https://imcjms.com/public Ibrahim Medical College Journal of Medical Science https://imcjms.com/public/registration/journal_full_text/98 Tue, 04 Oct 2016 11:31:00 +0000 This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in some rural communities of Sreepur Thana during the month of April 2007. The study population included those aged 50 years or more and residing in the study areas. A total of 226 respondents were selected purposively and were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire. The objective of this study was to assess their socio economic condition and identify their health problems. Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2007; 1(2): 17-20 Indexing Words: Geriatric problems, old age, community health, RFST. Introduction Bangladesh, with one of the highest population densities (985/km sq) in the world, is projected to experience a dramatic growth in the absolute number of its population aged 60 years or older from the current level of approximately 7 million to 14 million by 20204. Very little is known about the health of the aged and its problems in Bangladesh. This study was undertaken to explore the health problems present among the elderly people residing in some rural areas of Bangladesh. Materials and Methods Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) were measured using a mercury sphygmomanometer after 10 minutes of complete physical relaxation. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) was estimated after about 12 hour fast using spectrophotometer [‘One Touch’ of LifeScan]. The subjects who had experience of chest pain with sweating were considered eligible for ECG. Geriatric population- The population which consisted of people aged 50 years and above was termed as geriatric population. Primary education- Education up to class five (5 academic years); Secondary education- Education up to class ten (10 academic years); Normal eyesight- Can perform daily activities without difficulty; Impaired eyesight- Has difficulty in performing daily activities; Hypertension (sHTN, dHTN) - systolic and diastolic pressure more than 135 and 85 mmHg, respectively. Impaired fasting glucose (IFG)- FBG 5.6-6.9 mmol/l; Type2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM)- FBG e” 7.0 mmol/. Overall, 226 (121men and 105 women) senior subjects from four villages volunteered in the study. The mean ± SD values of the participants for age, SBP and DBP were 62 ± 11.4 y, 123 ± 18.8 and 74 ± 12.5 mmHg respectively. Among the participants, 64% were illiterate, 67% were somehow dependant on other earning member(s) of the families and 58% were unemployed (Table 1). Table-1: Socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents (n= 226) n Sex   121 / 105 Education   145      Primary 23.9 27 Employment status   95      Unemployed 58        Dependent 67.3 74 Sanitary latrine   193      Absent 14.6        Tube well 97.3 6   Impaired vision was found among 21.6% of elderly men and women. A large number of the participants (65.5%) had complaints of pain in their joints which could be attributed to arthralgia or arthritis, common in the elderly [Table 2]. The women were more affected than the men (52 v.48%, p <0.02). Lesser number of participants had complaints of chest pain associated with sweating (14.2%). Again, the women had a higher frequency of this symptom (65.6 v. 34.4%). Likewise, history of fall was also significantly higher in the elderly female than their male counterparts (p<0.05). Table-2: The prevalence of old-aged diseases or symptoms or events (n=226) Total n (%) Women (%)      Systolic hypertension 19 (47.5) 0.008          Visual impairment 29 (60.4) ns 40 (17.7) 24 (60.0)      Joint pain (Arthralgia/arthritis) 71 (48.0) 0.015 94 (41.6) 52 (55.3)      Cough (not categorized) 36 (69.2) 0.007 42 (18.6) 20 (38.9)      Chest pain (non-specific) 20 (40.0) 0.022 32 (14.2) 21 (65.6)   Regarding fasting blood sugar level, only 3 (9.7%) respondents had FBS level more than 6.9 mmol/l and were diagnosed as diabetic.   This cross-sectional study conducted in a rural community of Bangladesh is an exploratory attempt to detect the prevailing ailments in the elderly people. A total of 226 respondents were interviewed. The study had some limitations. It did not allow in depth exploration of the health problems and confirmation of diagnosis was not possible. ECG could be done on only 22 subjects where the only complaint used as a selection criterion was chest pain accompanied by sweating. In this group, the prevalence of LVH was 22.7% and IHD was 27.3%, which if extrapolated for the entire study population, would be 2.7 and 2.2%, respectively. Thus, the findings are consistent with a published report for both the sexes (2.6%) 6. The study revealed that the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and ischemic heart disease among the elderly people in the rural community are not negligible. The complaints related to joints are more common than all the other symptoms or diseases of elderly people of rural Bangladesh. Compared with elderly men, the elderly women were found to have higher risks (higher SBP, chest pain with sweating, palpitation) related to atherosclerotic heart diseases. Conclusion and Recommendations   We are grateful to the Principal of IMC and his associates for the grant and logistic support to conduct this study. We are also thankful to the staff of Gono Shasthya Kendra (GSK), Sreepur Unit for their sincere cooperation throughout the study. We also acknowledge the sincerity of the IM-3 students whose relentless effort in collecting the data and involvement in the analysis made this study possible. References 2.  Gorman M. Global Ageing- the non governmental organization role in the developing world. Int J Epidemiol 2002; 31: 782-785. 4.  Solomons NW. Health and Ageing. In R. Flores. & S. Gillepsie,(eds.), Health and Nutrition: Emerging and Reemerging Issues in Developing Countries. Washington D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute 2001. 6.  Musa AKM, Khan AH. Statistical Pocket Book of Bangladesh 2004: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Planning Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh. January 2006; 437-8. 2026 Ibrahim Medical College. All rights reserved.