The Risk of Varicose Veins in Standing Female Workers

Background: Varicose veins often occur in employees who have to work in a position of standing work. The purpose of this study to determine risk factors for varicose veins and leg or foot among women workers.Methods: In this cross-sectional study in January-March 2010 the samples were selected purposively who met inclusion criteria among female workers who work in the position of standing work. Data were collected by interview, physical examination and observation of the position of standing work. To determine the dominant factors for varicose veins, data processing was using relative risk approach. Results: A number 111 out of 152 employees worked in a lot of work standing position participated the study, and who had varicose veins and leg or foot as was 52.3% (53 people). The majority of respondents aged 18-35 years, had total work period of 3-17 years, and worked in a lot of work standing position. Those who had a family history of varicose veins were 13.5%, taking oral contraceptive were 11.71%, has a habit of exercise (18.0%), and high heels (11.7%). Age, use of oral contraceptives, use of high heels, exercise habits, work standing position, place of work, and working period did not associate with varicose veins. Employees who had than did not have family history of varicose veins had 69% higher risk of suffering from varicose veins [relative risk (RR) = 1.69, P = 0.121].Conclusion: Employees who had family history of varicose veins had higher risk suffering varicose veins. (Health Science Indones 2013;1:47-50

Pedoman Teknis Strategi Pemasaran Klinik

x, 133 hlm.; 21 cm

Combined traditional medicine and pharmacological antihypertensive drugs in a rural community of West Java, Indonesia

<p>Some hypertensive subjects in Indonesia consume traditional herbal medicines in addition to the usual pharmacological drugs. This paper studied the relationship between several traditional herbal medicines, such as morinda, star fruit, garlic, or jamu, believed to control hypertension and the risk of current pharmacological antihypertensive drug users in subjects with stage 1 and 2 hypertension in a rural community West Java, Indonesia. The data were obtained from 3 field studies by the second year medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia conducted in 2001, 2002, and 2003 in a subdistrict of the Bogor regency. The subjects were selected randomly from neighborhood clusters. Interviews and blood pressure measurements were conducted at the houses of the subjects by specially trained second year medical students supervised by faculty members. There were 496 subjects with stage 1 or 2 hypertension, with 11.5% under current antihypertensive drugs. Compared with the hypertension stage 1 subjects, hypertension stage 2 subjects were 5.4 times more likely to be currently taking pharmacological antihypertensive medication (adjusted odds ratio = 5.44; 95% confidence interval = 2.64-11.27). The combined of current antihypertensive medication with traditional medicines were cucumber which being the most dominant followed by star fruit and morinda. Reasons for this were probably the strong influence of culture, the limited medical facilities, and high cost of the antihypertensive drugs. It was concluded that in a rural Indonesia, it was common for hypertensive subjects to take pharmacological drugs as well as traditional medicine for antihypertensive therapy. <em><strong>(Med J Indones 2004; 13: 246-51)</strong></em></p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong><em> hypertension, pharmacological drugs, traditional medicine, Indonesia</em></p

Association between dietary intake of vitamin A, C, and E as antioxidants and cognitive function in the elderly at a nursing home

<p>As oxidative stress is considered one of the major mechanisms underlying degenerative changes, antioxidants from dietary sources, such as vitamin A, C, and E, may have protective effects against oxidative stress and thus be able to prevent or delay cognitive impairment in the elderly. This cross sectional study was designed to determine the association between dietary intake of vitamin A, C, and E and the presence of cognitive impairment in the elderly, along with other factors. Subjects included 36 residents from a nursing home in Jakarta, Indonesia. The data obtained including daily nutrition intake values one week prior to sampling converted from semi- quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) results, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, and anthropometrical measurement results. This study showed that while sex, age, education, nutritional status, and macronutrients intake were not significantly associated with presence of cognitive impairment, significant positive correlation existed between education and MMSE score (p=0.036, r=0.351). Higher vitamin A and vitamin C intake were shown to be significantly associated with lower incidence of cognitive impairment (p=0.022 and p=0.045, respectively). Moreover, vitamin C was shown to have significant positive correlation with MMSE score (p=0.031, r=0.359). However, the association between vitamin E and the presence of impairment was not significant (p=0.129). Higher intake of vitamin A and C may delay or prevent cognitive impairment in the elderly. Higher intake of vitamin C may contribute to better cognitive functioning. The findings may be explained by the two antioxidant vitamins’ protective effects against neurode generative processes cause by oxidative stress. <em><strong>(Med J Indones 2007; 16:261-6)</strong></em></p><p><strong><em>Keywords:</em></strong> <em>antioxidant, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, cognitive impairment, the elderly</em></p