Asymptomatic Hearing Impairment Frequently Occurs in Early-Onset Parkinson's Disease

OBJECTIVE: Recent reports of hearing impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) have suggested that auditory dysfunction could be a non-motor manifestation of PD. These reports were based on observations of elderly patients for whom presbycusis may, to some extent, have contributed to hearing dysfunction. Therefore, we aimed to explore the auditory functions in younger patients with PD. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study in a relatively younger (< 55 years of age at study time) population of PD patients and healthy volunteers to test whether auditory dysfunction is a significant non-motor dysfunction in PD. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) and brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA) were performed in all participants. RESULTS: None of the patients or controls reported hearing deficits. Fifty-one patients with PD and 50 healthy volunteers who were age- and gender-matched to the patients participated. PTA-detected hearing impairment was found in 64.7% of patients and 28% of controls (p < 0.001) for both low-mid and/or high frequencies. Hearing impairment was more frequent in the younger subgroups of patients than age-matched controls, while the frequency of hearing impairment was similar in older groups of subjects. BERA was not different between patients and controls. CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic auditory dysfunction is a common non-motor manifestation of early-onset PD and more frequent in younger patients, indicating that it may be independent of aging. The mechanism underlying this dysfunction appears to be peripheral, although a central dysfunction cannot be ruled out based on the findings of this study.

Self-Reported Physical Activity and its Correlates among Adult Women in the Expanded Part of Thiruvananthapuram City, India.

Data on correlates of physical activity (PA) are limited in India. This study estimated the prevalence and correlates of PA among women. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1303 women (mean age 45 years) selected by multistage cluster sampling. Information was collected using a pretested interview schedule. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the correlates of PA. Self-reported moderate or high level PA prevalence was 73.4% [95% confi dence interval (CI); 71.1-75.9]. Women who perceived themselves as being underweight [odds ratio (OR) 3.68: 1.97-6.74]; had an exercising member in the household (OR 3.41: 2.52-4.66); had access to exercise facilities (OR 2.17: 1.63-2.95); were married (OR 2.14: 1.40-3.25), were in the age group of 35-54 years (OR 1.91: 1.32-2.63); reported having knowledge about the benefi ts of PA (OR 1.62: 1.13-2.25); and who reported having the support of friends and neighbors (OR 1.42: 1.05-2.01) were more likely to report PA than their counterparts.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Outbreak in Kerala, Southern India.

Aims: To study the clinical and epidemiological features in the affected individuals from different areas of Kerala, India. Study design: Population based cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Regional Facility for Molecular Diagnostics, Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology and Directorate of Health Services, Kerala, between August 2009 and September 2010. Methodology: We conducted active surveillance for referral hospitals with specialist inpatient care in Kerala during pandemic periods. Oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal swabs were tested for influenza viruses by Real time reverse transcriptase PCR. Results: A total of 4252 samples were tested for H1N1 influenza virus, of which, 30.17% were positive for pandemic influenza A H1N1 and 10.49% were positive for Influenza A (seasonal flu). Severe disease and mortality in the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 infection predominantly affected relatively healthy adolescents and adults between the age of 10 and 50 years. Both Males (29.28%) and Females (31.15%) were equally effected even though we observed a significant difference (P=.02). 141 cases exhibited lower respiratory tract symptoms. Pneumonia alone accounted for 28% of complicated cases. It was observed that the majority of cases (29.28%) during the first outbreak season were imported from affected overseas regions. Conclusion: In this study, prevalence of Influenza A H1N1 was high in the healthy younger population and there wasn’t any sex related susceptibility for Influenza infection. Majority of districts showed a positivity of approximately 10-30%, few with high positivity of >30%. Our findings highlight the importance of regular influenza immunization as it is significant to understand that the H1N1 (2009) virus may still circulate for many years with similar high severity.