Biomedical subjects

Alexander S K Yip

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander S K Yip.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Fetal methylmercury exposure as measured by cord blood mercury concentrations in a mother-infant cohort in Hong Kong.

This study was designed to examine newborn infants in Hong Kong prenatally exposed to levels of methylmercury considered to increase risk of neurotoxic effects and to examine subject characteristics that modify the degree of prenatal mercury exposure. Mercury concentrations in 1057 sets of maternal and cord blood samples and 96 randomly selected maternal hair samples were measured. Subject characteristics were measured or collected by questionnaire. Of the 1057 cord blood samples collected only 21.6% had mercury concentrations less than 29 nmol/L (5.8 micro g/L). Median maternal hair mercury concentration was 1.7 ppm. The geometric mean cord to maternal blood mercury ratio was 1.79 to 1. Increasing maternal fish consumption and maternal age were found to be associated with increased cord blood mercury concentrations. Marine fish consumption increased cord blood mercury concentrations more than freshwater fish (5.09%/kg vs 2.86%/kg). Female babies, maternal alcohol consumption and increasing maternal height were associated with decreased cord blood mercury concentrations. Pregnant women in Hong Kong consume large amounts of fish and as a result, most of their offspring have been prenatally exposed to moderately high levels of mercury. In this population, pregnant women should choose freshwater over marine fish and limit fish consumption.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Psychological responses of pregnant women to an infectious outbreak: a case-control study of the 2003 SARS outbreak in Hong Kong.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to examine the behavioral and psychological responses of pregnant women during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Hong Kong. METHODS: Ethnographic interviews were first conducted to identify the common psychological and behavioral responses to the outbreak. This was followed by a case-control study of 235 consecutive pregnant women recruited during the SARS epidemic, and a historical cohort of 939 pregnant women recruited a year before the outbreak. Both cohorts completed standardized rating scales on depression, anxiety, and social support. RESULTS: Women in the SARS cohort adopted behavioral strategies to mitigate their risk of contracting infection. However, pregnant women tended to overestimate the risk of contracting SARS and nearly a third of the women were homebound. The anxiety level of the SARS cohort was slightly higher than that of the pre-SARS control. No statistical difference was found between the depression levels of the two cohorts. CONCLUSION: The improved social support experienced by pregnant women during SARS might have buffered the stress associated with an outbreak. However, clinicians should monitor for overestimation of infectious risk among pregnant women.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

A prevalence study of antenatal depression among Chinese women.

BACKGROUND: There has thus far been no empirical research on the occurrence of antenatal psychiatric morbidity in Chinese population. Epidemiological studies in western societies generally show that depressive episodes occur in 10-20% of pregnant women. Longitudinal studies have demonstrated that antenatal depression is one of the most powerful predictors of postnatal depression. There is also a growing literature that shows that antenatal psychological distress can adversely affect maternal and foetal well being. METHODS: At 38 weeks of pregnancy, 238 consecutive women were invited to return for psychiatric assessment. The participants were interviewed using the non-patient version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-NP). RESULTS: Seventy women (29%) declined to participate, and another 11 (5%) defaulted the SCID interview. Among the 157 women interviewed, the 1-month prevalence of antenatal depression was 4.4%. The 1-month prevalence of all psychiatric diagnoses was 6.4%. The prevalence of antenatal depression and all psychiatric diagnoses for the entire pregnancy was 6.4% and 8.3%, respectively. LIMITATIONS: About a third of eligible subjects did not participate in the study. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of Chinese women suffer from psychiatric morbidity during pregnancy. Depressive disorders are by far the commonest morbidity in the study population. Given the scope of the morbidity and the potential impact on obstetric and neonatal outcomes, early screening and treatment are warranted.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Ethnoepidemiology of postnatal depression. Prospective multivariate study of sociocultural risk factors in a Chinese population in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND: Although there have been many studies of the biological and psychosocial causations of postnatal depression, studies of sociocultural risk factors are rare. AIMS: To investigate the sociocultural risk factors of postnatal depression using ethnographically informed epidemiological methods. METHOD: A total of 959 women were assessed at their first ante-partum visit (baseline), in the third trimester, immediately after delivery, and 3 months postpartum. Six domains of risk factors were examined. The dependent variable was postnatal depression (as defined by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) at 3 months post-partum. RESULTS: Conflict with mother-in-law, marital dissatisfaction, past depression and antenatal depression independently predicted the occurrence of postnatal depression. The cultural practice of peiyue - a Chinese post-partum custom of mandated family support - was associated with better social support and a slightly lower risk of postnatal depression. CONCLUSIONS: Sociocultural aspects of the immediate puerperium shape maternal emotional well-being. In-law conflict is an important source of household distress in many Asian societies. The findings have implications for clinical practice and future studies.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Postdelivery screening for postpartum depression.

OBJECTIVE: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious psychiatric disorder affecting 10% to 20% of women after childbirth. Research has shown that systematic screening for PPD using self-report questionnaires helps improve the identification of PPD and expedite treatment. Most studies on PPD screening have been conducted in the second and third postpartum months; little is known about whether PPD screening can be carried out on the days immediately after delivery. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 145 women completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) within 2 days of delivery. Six weeks after delivery, the participants were interviewed by a psychiatrist, who used the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID, nonpatient version) to establish the diagnosis. The psychometric performance of the EPDS, BDI, and GHQ in detecting PPD was assessed using the SCID diagnosis as the gold standard. RESULTS: When the cutoffs of the EPDS, BDI, and GHQ were lowered to achieve a sensitivity of 80%, the positive predictive values of these scales were to 13%, 18%, and 21%, respectively. When the cutoffs were raised to achieve a positive predictive value of 50%, the sensitivity rates were 6% (EPDS), 14% (GHQ), and 36% (BDI). CONCLUSIONS: When commonly used depression rating scales were administered to identify PPD immediately after delivery, their psychometric properties were unsatisfactory. Healthcare providers should not screen for PPD in the first few days after delivery.

Adolescent↗