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S S Islam

Publications and source records attributed to S S Islam.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Understanding work-related injuries in children: a perspective in West Virginia using the state-managed workers' compensation system.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Little data exist that defines the consequences of occupational injuries in children. Traditional assessment of work-related injury is coupled with disability payments based on salary, which give little insight into etiology and severity. The authors hypothesize that the risk and pattern of occupational injuries in young workers are different then adults. METHODS: Claims from 1996 through 2000 were analyzed from the West Virginia Bureau of Workers Compensation. To define the significance of an injury, child and adult groups were subdivided into injuries that required surgery (ie, serious injuries). Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for anesthesia and surgical procedures were cross referenced with the claims to ensure group designation. Relative risks (RR) were used to compare groups. RESULTS: Between 1996 and 2000, 364,063 claims were submitted, 14,093 in workers < or =19 years of age. Two hundred seventy claims in children required surgery. Serious injuries in children occur more often in boys 2.2x mainly in the (16 to 24 hours) evening (48% v 23.13%; P <.05) and in July/August (26.5 v 18.4; P <.001). Falls were the main mechanism of injury. Proportionately fingers (1.70x) and hands (1.64x, 1.6 to 1.7) were injured in children. Lacerations (3.4x), fractures (1.4x), and amputations (3.75x) frequently resulted in general anesthetic procedures, and the RR of these injuries were increased versus adults. Service, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture were the main injury-related occupations in children. CONCLUSIONS: For any job category, injuries in children have unique features, tend to be more serious, and require a surgical intervention proportionately more frequently than adults.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2001

Gender differences in work-related injury/illness: analysis of workers compensation claims.

BACKGROUND: Risk of work-related injuries/illnesses among females has not been well documented. This study compares compensable work-related injuries/illnesses between females and males across all major industrial sectors and occupations using a state-managed Workers Compensation database. METHODS: Incidence rates were calculated by dividing the number of compensable injuries/illnesses among West Virginia Workers Compensation claimants by the total number of female and male workers in each specific industry class (based on SIC codes). Gender-specific denominators for occupations were estimated using 1990 U.S. Census data. RESULTS: The overall injury/illness rate was significantly lower in females than males (5. 5 vs. 11.5 per 100 employees), a trend that extended to all major industrial classes with the exception of service and agricultural sectors. The distribution of types of injury/illness varied by gender, occupation, and industry with significantly higher risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, burn, sprain, and fracture in females compared to males. CONCLUSIONS: Female workers have a greater risk of specific injury/illness compared to males in various industries. Further research will be needed to understand the role of differential job-tasks within each occupation in explaining the risk difference.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2001

Cholesterol screening among children and their parents.

BACKGROUND: The Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities (CARDIAC) project is designed to test the hypothesis that universal cholesterol screening of prepubertal schoolchildren is effective in identifying children and their parents at risk of developing premature coronary heart disease (CHD) in a high-risk rural population. METHODS: Seven hundred nine fifth-grade schoolchildren from seven rural Appalachian counties participated in a school-based cholesterol screening program. Family history of premature CHD, anthropometric and blood pressure measurement, tobacco smoke exposure, dietary history, and physical activity levels were collected. RESULTS: One-fourth (174) of the children were "presumptively" dyslipidemic upon measurement of nonfasting finger-stick blood cholesterol (FSC). Subsequent fasting lipid profile obtained for 63 of these children and 79 of their parents confirmed the presence of dyslipidemia in 37 children (59%) and 52 parents (66%). Among confirmed dyslipidemic children, family history was not a good predictor of dyslipidemia (sensitivity 21.6%). FSC levels were significantly correlated with fasting total cholesterol of children and their parents. CONCLUSIONS: Universal nonfasting FSC screening of prepubertal schoolchildren is effective in identifying dyslipidemic children and their parents, whereas family history has low sensitivity in predicting children with elevated blood cholesterol concentrations.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Incidence and risk of work-related fracture injuries: experience of a state-managed workers' compensation system.

Incidence rates of occupational fractures at various anatomic sites and associated risk factors have not been well documented. We identified 3490 work-related fractures from a West Virginia Workers Compensation database that occurred between July 1, 1994, and June 30, 1995. The annual incidence rate was 55 per 10,000 workers, which is substantially higher than the work-related fracture rates reported previously. The incidence rate of fracture was highest in the agricultural sector, followed by the mining, construction, and manufacturing sectors (202.0, 165.2, 116.7, and 88.0 per 10,000 workers, respectively). The age-specific gender distribution comparing fracture and non-fracture injuries showed a bimodal distribution, with greater proportions of female employees at the younger and older age groups. Fracture of the phalanges was the most common, followed by fractures of the foot bone and carpal bone (15.8, 9.5, and 7.9 per 10,000 workers, respectively). In a multiple logistic regression analysis, age, gender, occupation, caught in-between objects, fall, struck by or against object, and vehicle collision were significant independent predictors of fracture (all sites combined). We believe work-related fractures to be a bigger problem than previously reported. The association among gender, age, occupation, and causes of fractures identified in this study will be useful in developing gender- and occupation-specific prevention intervention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Epidemiology of work-related burn injuries: experience of a state-managed workers' compensation system.

BACKGROUND: Population-based incidence rates of work-related burn injuries and associated risk factors specific to anatomic sites and degree of burn are not known. METHODS: Using a state-managed workers' compensation database, we estimated incidence rates of work-related burn injuries and identified high-risk occupations and associated exposures. RESULTS: The annual incidence rate of occupational burn was 26.4 per 10,000 workers, with the highest rate observed in the manufacturing sector for males and in the service sector for females. Welders, cooks, laborers, food service workers, and mechanics had higher incidence rates of burn injury compared with other occupations. Wrist and hand burns accounted for a majority of burn injuries, with females experiencing greater incidence of these distal upper extremity burns (8.9 in females and 6.7 in males per 10,000 workers, respectively). Third-degree burns (incidence rate, 1.3 per 10,000 workers) were also most frequently observed in the upper extremities compared with other anatomic sites. The majority of wrist and hand burns were caused by hot liquids/ objects, whereas the majority of eye burns were associated with chemical exposures. Younger cooks and food service workers were at greater risk of burn than older coworkers. CONCLUSION: Specific occupations are associated with degree of burn, anatomic site, and exposures. This information will be useful for targeted intervention among high-risk occupations and work groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Epidemiology of compensable work-related ocular injuries and illnesses: incidence and risk factors.

Incidence rates of work-related compensable ocular injuries/illnesses and associated risk factors were estimated by using a state-managed workers' compensation database. The annual incidence rate was estimated to be 537 per 100,000 employees. The majority of the ocular injuries and illnesses resulted from foreign bodies in the external eye (incidence rate 194 per 100,000 employees). Incidence rates for superficial eye injury, atopic conjunctivitis, burn, keratitis, chronic conjunctivitis, and contusion were 168.3, 30.9, 28.0, 23.4, 17.9, and 15.3 per 100,000 employees, respectively. The highest incidence rate was observed in the agricultural sector, with male employees having higher rates than female employees. Cooks, housekeepers, and food service workers had higher risk of atopic conjunctivitis (relative risk, 3.2 to 7.3) compared with other workers. The majority of the atopic conjunctivitis illnesses and burn injuries were associated with chemical exposures. Reduction of exposures and targeted intervention among high-risk workers should reduce the incidence of work-related ocular injuries and illnesses.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Prevalence of small lung opacities in populations unexposed to dusts. A literature analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the wide use of the International Labor Organization (ILO) system for reading chest radiographs, little information is available regarding the prevalence of abnormalities in populations unexposed to dusts. Prevalence studies of radiographic changes consistent with dust inhalation, as classified by the system, would be more meaningful if there were better understanding regarding the extent of abnormalities in unexposed populations. DESIGN: To determine small opacity prevalence in unexposed populations, a review of articles published since 1970 that used the ILO system to classify radiographs of the unexposed, either as subjects or control subjects, was performed. Criteria for inclusion in this review included ascertainment of the lack of exposure of subjects to occupational dusts, and independent reading of radiographs by at least two readers certified in the ILO system (B readers) or experienced in its use. A total of eight published articles presenting data on nine study populations were included in this study. RESULTS: The prevalence of small opacities graded 1/0 or greater varied widely, with a range from 0.21 to 11.7%. A meta-analysis of the published data yielded a population prevalence of 5.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.9 to 7.7%). The prevalence was significantly greater in Europe than in North America (Europe, 11.3%; 95% CI = 10.1 to 12.5%; North America, 1.6%; 95% CI = 0.6 to 2.6%). A subset of the studies contained information on gender that showed greater prevalence of lung opacities in male subjects than female subjects (male subjects, 5.5%; 95% CI = 3.4 to 7.6%; female subjects, 3.5%; 95% CI = 1.3 to 5.8%). Based on estimated age information, the studies were divided into two strata (mean age < 50 years vs > or = 50 years). The age-specific pooled prevalence was higher in the studies with mean age > or = 50 years than studies with mean age < 50 years in both Europe (11.7% vs 9.6%) and North America (2.3% vs 0.6%). Prevalence of lung opacities remained significantly higher in Europe and North America in each age stratum. The large difference in the prevalence between Europe and North America could not be explained on the basis of age, gender, or smoking history, although available age and smoking data are less robust. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that a background level of opacities consistent with the radiographic appearance of pneumoconiosis exists in populations considered to be free of occupational dust exposure. Environmental and unaccounted occupational exposures, as well as reader variability, all may play a role in the determination of small opacity prevalence in these subjects and may explain the large differences between Europe and North America. Thorough ascertainments of occupational and environmental exposures are essential to determine the true significance of opacities in populations who are not exposed to dust.

Dust↗
PubMed1994

Declining FEV1 and chronic productive cough in cigarette smokers: a 25-year prospective study of lung cancer incidence in Tecumseh, Michigan.

A community-based study has been reviewed to assess whether impaired forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and/or the symptoms of chronic cough and sputum production predict the incidence of lung cancer, after controlling for age, sex, cigarette smoking history, and the dietary intake of carotenoids and retinoids. A cohort of 2099 women and 1857 men, 25 years of age or older, were first examined from 1962 to 1965. As of 1987, there were 60 validated lung cancers diagnosed in men (1.83 per 1000 person-years) and 17 in women (0.39 per 1000 person-years). The incidence density of lung cancer in current smokers at baseline, when compared with never smokers, was increased 5.34 (95% confidence interval, 1.74, 16.38) times in women and 4.11 (95% confidence interval, 1.63, 10.34) times in men. The risk of lung cancer increased in women and men in relation to the average daily intensity of exposure in current smokers and the duration of smoking history (< 20 years, > or = 20 years) in current and ex-smokers. When stratified by cigarette smoking intensity, subjects with chronic cough and phlegm experienced a future risk of lung cancer that was more than 3 times higher than that in the nonsymptomatic subgroup. Among the smoking women and men at entry, those in the lowest quartile of the percent predicted FEV1, after controlling for the average number of cigarettes smoked per day, experienced a risk of lung cancer that was 2.7 times that of subjects in the highest quartile. With each 10% decrease in percent predicted FEV1, the risk of lung cancer increased 1.17 times (0.96, 1.42), after controlling for age, sex, and cigarette smoking intensity at baseline. The average annual decline in FEV1 as estimated between 1962 and 1965 and 1967 and 1969 was a significant independent predictor of future lung cancer incidence after controlling for cigarette smoking history; the slope of the regression line indicated that with each decline in FEV1 of 100 ml/year, lung cancer incidence density increased 1.16 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 0.30, 2.01). Controlling for potential confounding by quartile distribution of calorie-adjusted dietary intake of vitamin A, beta-carotene, cholesterol, and fat did not weaken or alter the fundamental relationship with impaired pulmonary function. Rapidly declining ventilatory function in conjunction with persistent symptoms of chronic bronchitis in current smokers is predictive of the increased risk of lung cancer and correlates with cumulative levels of exposure to cigarette smoking.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Morbidity and mortality in a diarrhoeal diseases hospital in Bangladesh.

Records of all patients who were admitted to or who died in Dhaka hospital of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) between July 1980 and 30th June 1981 were reviewed to identify epidemiological characters associated with in-hospital diarrhoeal diseases-related deaths. Information on aetiological agents, age, sex, major complications, nutritional status and level of dehydration were analysed. Over the one-year period, 3251 patients were admitted to the medical wards and 400 died. Children under five made up 72% of patients admitted and 77% of those who died. All patients were cultured for enteric vibrios, Salmonella and Shigella; 25% of the patients had at least one of these organisms. Shigella was most common and was isolated from 13% of the patients and 19% of those who died. Case-fatality rates in patients with Shigella and Vibrio cholerae non-OI (NAG) were significantly higher than other enteric pathogens (V. cholerae OI, Salmonella typhi and mixed). Case fatality for Vibrio cholerae non-OI was higher than Shigella (25.8% and 17.2%) but the difference was not statistically significant. Among those who died 21% were severely dehydrated and 50% had various complications. Patients with V. cholerae OI were significantly more dehydrated than other groups (P less than 0.05 by chi 2 test). The patients who died with Shigella were significantly more malnourished and had more frequent associated complications than other non-Shigella diarrhoea patients (P less than 0.01 by chi 2 test). Overall our observations indicate that Shigella and Vibrio cholerae non-OI are associated with unusually high case fatality.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Risk factors for diarrhoeal deaths: a case-control study at a diarrhoeal disease hospital in Bangladesh.

The study of diarrhoeal mortality risk has been limited to descriptive epidemiological investigations. This is the first case-control study in this area, and our results show that certain risk factors are predictive of diarrhoeal deaths. We have compared the disease history, associated complications, signs, symptoms and laboratory values of 346 patients who died on the medical wards of Dhaka Hospital and that for 346 matched controls to identify the risk factors for mortality. Patients presenting with oedema, severe dehydration or convulsion were found to have a risk of mortality two times higher than controls. Several laboratory results were compared by a matched pair analysis, demonstrating that hyponatraemia (less than 130 mmol/L), hypobicarbonaemia (less than 20 mmol/L) and raised anion gap (greater than 14.9 mmol/L) were moderately associated with mortality. However, hypoproteinaemia (less than 50 gm/L) was strongly associated. For children less than 10 years of age, both hyper- and hyponatraemia were found to be associated with mortality, and the nutritional status of the children modified the effect of hypernatraemia on diarrhoeal mortality. The strong association between diarrhoeal death and hypoproteinaemia may be due to the effect of the pre-existing malnutrition of these patients and/or their loss of protein during shigella infection. The various risk factors that we have identified could be used as a prognostic guide by physicians treating such patients.

Adolescent↗