his abdomen. It is important for clinicians to diagnose and treat HrCLM promptly as this condition results in considerable morbidity when treatment is delayed.

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