Screening for hypertension among adults: community outreach in Cairo, Egypt

Background: Studies have shown alarming levels of hypertension among adults in the Middle East. The aim of our study is to measure the prevalence rate of hypertension among adults in Cairo (Egypt), identify possible risk factors for the development of hypertension and assess the rates of undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension. Methods: Cluster sampling was utilized and the fieldwork was conducted by 12 teams; each team consisted of a house officer, community worker and senior epidemiologist. A formulated questionnaire that addresses risk factors for hypertension was filled by all participants. Also, weight and height measurements were done to calculate the body mass index. Blood pressure measurement was done by calibrated sphygmomanometers. Blood pressure measurement was done twice, and a mean recording was calculated. A case which recorded both systolic blood pressure of ≥140 and diastolic blood pressure of ≥90 was considered hypertensive. Results: The study included 774 adult residents of Al-Waily District (Western Zone of Cairo) in late 2011 and early 2012. The mean age of the study participants was 46.5 (SD 17.9) years. Female subjects constituted 67.1% of the studied sample. The prevalence rate of hypertension in our study was 16.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 13.9-19.3). The rate of hypertension was higher among females and three times higher among obese compared with normal or overweight adults. The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension was 11% (95% CI: 8.4-13.9), and uncontrolled hypertension was 30% (95% CI: 24.2-37). Conclusions: Community outreach campaigns should be conducted regularly in the future for early detection of hypertension cases and proper health education about hypertension and its dangerous consequences

Effectiveness of integrated education and relaxation program on migraine-related disability: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Migraine is one of the most disabling disorders worldwide. Globally, in 2019, headache disorders were the cause of 46.6 million years of disability, with migraine accounting for 88.2% of these. The value of integrative strategies in migraine management has been raised due to the recurrent and provoked nature of migraine. So, the current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing a therapeutic patient education and relaxation training program versus usual pharmacological treatment alone on the frequency, severity, and duration of migraine attacks as the primary outcome and migraine-related disability and quality of life as the secondary outcome. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at the specialized headache clinic of a tertiary referral center. Sixty patients were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. Participants in the intervention arm received the education and relaxation training program and were instructed to perform daily relaxation exercises in addition to their routine pharmacological treatment, whereas the control group only received their routine treatments. Follow-up was done after 1 and 3 months using a headache diary and a migraine-specific quality of life questionnaire (MSQ). Result After implementation of the program, there was a significant reduction in migraine attack severity in the intervention group compared to the control group, and they also had significantly fewer migraine headache days/month and duration of migraine attacks compared to patients in the control group. Statistically significant improvement in the role-function restrictive, role-function preventive, and emotional function domains of MSQ. Conclusion An integrated migraine management program has a significant effect on reducing the burden of migraine attacks and improving the daily activities of migraine sufferers

Challenges During Review of COVID-19 Research Proposals: Experience of Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University Research Ethics Committee, Egypt

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an overwhelming increase in research studies submitted to research ethics committees (RECs) presenting many ethical challenges. This article aims to report the challenges encountered during review of COVID-19 research and the experience of the Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University Research Ethics Committee (FMASU REC). From April 10, 2020, until October 13, 2020, the FMASU REC reviewed 98 COVID-19 research protocols. This article addressed the question of how to face an overwhelming amount of research submitted to the REC while applying the required ethical principles. Ethical challenges included a new accelerated mode of review, online meetings, balance of risks vs. benefits, measures to mitigate risks, co-enrolment in different studies, protection of a vulnerable COVID-19 population, accelerated decisions, online research, how to handle informed consent during the pandemic, and justification of placebo arm.</jats:p