The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in children with persistent otitis media with effusion in different countries varies between 82% to 93%. Many risk factors of otitis media with effusion has been studied and proven. However, its association with allergic rhinitis remains controversial. Objective: The main objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in children with persistent otitis media with effusion. This study is also aimed to identify the risk factors of otitis media with effusion, common allergens associated with allergic rhinitis and determine the hearing threshold of children with otitis media with effusion. Methods: A hundred and thirty children were recruited. History taking, physical examination and hearing assessment were done in the first visit. Those with allergic rhinitis underwent skin prick test and treated with intranasal corticosteroid and antihistamine. A second examination and hearing assessment were then repeated after 3 months. Results: The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in children with persistent otitis media with effusion in this study was noted to be 80.3%. Among these children, dust mites appeared to be the most common allergen (87.7%). Another risk factor appeared to be families with more than 4 members per-household (96%). It is noted that that otitis media with effusion caused a hearing loss up to 33dB. However, there was a statistically significant improvement of the hearing threshold during second visit after commencement of allergy treatment. It is also noted that the hearing threshold in allergic rhinitis group was significantly impaired compared to the non-allergic rhinitis group. Conclusion: Allergic rhinitis and larger family household appeared to be common risk factors in children with persistent otitis media with effusion. There is significant hearing loss noted in children suffering from otitis media with effusion and allergic rhinitis. The hearing threshold improved remarkably with medical therapy. This study hence clarifies the controversy on the association between allergic rhinitis and otitis media with effusion.
Willingness to pledge as an organ donor after death in Malaysia increased from 26 donors to 39 donors in 2009 compared with the previous year. However, this is still a relatively low number, translating to a donation rate of 1.38 per one million people. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of receiving information about organ donation, willingness to donate, refusal factors for organ donation and reasons for refusal. We used data from organ donation module from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2006, a nationwide cross-sectional study by the Institute for Public Health. Data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 19 and Stata Ver. 11 for descriptive and inferential statistics. They were 34,208 respondents in this study. About 69.6% (95%CI: 68.65-70.15 respondents who ever received information on organ donation and the proportion of those who pledged as organ donors was 1.5% (95%CI: 1.40-1.70). Pledge for organ donor was less likely among Malays (aOR=3.45, p<0.001), those with no formal education (aOR=3.93, p=0.001) and those with monthly incomes less than RM1000 (aOR=1.87, p=0.001). Main reasons for not pledging were fear (39.4%), against their religion (10.5%) and uncertainty because of religion (10.9%). Study revealed receiving information alone won't encourage organ donation. Therefore, awareness and in-depth knowledge is necessity to create positive perception on pledging for organ donation.
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