Change in parasitic infections among school children in Bahrain, 1980-1986: a preliminary study

Stool specimens were collected from 378 children aged from 6 to 11 years and examined for the detection of intestinal parasitic infections. The prevalence of parasites was also compared with those reported earlier in 1980. The results indicate that Giardia lamblia and Trichuris trichiura were the most common parasites among both sexes. However, boys were more susceptible to these parasites than girls. No hookworms or Entamoeba histolytica were isolated. The study showed that there is a remarkable decline in some parasitic infections when compared with those reported in 1980 among the same age groups. Some factors responsible for intestinal parasites in Bahrain have been briefly discussed

Evaluation of body mechanics of top class Bahraini soccer players

Forty-three top-class Bahraini football players and fifty randomly selected male Bahraini university students were studied to investigate the occurrence of postural deviations specific to football. The standing posture of the subjects was measured utilising the Skan-a-graph posture test and the New York State Posture Rating test from photographs and in vivo. The comparison between active players and the control group revealed no significant difference between the two groups. The results of these data suggest that a longitudinal study is necessary to establish both the cause and the time when postural deformities appear during the growth period of the long bones

Twenty meter blind swimming: a test of underwater work symmetry

The mechanical movements by swimmers were investigated to determine the amount of deviation that occured due to asymmetric limb forces. Five Bahraini National Junior Swimming Team members swam 20 metres wearing opaque goggles and the same distance wearing ordinary goggles. The mean deviation distance was 0.775 m. The correlation between deviation distance and best time over 50 metres was R = 0.95 [P < 0.01], suggesting that the test is a valid predictor for asymmetric forces. The results revealed that there were hidden forces causing a loss of energy and efficiency

Nutritional Vs hereditary anaemias: appropriate screening procedures for Bahrain

Blood samples from 109 Bahraini schoolgirls and 92 boys and girls from the Salman Centre of the General Organisation for Youth and Sport were examined to differentiate between dietary anaemias and hereditary haemoglobinopathies. Previous studies of the nutritional status of Bahrainis have concluded that iron deficiency was the prevalent cause of the observed anaemias. Haemoglobins, blood cell indices, serum iron and total iron binding capacity [TIBC] were analysed in the pathology laboratory at the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital. Iron deficiency and microcytic hypochromic anaemia account for approximately 50% respectively of the 27.5% of low haemoglobin values among the schoolgirls. Indices of serum iron revealed that many children are iron deficient without frank anaemia in Bahrain, it is necessary to perform blood smears routinely along with multiple indices of iron status, preferably serum ferritin and haemoglobin electrophoresis when applicable