Osteoarthritis attacks office workers

Osteoarthritis is getting younger and younger and among office workers, this disease is increasing.

Medical news on November 5: Osteoarthritis attacks "office workers"

Osteoarthritis is becoming younger and younger, and among office workers, this disease is increasing.

Osteoarthritis attacks office workers

According to Dr. Le Van Tuan, Director of the Orthopedic Trauma Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, more and more young office workers are suffering from bone and joint diseases.

Osteoarthritis is becoming younger and younger, and among office workers, this disease is increasing.

Every month, Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has nearly 8 thousand musculoskeletal examinations, 60% of which are "office workers" under 55 years old such as administrative, business, legal, accounting, information technology, design, communications, and insurance staff.

Dr. Tuan cited a study conducted from 2017 to 2020 on more than 500 office workers aged 20-59, showing that 37.9% of people had bone and joint problems. The most common areas of abnormalities were the neck, shoulders and back.

According to Dr. Tuan, sitting for 6-8 hours a day is the main cause of bone and joint problems in office workers. This habit causes stress, reduces blood circulation and puts pressure on the joints, especially the lumbar spine. This increases the risk of back pain, muscle tension near the spine, degenerative spine disease, and bone spurs.

Severe and long-term cases can cause herniated disc, cauda equina syndrome, and risk of leg weakness.

Sitting for a long time and in the wrong posture such as hunching over, sitting with legs crossed, pulling both legs up on the chair, sitting with shoulders askew, typing without support will increase the risk of musculoskeletal diseases such as carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and shoulder pain, and herniated disc.

“Standing up and walking around less often while working, consuming a lot of fast food, being overweight, and being lazy after work also cause office workers' bones and joints to be silently damaged, triggering the process of arthritis and osteoarthritis,” Dr. Tuan emphasized.

According to doctors, when detected early, musculoskeletal diseases in office workers can be treated conservatively with medication or physical therapy, changing lifestyle habits, etc. If treatment is delayed, the patient may need surgery to restore mobility.

Ho Chi Minh City: Adding 2 more groups of subjects to receive measles vaccination

In week 44 (from October 28 to November 3, 2024), the number of measles cases recorded in Ho Chi Minh City showed signs of increasing in children under 9 months old and those aged 11 and above. The number of new cases in children aged 1-5 has not decreased. In response to this development, the City has added 2 more groups of subjects to receive measles vaccination.

In week 44, the total number of measles cases in Ho Chi Minh City was 141, an increase of 18% compared to the average of the previous 4 weeks, including 82 inpatient cases (down 7.3%) and 59 outpatient cases (up 90%).

Accumulated from the beginning of the year until now, the number of measles cases in the city is 1,448 cases, including 1,124 inpatient cases and 324 outpatient cases, of which there have been 3 deaths.

In addition, the number of cases from other provinces treated at 4 hospitals in the city also increased with 298 cases, an increase of 41% compared to the average of the previous 4 weeks, of which 236 were inpatients.

Since the beginning of the year, the cumulative number of measles cases from other provinces is 2,165, including 1,878 inpatient cases and 1 death has been recorded.

The measles vaccination campaign for children aged 1-10 years old has contributed to reducing the number of cases of the disease in this age group.

However, the surveillance system recorded an increase in new cases in the under 9-month age group. This is a young age group, not old enough to be vaccinated against measles under the expanded immunization program (regulated in Circular 10/2024/TT-BYT), while maternal antibodies may have decreased below the protective level.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, the number of patients under 9 months old has been recorded at 349 children, accounting for 24% of the total number of cases, especially in the group from 6 months to 9 months old. In addition, the City Center for Disease Control also recorded an increase in the number of new measles cases in the group of older children from 11 years old and up (282 children, accounting for 20% of the total number of cases). In addition, the number of cases in the group of children from 1-5 years old has not shown a downward trend.

In response to the increasing number of new measles cases, the City People's Committee issued Document No. 6639/UBND-VX dated October 30, 2024 on expanding the subjects of measles vaccination in the City. Accordingly, the City will add 02 groups of subjects to receive measles vaccination, including: People in classes with measles cases in middle schools and high schools;

Caregivers of immunocompromised people, including children and adults, at social assistance facilities or rehabilitation centers under the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of the city. The type of vaccine used is a measles-containing vaccine purchased from the city budget or provided by the Ministry of Health.

For children from 6 months to under 9 months old, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has sent a document to the Ministry of Health recommending measles vaccination for children in this age group. The city will implement the vaccination as soon as the Ministry of Health has specific instructions.

According to the World Health Organization, monovalent measles vaccine can be given to children from 6 months to under 9 months of age during outbreaks as an enhanced anti-epidemic measure. This vaccine is considered as the “Measles 0” dose and then the child continues to be vaccinated with 02 doses of measles vaccine according to the Expanded Immunization Program schedule at 9 months and 18 months of age.

At the same time, the City continues to carry out a measles vaccination campaign for children aged 1-10. The health sector recommends that parents and family members proactively vaccinate against measles to protect their children.

Hanoi: Strengthening measures to prevent and control measles infection in hospitals

Hanoi Department of Health issued Official Dispatch No. 5405/SYT-NVY to public and non-public hospitals in the city regarding strengthening measures to prevent and control measles infection in hospitals.

The document stated that currently, the measles situation is on the rise in the city. According to monitoring data from the city's Center for Disease Control, in the first 10 months of 2024, Hanoi recorded 36 confirmed measles cases. The number of cases has increased rapidly in the last 2 months: 13 cases in September and 20 cases in October. Most of the patients have not been vaccinated against measles, including some cases of infection in hospitals.

To proactively prevent and control the spread of measles in hospitals, especially in hospitals that are receiving and treating cases of measles, the Department of Health recommends that units seriously implement screening, isolation and triage of suspected measles cases right at the examination department; arrange separate examination tables for these cases to limit cross-infection.

At the same time, report the case within 24 hours after diagnosis in accordance with the provisions of Circular 54/2015/TT-BYT dated December 28, 2015 of the Ministry of Health on guidelines for reporting and declaring infectious diseases and epidemics; report immediately when there is a serious case or when the number of cases increases.

Arrange isolation areas for treating patients suspected of having measles or having measles in infectious disease departments. In case a patient with measles must be treated in another clinical department, an isolation area must be arranged in the department.

Strictly implement infection control procedures to prevent cross-infection, standard precautions and additional precautions according to transmission routes, ensure the supply and use of personal protective equipment for all medical staff, patients, patients' relatives and visitors.

Strictly comply with regulations on waste management, linen, handling of medical instruments and equipment, ventilation of patient rooms and one-way procedures in infection control to minimize cross-infection in medical examination and treatment facilities.

Strengthen communication work at hospitals to detect suspected cases early for timely isolation and treatment, paying special attention to cases of chronic diseases, children with congenital diseases who have not been vaccinated against measles and are being treated. If suspicious signs are detected, testing and diagnosis, isolation and timely treatment are required.

In addition, the Hanoi Department of Health requires units to screen at-risk medical staff (participating in examining, treating, and caring for measles patients) who have not received two doses of measles-containing vaccine to be immediately given additional measles vaccine.

Organize training for all medical staff in the unit on standard precautions and airborne infection prevention when in contact with patients; require medical staff to strictly comply and have measures to monitor compliance; instruct patients and their families to do the same.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/tin-moi-y-te-ngay-511-benh-xuong-khop-tan-cong-dan-van-phong-d229171.html