Ann Acad Med Singap
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Scrub typhus is widely endemic in Asia. Man's behaviour and climatic changes greatly influenced the occurrence of the disease. Increasing prevalences of scrub typhus have been reported from some Asian countries and may coincide with the widespread use of beta-lactam antibiotics or to improve diagnostic facilities and/or more urbanisation into rural areas. ⋯ The complications include pneumonitis, meningoencephalitis, renal failure and jaundice. Improved serologic and molecular diagnostic tests are now available. Although drug-resistant strain of Orientia tsutsugamushi has been reported, the infection usually responds to simple but unpopular drugs such as doxycycline or chloramphenicol.
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Nov 1997
Functional status of the elderly in Singapore--the trend over a decade.
The study looks at the level and types of functional disabilities of a random sample of elderly individuals in the community through direct interviews using a questionnaire in 1992 and compares the results to that obtained from a similar study done in 1982. Two hundred and eighty-three elderly aged 60 years and above were studied. In the activities of daily living (ADL) functions category, most elderly individuals were independent in dressing (96.1%), bathing (95.4%), preparing meals (92.6%) and using the toilet (89.4%). ⋯ There was also significant increase in the number of elderly confined to bed most of the time, from 1% to 2.8%. The only activity that showed a reverse trend was food preparation. The trend of dependence among the elderly is growing and deserves further specific studies to examine the possible reasons for the increasing disabilities in the elderly population, especially as the population is ageing rapidly.