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A PROFILE OF A KERALA FEMALE PATIENT
O P Kapoor
Hon. Visiting Physician, Jaslok Hospital and Bombay Hospital, Mumbai, Ex. Hon. Prof. of Medicine, Grant Medical College and JJ Hospital, Mumbai 400 008.
There are many unusual findings when a female patient from Kerala presents in your clinic. Most of them are educated, are doing full time jobs and in addition are looking after their families. Most of them are smart and have a good built and constitution.Kerala women fall sick much less commonly than women from other communities in India. This applies specially to common chronic illnesses. There are certain diseases which are rarely heard of in this community. For example a Kerala woman will rarely say that she is suffering from low blood pressure. In fact giddiness and even high blood pressure are very rare in these patients.
First of all I would like to mention some symptoms which are extremely common in most Indian women, but rare in Keralites. These are:
1. Ghabrahat or its equivalent.
2. Backaches, burning micturition, poor appetite, tingling and numbness of the limbs, weakness, fatigue, insomnia, gases, belching, pain in the calves etc. Not only that, the most common symptom of leucorrhoea is rare in this community.
The following are the incidences of other diseases systemwise:
Alimentary System : The burning sensation due to hyperacidity, oesophagitis and peptic ulcer syndrome are rare in this population possibly because of complete absence of any addiction in this community which includes tobacco in any form, or even excessive consumption of tea and coffee. Although many of them have bowel evacuation only 2-3 times a week, it is significant that they do not complain of constipation. The incidence of diarrhoea due to irritable colon is less common, (Kerala Pancreatitis which is due to a toxin in their diet, is the only more common alimentary disease in this population).
Cardiovascular System : The incidence of high blood pressure, low blood pressure and ischaemic heart disease and possibly rheumatic heart disease is much less in this population. Functional cardiac symptoms including palpitations and ghabrahat are hardly heard.
Haematology : It is surprising that anaemia is rare in this population compared to other Indian women.
Central Nervous system: Common symptoms like migraine, giddiness and vertigo are less common. Even psychiatric illnesses are less common in this community.
Pregnancy : Most Kerala women have minimum symptoms and carry their pregnancy much more comfortably.
On the whole the functional symptoms which one sees in most of the Indian females are quite rare in this community.
Although I have not done any research work, it is possible that all the above picture is because of the following:
1. Educational background of Kerala women makes them more intelligent than other women in our country.
2. Many of them being teachers and nurses have a good grasp of medical symptoms.
3. Because husband and wife, both are earning partners, the basic financial requirements are perhaps met much better resulting in less anxiety.
4. Kerala women have the most sober habits amongst all other Indian women and never consume tobacco in any form.
5. Their attitude towards menstrual disorders, leucorrhoea and sex problems are very healthy.
6. Since they are working women they have no spare time to think of functional symptoms.
7. They have really no time to spend hours waiting in Doctor's dispensary or clinic.
The above picture in Kerala applies specially to catholic women and less to Muslim women.
On the whole it is a pleasure to examine and treat a Kerala woman. On general examination it is rare to see physical findings like under-weight overweight, anaemia, an abnormal tongue or glossitis, fungus infection of skin or oedema due to hypoproteinaemia Most of them speak English, obey the doctor's orders and the compliance is excellent.
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