Impact of Ramadan fasting on thyroid status and quality of life in patients with primary hypothyroidism: A prospective cohort study from Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: Ramadan is the ninth month in the lunar calendar, during which Muslims fast from predawn to sunset and major changes occur in their dietary, sleep, and physical activity patterns. Most patients with hypothyroidism are unable to comply with the proper timings of levothyroxine (LT4) administration. The objective of the study was to determine the change in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level and quality of life (QOL) before and after Ramadan in patients with primary hypothyroidism.Methods: This prospective cohort study included adult patients on stable doses of LT4 who fasted for at least 20 days during the month of Ramadan in the Islamic year 1437 Hijri (June/July 2016). Baseline characteristics and TSH levels were recorded on all consenting patients within 6 weeks prior to Ramadan. Post-Ramadan TSH was tested within 1 to 2 weeks after Eid-ul-Fitr.Results: During the study period, 64 patients with hypothyroidism were enrolled, of which 58 were female. The mean age of participants was 44.2 ± 13.2 years. Average daily dose of LT4 was 95.3 ± 35.4 μg. On average, patients fasted for 26.5 days and missed a dose of LT4 on 1.27 days. Mean TSH pre-Ramadan was 2.37 ± 1.35 mIU/L, and post-Ramadan, it was 4.69 ± 3.87 mIU/L. Mean difference between TSH pre- and post-Ramadan was 2.32 ± 3.80 mIU/L ( P\u3c.001). However, the difference in TSH was not significantly different between those who were compliant with meals and LT4 interval versus those who were not (compliant, 2.04 mIU/L; noncompliant, 3.15 mIU/L; P = .30). Overall, an increase in QOL scores in the domains of physical health, psychological health, and social relationships was observed after Ramadan.Conclusion: We observed statistically significant changes in TSH concentrations after the month of Ramadan in hypothyroid patients who fasted. The change in TSH was not affected by timing of LT4 intake and interval from meal

Microalbuminuria in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus; the tip of iceberg of diabetic complications.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of microalbuminuria and its association with hypertension and other diabetic complications among Type-2 diabetic patients attending at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi. Methods: 1280 Type-2 diabetes patients who visited the outpatient department of Aga Khan University Hospital from September 2014 to August 2016 were included in the study. Microalbuminuria was diagnosed if spot urinary microalbumin excretion was confirmed to be more than 20mg/l. Hypertension was diagnosed if BP \u3e140/90 or already on antihypertensive medications. Other demographic, clinical and laboratory data were also recorded. Results: Microalbuminuria was diagnosed in 404(31.56%) patients and among these albuminuric patients 335(82.9%) had hypertension. They were also dyslipidemic, having raised triglyceride levels, lower HDL levels, with more prevalence of background diabetic retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy. They also showed higher HbA1C levels and longer duration of diabetes. Conclusion: The prevalence of the microalbuminuria in our patients with Type-2 diabetes is 31.56% and is not only an early sign of diabetic nephropathy but also a host of other diabetic complications and should be dealt early with strict control of their hyperglycemia and hypertension to help prevent the future complications

Important steps to maintain the privacy of patients in the hospital

Women are considered as vulnerable groups in our society in spite of their defined women rights by various laws. This shows that unfortunately these laws are not implemented practically in the real life. Society is shaped by the individuals and everyone should be responsible for advocating their own rights as well as the right of others especially of the vulnerable groups within the population

Burden of Diabetes Mellitus and Role of Telemedicine in its Management: Narrative Review

Objective: The purpose of this review is to summarize the findings regarding the prevalence and risk factors of Diabetes Mellitusin developed and developing world and to review the management options for Diabetes Mellitus especially the role of telemedicine. Methodology: Extensive literature review was carried by retrieving articles from various databases like Pub med, Google scholar, Science direct, Scopus and Archives of Medicine. Relevant articles were retrieved from different databases by using text words and phrases like ‘Diabetes Mellitus’, ‘Management’, ‘risk factors’, ‘prevalence of Diabetes’, ‘telemedicine’, ‘e- health’. Types of studies were descriptive studies, systematic reviews and various reports. Findings: Various supporting systems have been made to upgrade the management of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus including mobile phones and internet. Mobile phones and internet are mechanical support tools for the patients with type 2 DM to improve their health by facilitating good communication between the patients and their respective health care providers. Conclusion: There are multiple ways of managing Diabetes Mellitus ranging from oral medicines to insulin. These can be done either through the visits to the patients or the patients can be reminded to take the medicines through telemedicine. Telemedicine can play an important role in managing the patients with chronic diseases including Diabetes Mellitus

Iron Deficiency Anemia among Women of Reproductive Age, an Important Public Health Problem: Situation Analysis

Background: Iron deficiency is a major cause of anemia and is more prevalent in developing countries, posing additional burden on health care systems, in the presence of scarcity of resources. The high-risk group consists of females and children but comparatively it is higher in females due to physiological reasons. Multiple factors can predict anemia, which in turn leads to various adverse outcomes. Objective: The purpose of this literature review was to review and synthesize the findings from literature about the burden, causes, outcomes and important interventions of iron deficiency anemia for developing countries. Methods: An extensive literature review was carried out by retrieving articles from various databases like Pub med, Google scholar, Science direct, World Bank and WHO databases. Relevant articles were retrieved from different databases by using following text words and phrases: ‘anemia’, ‘Iron deficiency’, ‘risk factors of anemia’, ‘outcomes of anemia’, ‘interventions’ and developing countries. Results: Multiple determinants of iron deficiency anemia have been identified in the literature including genetic and environmental factors. Some of these factors are lack of proper diet, poor socioeconomic status, high parity of women, access to poor health and genetic etc. Moreover, anemia can result in various poor outcomes like fatigue, poor mental health, lack of concentration, poor feto-neonatal outcomes like stillbirth, preterm birth and postpartum Hemorrhage. Conclusion: Iron deficiency anemia is one of the important public health problems in developing countries among the women of reproductive age group. Multiple factors like age, parity, socioeconomic status and diet can determine the stores of iron in the women of reproductive age group. Anemia can lead to multiple adverse outcomes, which can be prevented by doing appropriate cost-effective interventions on time

Understanding Constipation: A Cross-sectional Study from a Developing Country Setting

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Gastroenterology Clinics of The Aga Khan Hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi. All patients complaining of constipation were included. Patients with alarm features were excluded. Interviews were conducted by trained doctors using a structured Rome III based pre-tested questionnaire and Bristol Stool Form Scale. Out of 396 participants, 186 (47.0%) had FC and 209 (52.7%) had IBS-C. Based upon Bristol Stool Form Scale, only 214 (54%) reported to have slow transit constipation (BSS \u3c2). A higher proportion of women reported severe form of constipation as compared to men (81.5%, n=150 vs. 65.1%, n=138 p\u3c0.001). However, a higher percentage of men reported using medications to treat their symptoms (71.2%, n=151 vs. 57.1%, n=105 p=0.003). Proper understanding of patient\u27s symptoms is essential for optimizing individual patient management

Characteristics of traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients presenting to major centers in Karachi, Pakistan-A longitudinal cohort study

Background: Trauma is the leading cause of death for adults under 44 years of age. Survival after traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has been reported to be poor, and its epidemiology is not well defined. A few studies have reported better survival in response to pre-hospital life-saving interventions. Currently, no published data on traumatic cardiac arrests in the field exist from low- and lower middle-income countries. We aimed to explore the epidemiology and outcomes of traumatic OHCA patients from Karachi, Pakistan. We conducted a longitudinal cohort study at emergency departments (ED) of five major public and private hospitals of the city from January to April 2013. Data was collected on all adult patients (age 18 years or more) presenting to the hospitals directly from field with cardiac arrest and history of trauma using a structured questionnaire. Patients with do-not-resuscitate status and those referred from other hospitals were excluded.Results: During 3 months, a total of 187 patients were enrolled with mean age of 35.1 years. About 95% were men, and 68.4% had a penetrating injury. Even though half of the patients had a witnessed arrest, none received a bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). 83.4% were brought to the hospital in an ambulance, with median response and scene times of 3 and 2 min respectively; however, only 3 received any pre-hospital life-support interventions. One hundred eighty-one patients (96.7%) were pronounced dead on arrival to the ED, and of the remaining 6 patients, 4 received CPR in the EDs. Overall survival at the end of ED stay was 0%. Patients who received life-support interventions survived for longer time, though not clinically significant, as compared to those who did not (45 min vs. 35 min, p = 0.02).Conclusion: There was no survival after a traumatic OHCA in Karachi, Pakistan. Even though ambulances reached the scene in a very short time, pre-hospital interventions were largely absent. There is a strong need to strengthen our pre-hospital care system but most importantly train the general public to deal with emergencies and be able to provide timely bystander CPR