Scars on Body are the Scars on Mind - Anxiety, Depression and Low Self-Esteem in Acne Vulgaris Patients

Background: Acne, or acne vulgaris, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit of the skin, can severely affect an individual’s social and psychological functioning, progressing into psychiatric morbidity including anxiety, depression, and decreased self-esteem. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of Anxiety, Depression and Low Self-esteem in patients with Acne Vulgaris visiting dermatology clinics at tertiary care hospitals in Karachi. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 215 patients with acne vulgaris of both genders, > 13 years recruited from Dermatology clinics at two tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, from July 2011-February 2012. Anxiety, depression and self-esteem were evaluated using, Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES). The severity of acne was assessed by three grades (Mild, Moderate and Severe) according to American academy of dermatology. Data was analyzed using SPSS and a p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 215 patients (113 males, 102 females), 107 participants were from private hospital and 108 from public hospital. Patients with mild, moderate and severe acne were 41.4%, 42.8% and 15.8% respectively. Similarly, anxious, depressed and low self-esteem was found 67%, 40% and 69.3% respectively. Most acne patients were young adults (61.4%) between 19-24 years, followed by adolescents (20.9%). between 13-18 years of age. Conclusion: Overall the patients with moderate acne were found with highest anxiety, depression and low self-esteem, but the results were not significant. The physicians should treat acne with early intervention and holistic management. Keywords: Acne Vulgaris; Depression; Anxiety

Prediabetes in adolescents- an emerging epidemic– a cross-sectional survey of medical students at a public university, Quetta, Pakistan

Background and objectives: The prevalence of prediabetes is increasing globally affecting all age groups epically in adolescents. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and determinants of prediabetes in adolescent population studying in Public sector Medical University, Quetta, Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2019 to February 2020. Students in their late adolescents (ages between 16 and 19 years) were enrolled in the study. Non-probability convenience sampling method was used. A self-administered questionnaire was administered to the students to collect socio-demographic data. Fasting blood sample was taken to measure the fasting blood glucose level, lipid profile and HbA1c. Height,weight, neck circumference and waist circumference were also measured.  Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS v.21 was used to analyze data. Results: A total of 351 adolescent students were enrolled in the study, 158 (45%) were males and 193 (55%) were females. The overall mean age was 18.81±0.41 years. Based on being tested positive on both  the glycemic parameters ie HbA1c and FBS 23.1% of our study participants were found to have prediabetes. Neck circumference was identified as the strongest predictor for prediabetes in our study. Other predictor variables included high TG, high SBP, low HDL, high LDL, high DBP, WC and BMI Conclusion: The prevalence of prediabetes is higher among male medical students. The NC, WC, BMI, SBP, DBP, TG and HDL were strong predictors of prediabetes in adolescent population. Continuous..

Diabetes risk assessment among squatter settlements in Pakistan: A cross-sectional study

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has evolved as a major public health concern worldwide, as its prevalence is increasing exponentially. Pakistan now ranks seventh among the countries with the highest burden of DM. It is expected to become one of the major causes of morbidity within the next 25 years. Therefore, finding an effective way to identify individuals at risk of developing diabetes is a necessity. The Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) has proved to be an effective noninvasive screening tool for identifying individuals at risk for developing diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of individuals who are at risk for developing DM and their risk of developing DM over the next 10 years using the FINDRISC tool

Impact of pharmacist-led interventions on diabetes management at a community pharmacy in Pakistan: a quasi-experimental study

Published in August 202

Translation and validation study of Quality of Life Questionnaire for Physiological Pregnancy at Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, Pakistan

Objective To examine the psychometric properties of the Urdu version of the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Physiological Pregnancy (QOL-GRAV). Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Obstetrics, Gynecology department of Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta. The QOL-GRAV was translated into Urdu by using a forward-backward procedure. The test-retest reliability was assessed through Cronbach’s alpha reliability analysis. The validity of the translated questionnaire was constructed by using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) through principal axis factoring extraction and Oblique rotation with Kaiser Normalization. SPSS v 20.0 was used for data analysis with p<0.05 as significant. Results The Urdu version of the questionnaire (QOL-GRAV-U) exhibited acceptable alpha values of 0.780 (Test) and 0.812 (Retest) at two-time points with an overall value of 0.790 (field test). All items of the QOL-GRAV-U showed good stability with Intraclass Correlation Coefficient values of > 0.80. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy for the factor analysis was 0.812. Barlett’s Test of Sphericity was significant (Chi-square = 1032.43; p 0.40).  Conclusion The results of this study conclude that the translated version of QOL-GRAV-U is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of QoL for pregnant women in regions where Urdu is a prime language of communication. Continuous...