Biomedical subjects

A Senthilselvan

Publications and source records attributed to A Senthilselvan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Respiratory response to endotoxin and dust predicts evidence of inflammatory response in volunteers in a swine barn.

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that exposure in intense exposure in swine barn facilities is associated with increased respiratory symptoms and reduction in pulmonary functions. This study investigated if systemic response could be predicted by FEV(1) response following swine barn exposure. METHODS: Naïve males were tested at baseline, low and high endotoxin and dust levels. Subjects were classified as "more responsive" (n = 9) or "less responsive" (n = 11) based on FEV(1) reduction following high endotoxin exposure. Health measures included pulmonary function testing, blood samples and nasal lavage. Environmental samples were collected from the barn. RESULTS: White blood cells and blood lymphocytes at low exposure were significantly greater in those who were "more responsive" compared to those who were "less responsive". There was a significant increase in blood lymphocytes, serum IL6, total nasal lavage cells and nasal IL8 at high exposure among "more responsive" subjects compared to "less responsive" subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory response to high-level endotoxin and dust exposure predicts evidence of inflammatory response throughout a range of endotoxin and dust exposures.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Total dust and endotoxin in poultry operations: comparison between cage and floor housing and respiratory effects in workers.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess respiratory outcomes and environmental exposure levels of workers in cage-housed and floor-housed poultry operations. METHODS: Poultry operations were evaluated for total dust, endotoxin, and ammonia, and respiratory symptoms and lung function tests of workers were conducted. RESULTS: Workers in floor-housed poultry operations had significantly greater exposures to total dust and ammonia, whereas workers from cage-housed poultry operations reported greater frequency of current and chronic symptoms overall and significantly greater current and chronic phlegm (39% vs 18% and 40% vs 11%, respectively). Endotoxin concentration (EU/mg) was a significant predictor (P = 0.05) of chronic phlegm for all poultry workers. CONCLUSIONS: Greater endotoxin concentration in the presence of significantly lower total dust, in conjunction with greater respiratory symptoms in workers from cage-housed poultry operations, as compared with workers from floor-housed poultry operations, appears to indicate that differences in environmental exposures may impact respiratory outcomes of workers.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Reduced morbidity for elderly patients with a hip fracture after implementation of a perioperative evidence-based clinical pathway.

BACKGROUND: Hip fractures, common in the elderly population, result in significant morbidity and mortality. A study was undertaken to determine how an evidence based clinical pathway (CP) for treatment of elderly patients with hip fracture affected morbidity, in-hospital mortality, and health service utilization. METHODS: A pre-post study design using two population based inception cohorts of hip fracture patients aged > or =65 years was used. The control group (n = 678) was enrolled between July 1996 and September 1997 before implementation of the pathway and the CP group (n = 663) was enrolled between July 1999 and September 2000 following pathway implementation. Chart reviews were completed during study time frames to determine complications, mortality, and health service utilization. RESULTS: Only nine patients (1%) in the CP group experienced postoperative congestive heart failure compared with 37 (5%) control patients (p<0.001). Postoperative cardiac arrythmias were significantly lower in the CP group than in the control group (8 (1%) v 36 (5%); p<0.001). Postoperative delirium occurred in 22% of the CP group and 51% of the control group (p<0.001). There was no difference in risk adjusted in-hospital mortality between the two groups. Overall length of stay (LOS) and costs were unchanged between the groups; however, hospital LOS increased while rehabilitation LOS decreased in the CP group. CONCLUSION: Implementation of an evidence based clinical pathway reduced postoperative morbidity and did not affect in-hospital mortality or overall costs of inpatient care. The effect of changing trends in medical care cannot be ruled out, but the reduction in complications in several clinical areas lends support to the positive impact of the clinical pathway. Perioperative CP is one successful management approach for this fragile patient population as patient morbidity was reduced without negatively affecting resource utilization.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Intravenous rt-PA for acute stroke: comparing its effectiveness in younger and older patients.

OBJECTIVE: To study the short and long term differences in outcome between patients > or =80 years of age and those < or =79 years of age who received intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (iv rt-PA) for acute stroke within the first 3 hours of symptom onset. METHODS: We studied consecutive patients treated with iv rt-PA for acute stroke, with prospective follow up of up to 3 years. Outcome measures included National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, Barthel Index (BI), modified Rankin score (MRS), and stroke mortality. Patients were split into two groups: younger (< or =79 years) and older (> or =80 years). RESULTS: There were 65 patients in the younger cohort and 31 patients in the older. Older patients were more likely to present with more severe baseline stroke (p = 0.04; odds ratio (OR) 3.04; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03 to 8.98). Stroke mortality at 90 days was 10.8% in the younger and 32.3% in the older cohort (p = 0.01). At 90 days' follow up, patients in the older cohort with more severe stroke (NIHSS score > or =11) were nearly 10 times more likely to have poor outcome compared with their younger counterparts presenting with severe stroke (p = 0.001; OR = 10.36; 95% CI 2.16 to 49.20). Baseline stroke severity and age were the only independent and equal predictors for stroke outcome. No threshold was found for age or baseline stroke severity predicting outcome. CONCLUSION: Older patients presenting with more severe baseline stroke are much less likely to benefit from iv rt-PA as compared with their younger counterparts.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2005

Sexually inappropriate behaviour in demented elderly people.

AIM: To determine the prevalence, aetiology, and treatment profile of abnormal sexual behaviour in subjects with dementia in psychogeriatric practices. METHODS: A retrospective cross sectional study was conducted in a long term care psychiatry consultation service, community based geriatric psychiatry service, and an inpatient dementia behavioural unit in Edmonton, Canada. RESULTS: Forty one subjects (1.8%) had sexually inappropriate behaviour. Of those cognitively impaired subjects with sexually inappropriate behaviour, 20 (48.8%) were living in nursing homes and the rest, 21 (51.2%) in the community. Of these subjects, 53.7% had vascular dementia, 22% had Alzheimer's, and 9.8% had mild cognitive impairment. History of alcohol misuse and psychosis were reported in 14.6% and 9.8% of subjects respectively. Twenty seven (65.7%) had verbally inappropriate behaviour and 36 (87.8%) had physically inappropriate behaviour. In this study, verbally inappropriate behaviour was more commonly seen in the community sample (81%) than in the nursing home sample (50%) (p = 0.04). Behavioural treatment was also more commonly seen in the community sample (81%) than in the nursing home sample (45%) (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: In this study sexually inappropriate behaviour was seen in all stages of dementia, more commonly associated with subjects of vascular aetiology, and is as commonly seen in community dwelling subjects with dementia as in nursing home subjects.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and systemic inflammation: a systematic review and a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and muscle wasting. Systemic inflammation may be involved in the pathogenesis of these disorders. A study was undertaken to determine whether systemic inflammation is present in stable COPD. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted of studies which reported on the relationship between COPD, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) or forced vital capacity (FVC), and levels of various systemic inflammatory markers: C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, leucocytes, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukins 6 and 8. Where possible the results were pooled together to produce a summary estimate using a random or fixed effects model. RESULTS: Fourteen original studies were identified. Overall, the standardised mean difference in the CRP level between COPD and control subjects was 0.53 units (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34 to 0.72). The standardised mean difference in the fibrinogen level was 0.47 units (95% CI 0.29 to 0.65). Circulating leucocytes were also higher in COPD than in control subjects (standardised mean difference 0.44 units (95% CI 0.20 to 0.67)), as were serum TNF-alpha levels (standardised mean difference 0.59 units (95% CI 0.29 to 0.89)). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced lung function is associated with increased levels of systemic inflammatory markers which may have important pathophysiological and therapeutic implications for subjects with stable COPD.

C-Reactive Protein↗

PubMed2004

Effect of age on hospitalized machine-related farm injuries among the Saskatchewan farm population.

Machinery-related injuries are the leading cause of fatal and hospitalized injuries on Canadian farms. In Saskatchewan, the proportion of all farm injuries related to farm machinery exceeds that reported for all of Canada. This project examined the relationship between age and various factors associated with farm machine-related injuries in Saskatchewan. A retrospective review of hospital discharge data from the administrative data set of Saskatchewan Health was conducted using external cause of injury codes to identify cases of farm machinery injury that occurred in Saskatchewan during the period April 1, 1990, to March 31, 2000. Log linear estimates of association of various factors in four age groups were derived. There were 1,493 hospitalizations attributed to farm machinery-related injuries. Among the injured cohort, age was a predictor of the rate of injury. Significant association for nature of injury, mechanism of injury, and type of machine varied by age group. These data provide insights for a case-control study of farm machinery-related injuries with the objective of determining personal, environmental, and machine-related factors that are responsible for this serious public health issue.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2002

Mosquito bed nets: implementation in rural villages in Zambia and the effect on subclinical parasitaemia and haemoglobin.

Malaria continues to be an increasing health concern in many endemic areas where it remains a major contributor to childhood morbidity and mortality. Chemoprophylaxis and treatment are increasingly compromised by drug resistance. Vaccination for malaria is not yet available outside clinical trials. In clinical trials bed nets have been shown to be effective in reducing malarial morbidity and mortality. Their efficacy outside of the clinical trial setting has been less well documented. We describe our experience with the introduction of bed nets in a remote rural Zambian village and document the effect on malarial parasitaemia, spleen rates and haemoglobin. Children were evaluated at the end of the rainy seasons in April 1998 and April 1999. Insecticide impregnated nets were made available for purchase to the village in July 1998. Rates of parasitaemia and anaemia were significantly reduced.

Anemia, Iron-Deficiency↗

PubMed2000

Limited agreement between written and video asthma symptom questionnaires.

The prevalence of asthma remains difficult to determine with precision with no absolute or "gold" standard for diagnosis. A recently developed video questionnaire for epidemiological studies with less reliance on understanding written questions provides another tool for determining prevalence and severity of asthma. This report from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) examines the agreement between the ISAAC video questionnaires on respiratory symptoms and reported asthma. Between December 1993 and April 1995, 4952 children aged 13-14 years in two Canadian communities completed sequentially the ISAAC written and video questionnaires at school. The agreement between responses to the two questionnaires for reported wheeze ever, current wheeze, wheeze on exercise, and nocturnal wheeze (the latter three questions relating to symptoms in the last 12 months), and to any combination of the latter three questions was examined in the full sample and in those reporting diagnosed asthma, using concordance and kappa coefficients as measures of agreement. The prevalences of wheeze ever, current wheeze, wheeze on exercise, and nocturnal wheeze were significantly lower based on responses to the video questionnaire compared with the written questionnaire in both regions in the full sample and in those labeled as having asthma. Although concordance between video and written questionnaires always exceeded 60% and often exceeded 70% for related questions, agreement measured by the kappa statistic for each question was only fair to moderate (kappa = 0.22-0.51). We conclude that the video questionnaire yields lower reported prevalence rates for asthma symptoms, and that there is limited agreement between responses to the two questionnaires that is not explained by issues of language, culture, or literacy.

Asthma↗

PubMed2000

Physical illness as an outcome of chronic anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND: The literature indicates increased rates of some medical conditions in patients with anxiety disorders. We used the Saskatchewan Health databases to examine the development of nonpsychiatric medical diseases in patients with anxiety disorders. This study has a large population base, and the Saskatchewan health plan does not limit the provision of services to this population. METHOD: We observed the annual incidence of specified medical conditions in patients with anxiety disorders and in control subjects over a 10-year period. Subjects in both groups had not been treated for the specified medical conditions before the start of the observation period. RESULTS: The anxiety cohort had a significantly higher relative risk of developing medical diseases compared with the control group. The highest relative risk, indicated by the hazard ratio, was for cerebrovascular disease (hazard ratio 2, 95% CI 1.09-3.65). Hazard ratios were significant for cerebrovascular disease and atherosclerosis as well as for ischemic heart, gastrointestinal, hypertensive, and respiratory diseases. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides additional evidence for an association between anxiety disorder and the later development of medical morbidity.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Health and environment of rural families: results of a Community Canvass survey in the Prairie Ecosystem Study (PECOS).

This cross-sectional survey was conducted as Phase I of the Prairie Ecosystem Study (PECOS): Environmental Pesticide Exposure and Human Health. In November of 1995, community volunteers delivered a self-administered household questionnaire to 1185 rural households in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. The survey provided a broad description of the general health and the physical environment of 511 men, 499 women, and 393 children (< 18 years of age) residing in 549 respondent households in the rural study area (population density of about one person/km2). Families in the respondent households resided on a farm, in town or both. Of the 369 households that operated a farm, 25.2% of the households did not list the farm as their primary household. Residents of both farming and non-farming households reported contact with pesticides and fertilizers through home or garden use. History of smoking was greater among men and women from non-farming households. The most commonly reported health problems among the children were a history of bronchitis, asthma, skin allergies, pneumonia, and hay fever. The most frequently reported health problems among the men were a history of high blood pressure, bronchitis, pneumonia, hearing problems, and stress; and among the women were a history of bronchitis, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, and pneumonia. Compared to farming households, more members of non-farming households reported a history of respiratory problems, particularly bronchitis among the women and children. Overall, there were important differences in the smoking history, the occupational use of pesticides and fertilizers, and the general health status between the farming and non-farming households and individuals in this rural population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Positive human health effects of wearing a respirator in a swine barn.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: A study was conducted to evaluate the acute health effects of wearing an N-95 disposable respirator in a swine confinement facility. DESIGN: A crossover trial design was used in the study. SETTING: The study was carried out at the research facilities of the Centre for Agricultural Medicine, the Royal University Hospital, and the Prairie Swine Centre Inc, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-one nonsmoking healthy male subjects with no previous swine barn exposure participated in the study. INTERVENTIONS: The subjects participated in a laboratory session (baseline day), a 4-h exposure in a traditional swine room wearing the respirator (intervention day), and a 4-hour exposure in a traditional swine room without a respirator (nonintervention day). MEASUREMENTS: Lung function, methacholine challenge tests, blood counts, nasal lavage, and cytokines in serum and nasal lavage fluid. RESULTS: Mean (+/- SE) shift change in FEV(1), from preexposure to postexposure, was highest on nonintervention day (-8.1+/-1.01%) and was significantly different from intervention day (0.32+/-0.62%; p<0.0001) and baseline day (1.57+/-0.51%; p<0.0001). Similar patterns were observed in the mean values of the provocative concentration of a substance (methacholine) causing a 20% fall in FEV(1) (nonintervention day, 130.4+/-36.9 mg/mL; intervention day, 242.0+/-38.0 mg/mL; and baseline day, 328.0 mg/mL +/-34.1 mg/mL). Significant increases in serum neutrophil levels and nasal cell counts were observed on the nonintervention day in comparison to the baseline and intervention days. Significant increases also were found in the levels of cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 in nasal lavage fluid and in the levels of IL-6 in serum for the nonintervention day in comparison to the other 2 days. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that an N-95 disposable respirator can help to significantly reduce acute negative health effects in subjects not previously exposed to a swine barn environment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

The spectrum of neuroendocrine differentiation among gastrointestinal carcinoids: importance of histologic grading, MIB-1, p53, and bcl-2 immunoreactivity.

CONTEXT: The advent of panneuroendocrine markers has helped to better depict the heterogeneity of gastrointestinal carcinoids. Consequently, it has been proposed that these tumors constitute a histologic spectrum that includes well-, moderately, and poorly differentiated carcinoids. However, the reproducibility of this grading system and its prognostic importance have sometimes been called into question. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential utility of cell proliferation and oncoprotein markers in augmenting the histologic classification. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study; tertiary care teaching hospital. METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with 41 well-differentiated, 12 moderately differentiated and 5 poorly differentiated carcinoids from various topographic sites of the gastrointestinal tract were selected and immunostained for panneuroendocrine markers, MIB-1, p53, and bcl-2. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Degree of association between histologic grading, MIB-1, p53, and bcl-2 immunoreactivity and carcinoid metastatic behavior. RESULTS: The group comprised 30 males and 28 females whose mean age was 52.7 years (range, 14-81). Mean follow-up time was 85.8 months. All 58 patients tested positive for chromogranin A and/or synaptophysin. The group was divided into nonmetastatic (42/58, or 72.4%) and metastatic (16/58, or 27.6%) cases. Histologic grading tended to be associated with metastatic spread, but this occurrence of metastases did not attain statistical significance (P =.08). Positivity for MIB-1 (P =.004) and p53 (P =.04) was significantly associated with metastatic behavior, whereas bcl-2 was not (P = 0. 63). CONCLUSIONS: Although an organoid pattern and neuroendocrine immunophenotype help to define the spectrum of gastrotestinal carcinoids, this study suggests that the histologic grading of these tumors has some limitations with respect to predicting metastatic behavior. However, MIB-1 and p53 can compliment histologic grading as prognostic indicators in this regard while bcl-2 appears to be less useful.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Prevalence of asthma, rhinitis and eczema among children in 2 Canadian cities: the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood.

BACKGROUND: Wide variations in the prevalence of asthma, rhinitis and eczema have been reported between regions within Canada and between different countries. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) was developed to provide a standardized tool and methodology to ascertain the prevalence of asthma and allergies in different regions. Comparisons of prevalence rates across geographic regions and at different times may help to identify factors that contribute to the development of these conditions in individuals. METHODS: Two Canadian centres, Hamilton and Saskatoon, participated in the ISAAC. A standard questionnaire was distributed through schools and completed by 13- and 14-year-old children and by the parents of 6- and 7-year-old children. Prevalence rates and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for asthma, wheezing, rhinitis and eczema. RESULTS: The overall response rates were 75.1% among the children 6 and 7 years old and 68.6% among those 13 and 14 years old. Among the younger children, the lifetime prevalence of asthma was 17.2% in Hamilton and 11.2% in Saskatoon; the corresponding rates among the older children were 19.2% and 12.2% respectively. The prevalence of wheezing in the 12 months before the survey in the younger group was 20.1% in Hamilton and 14.1% in Saskatoon; in the older group it was 30.6% and 24.0% respectively. The prevalence of rhinitis in the 12 months before the survey was 28.6% in Hamilton and 22.6% in Saskatoon in the younger group and 45.8% and 33.8% respectively in the older group. The prevalence of eczema was slightly higher in Saskatoon in both age groups. INTERPRETATION: High prevalence rates of asthma, rhinitis and eczema exist among school children in Hamilton and Saskatoon, similar to rates in other Western countries. Further studies are required to determine the factors associated with the high rates in the 2 regions and possible reasons for the higher rates in Hamilton.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Prevalence of antinuclear antibodies in a rural population.

Exposure to environmentally and occupationally encountered toxicants can be associated with the development of certain autoimmune diseases and with the induction of antinuclear antibodies (ANA). Some chemicals used in the agricultural industry are known to affect immune function but their roles in the induction of autoimmunity in general, and ANA in particular, have not been reported previously. This study was undertaken to establish the prevalence of ANA in a rural population and to determine environmental and occupational exposures with which they are associated. This cross-sectional study represented one component of an interdisciplinary project (Prairie Ecosystem Study [PECOS], Eco-Research Program, Tri-Council Secretariat of Canada) designed to explore, in a rural population, the roles of environmental exposures as determinants of human health status. Information regarding lifetime, current, and main occupational exposures in the rural-dwelling study population was derived from a self-administered questionnaire. Sera from consenting subjects, collected during the months of February and March 1996, were assayed for ANA by indirect immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells. The study population comprised 322 adult subjects (mean age 49.3+/-14.7 yr; range 16-87 yr). Statistical analyses adjusted for age and sex revealed that the presence of ANA among the participants was associated with a current agricultural occupation that included oilseed production, hog production, or poultry production. There was a significant association between ANA positivity and a current main farming operation of crop production. There was also an association among individual participants between lifetime exposure to the insecticide class of pesticides and the presence of ANA. In this rural study population, ANA positivity was significantly associated with lifetime exposure specifically to carbamate, organochlorine (including aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, and lindane, but excluding DDT and methoxychlor), and pyrethroid insecticides and to phenoxyacetic acid herbicides, including 2,4-D. After adjustment for age, sex, and other insecticide exposures, multivariate analyses indicated that ANA positivity was associated with current oilseed production and with lifetime exposure to pyrethroid insecticides. In a rural population, ANA were associated with production of certain crops and certain animals and exposure to specific pesticides. The data indicate that some occupational exposures related to the agricultural industry are associated with the presence of ANA, a serologic expression of autoimmunity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Comparison between a short and a conventional blade periodontal curet: an in vitro study.

This in vitro study was done to compare a short-blade, long-shank (test) curet designed for deeper pockets of incisors and a conventional Gracey 1/2 curet regarding (a) their ability to remove root surface material at different pocket depths, and (b) their effect on root surface roughness. 2 groups of 12 senior dental hygiene students used either the randomly assigned test or conventional curet for a defined period on maxillary and mandibular incisors in a cross-over experimental design. Extent of root debridement was determined by assessing the removal of black enamel paint on root surfaces within pockets using a computerized video routine and root surface roughness measured using a profilometer. When each surface of the root was analyzed separately at 2-mm increments, the test instrument exhibited superior material removal on all surfaces at the 4-6 mm CAL (p-values<0.001). However, the test curet caused a rougher surface than the conventional curet on all surfaces (p<0.001), with a mean difference of 0.27 microm. While it is assumed that the ability of the test instrument to debride the root surface of deeper pockets more thoroughly is clinically more important than the rougher root surfaces it produces, this can only be assessed by further studies in vivo.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1998

Effect of impact and injury characteristics on post-motor vehicle accident temporomandibular disorders.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the potential effects of motor vehicle accident impact and injury characteristics on post-motor vehicle accident temporomandibular disorders in terms of presenting signs and symptoms, diagnoses, treatment regimens, and outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review of 50 patients with post-motor vehicle accident temporomandibular disorders from a private oral medicine practice was undertaken. Various demographic data and data related to temporomandibular disorders and motor vehicle accident impact and injury characteristics were collected. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests and multiple regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Patients involved in front-end collisions or motor vehicle accidents resulting in severe vehicle damage reported more direct orofacial injury. However, those in rear-end collisions or accidents resulting in minimal vehicle damage required more treatment. Direct head or orofacial injury was therefore not a prognostic indicator. From multiple regression analyses, indicators of a poorer prognosis were minimal vehicle damage, lack of headrest use, driver position, and settlement of insurance claim. CONCLUSIONS: In this patients group several prognostic indicators for patients with post-motor vehicle accident temporomandibular disorders were identified; these indicators may influence the management approach for this patient population.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1998

Prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma in Saskatchewan, 1981 to 1990.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in asthma prevalence in the Province of Saskatchewan using the Medical Claim Insurance Branch (MCIB) database. DESIGN: For each calendar year from 1981 to 1990, first visits to physicians for asthma were identified from the MCIB database. Age- and sex-specific prevalence rates were obtained for each calendar year by dividing the number of first asthma visits by the number of subjects in the age- and sex-specific group insured by the Provincial Government of Saskatchewan in that calendar year. RESULTS: Asthma prevalence increased in children and adults from 1981 to 1990. In the calendar year 1990, the prevalence of asthma was 5.1% in children < or = 4 years old, 4.4% in children 5 to 14 years old, 2.2% in young adults 15 to 34 years old, and 1.9% in adults 35 to 64 years old. Boys had higher asthma prevalence than girls in the age groups 0 to 4 years and 5 to 14 years, but it was reversed in older age groups, with women having greater asthma prevalence than men. Asthma diagnoses were verified by checking for asthma-related drug purchase in the Prescription Drug Plan database. Among the 0- to 4-year-old children with physician-diagnosed asthma, 57.3% purchased at least one asthma-related drug in 1981 and 72.3% purchased that in 1990. Among adults, asthma-related drug purchase was >73% in 1990. CONCLUSIONS: Asthma prevalence increased in children and adults in the province of Saskatchewan. Reasons for the increase are not clear and further studies are required to determine factors related to the increase.

Adolescent↗