Prevalence of Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Dena Township in 2004

ABSTRACT: Introduction & Objective: Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disease of human with prevalence of 1 to 4 percent. Peripheral neuropathy is one of the chronic complications of diabetes and its prevalence is not properly known, but worldwide is from 5 to 66 percent. The prevalence of this complication is not known in Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in definite cases of diabetes type 2 and related factors in Dena town-ship in fall 2004. Materials & Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive study that 40 definite cases of type 2 diabetes )28 females and 12 males( whose duration of disease were between 5 to 25 years were selected randomly. After informing and taking history and physical examination of the subjects, the nerve conduction study and electromyography were performed for them. Then the data were analyzed by SPSS software and X2 and Fischer exact tests. Results: Results of this study showed that prevalence of diabetes in urban and rural areas of Dena township were 1 and 0.8 percent respectively. Prevalence of neuropathy was 52.5% which comprised of 17.5% peripheral neuropathy, 22.5% carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and 12.5% combined form. The distal symmetrical sensorimotor peripheral polyneuropathy and carpal tunnel syndrome were the most common peripheral neuropathy and entrapment mononeuropathy, respectively. In this study, there were no significant statistical correlation between peripheral neuropathy and sex, age, duration of diabetes, fasting blood sugar, underlying disease, retinopathy and nephropathy, but significant correlation was found between mononeuropaty (CTS) and fasting blood sugar. Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes mellitus causes high prevalence of neuropathy (peripheral neuropathy & mononeuropathy) which is not related to duration of diabetes, retinopathy, nephropathy, age and underlying disease. We concluded that early diagnosis of disease could be done by educating of people and this can lead to a decrease in complications of diabetes

A Study on Effects of Zinc Supplementation on Growth of School Children in Yasuj

Introduction & Objective: Zinc is an important nutrient which is critical for normal immune function and physical growth. Zinc deficiency seems to be common in developing countries and this makes children in those countries prone to infectious diseases. The aim of This study was to find out the effect of zinc supplementation on growth of school children in Yasuj, in Southwest of Iran. Materials & Methods: The study was done as a double – blinded clinical trial. Eight hundreds and four school children aged 8-11 were the subjects of this study. Children were randomly assigned to zinc or placebo group to receive daily supplementation of zinc or placebo, in an identical form (syrup) and identical pre-coded containers, 6 days per week, for 7 months. Anthropometric assessment was first performed at the time of enrolment and then monthly. The data were analyzed by standard statistical tests using SPSS software. Results: Results showed significant weight gain in zinc supplemented group compared with placebo group (1.71± 1.48 VS 0.65 ± 1.98 p<0.0001). Also the mean height gain was significantly higher in zinc supplemented group than placebo group 3.26 ± 1.55 VS 1.65 ± 0.94 p<0.0001). Conclusion: Zinc supplementation improves children’s growth and measures should be taken to supply this nutrient to the children, particularly where zinc deficiency is common

Comparison Efficacy of Interferential Currents and Desmopressin in Primary Enuresis Children of 5-15 Years Old

Introduction & Objective: Nocturnal enuresis as a common disorder in children can create many problems. A variety of modalities has been used for its treatment but applying new and effective modalities can be of much interest. In this study efficacy of interferential currents (IFC), as a new modality, has been compared with nasal spray of desmopressin in treatment of primary nocturnal enuresis in 5-15 year old children. Materials & Methods: This is a prospective, randomized, clinical trial in which 39 patients received desmopressin (20µg/day) for 3 weeks and left off gradually in six months, if it was responsive. The other 36 patients received IFC therapy (5 times/week, 20 minutes each session, up to 15 sessions). Efficacy of treatment was evaluated after completion of therapeutic sessions and recurrence rate was calculated one month later. Results: About 66.7% of patients were 5-10 and 33.3% were 11-15 years old. Of all subjects, 58.7% were male and 41.3% were female. In those patients who received IFC, complete response was observed in 25%, partial response in 36.1% and 38.9% had no response while in desmopressin group, complete response was achieved in 61.5%, and partial response in 25.6% of cases and 12.8% had no response to the treatment. The recurrence rate in IFC and desmopressin groups were 16.7 % and 23.1%, respectively. In 11-15 year old children, response rate was better than those for 5-10 years old. Male patients had the most rate of recurrence. Therapeutic side effects were not observed in any of the patients in both groups. Conclusion: Desmopressin and IFC are effective and safe modalities for treatment of primary nocturnal enuresis of children with less recurrence in females. Moreover, desmopressin had better efficacy while IFC had less recurrence rate. In addition, desmopressin showed better efficacy in females. IFC can be recommended as an effective and safe modality for treatment of primary nocturnal enuresis, with less recurrence rate