Health Problems of Nepalese Women Attending General Health Check up in Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of a periodic General Health Checkup (GHC) is mainly to serve as preventive healthcare and alert healthcare providers to chronic diseases. If the health is timely evaluated, ongoing major complications and even sudden unexplained death can be prevented. Regular good health checkups every 1-2 year generally after 35 years of age, can detect diseases.

Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among women attending GIC at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) for a period of 6 months (January to June 2012). From the total patients attended for general health check up during this period 144 women patients were randomly selected for the study. A Performa used for GHC in TUTH was utilized for collection of information in this study. Diagnostic test for the study were also carried out in TUTH. All the standard criteria that were required for GHC were followed in the study

Results: Among the 144 randomly selected women, 77.8% were non-vegetarian, 21.6% with alcobol drinking habits, 6.3% with smoking habit, and more than 50% aged more than 45 years. Regarding menstrual history, 44.4% were menopausal, 50.7% were menstruating and 4.9% had already undergone hysterectomy. Majority of women had obese BMI (61.1%) The radiological findings revealed that 24.3% had some lungs disease and cardiomegaly. The ECG was abnormal among 11.8% of women. The laboratory parameters of blood revealed that 23.6% were anaemic, 15.2% had raised fasting blood sugar, 3.4% had raised blood urea, and 14.5% had raised SGPT, The impressions after GIC were hypertension (27.8 tract infection (10.4%), cardiomegaly anaemia (13.9%), raised triglycerides (13.2%), urinary (9.0%), diabetes (7.6%) and fatty liver (7.6%). It was found that diabetes, hypertension, raised triglycerides, cardiomegaly had more prevalence in age group 46-60 years of age

Conclusion: Non-communicable diseases are common problems among women and these should be taken into account for general health check up of women.