Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C K Tan

Publications and source records attributed to C K Tan.

146 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology of serum aminotransferase activities in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Our study used data collected in Chung-Hsing Village in May 1998 to explore the distribution of serum aminotransferase activities and the relationship between aminotransferase and its related factors in the elderly. METHODS: All individuals aged 65 and over were recruited as study subjects. A total of 1093 persons, out of 1774 registered residents, were contacted by face-to-face interview. The response rate was 61.6 percent. However, only 586 subjects had blood tests and completed questionnaires. Analysis in this study was based on these 586 subjects. In order to study the significant related factors of abnormal aminotransferase activities, the t-test, ANOVA, chi-square analysis, and multivariate logistic regression were used. RESULTS: There were 66 percent men and 34 percent women. The mean age was 73.1 +/- 5.3 years. The mean values of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were 29.3 +/- 14.5 u/l in men and 27.8 +/- 10.7 u/l in women (p > .05). The mean values of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were 30.9 +/- 25.2 u/l in men and 26.3 +/- 12.6 u/l in women (p < .01). The abnormality rates of AST (> or = 40 u/l) were 10.5 percent in men and 12.2 percent in women (p > .05). The abnormality rates of ALT (> or = 40 u/l) were 16.7 percent in men and 12.6 percent in women (p > .05). After controlling for the other covariates, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the significant related factor of abnormal AST was retirement status (odds ratio 4.4; 95 percent confidence interval = 1.5-13.3; p < .01). The significant related factors of abnormal ALT were obesity (odds ratio = 2.2; 95 percent confidence interval = 1.1-4.2; p < .05) and hypertriglyceridemia (odds ratio = 2.7; 95 percent confidence interval = 1.5-4.9; p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: We raise the hypothesis that evidence of liver disease with abnormal ALT may co-vary with other indicators of chronic diseases. A large-scale investigation will be suggested in the future to demonstrate the causal-effect issue between abnormal ALT and obesity or hypertriglyceridemia.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Torticollis: a long-term follow-up study.

To achieve better guidelines for the future management of torticollis, this study analyzed surgical and nonsurgical management of 253 torticollis patients who were treated in this hospital from 1971 to 1993. Of those, 37 cases received operation only, 78 cases were operated after failed physical therapy, and 138 cases were treated only at the Rehabilitation Department. If free neck movement was considered to be the primary goal of treatment, most parents were satisfied with the results. However, if facial and skull deformities were the serious sequelae of torticollis, then only less than half of the surgical and nonsurgical groups of patients were graded as normal. Further, 10.9% of physical therapy group and 7% of the surgical patients need further operation to release the fibrotic bundle which limited their neck movement. Therefore, it is suggested that torticollis treatment should include early interventions such as adjusting sleep position, careful planning of physical therapy and/or operation and a long term follow-up period as essential for better management of torticollis.

Child↗