Epidemiology of Suicide by Hanging in Fars Province, Iran (2011-2019): A Population-based Cross-sectional Study

Objectives Hanging is a common method of attempted suicide. This study investigated the epidemiological profile of attempted and completed suicides by hanging in southern Iran. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on 1167 suicide attempts by hanging between 2011 and 2019. All data related to suicide attempts by hanging were collected from the Fars Suicide Surveillance System. The trends in suicide cases and the mean age of attempted and completed suicides were plotted. The chi-square test was used to identify suicide-related factors. Crude rates of incidence, mortality, and standardized fatality during the study period were calculated. Finally, logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of death in individuals who attempted suicide. Results The mean age of those who attempted suicide was 33.21±16.82 years; the majority were male (80.5%). The rate of attempted and completed suicide by hanging were 3.50 and 2.79 per 100 000 people, respectively. The case-fatality rate was calculated as 79.34%. The results of our study indicated an increasing trend in suicide attempts by hanging. The likelihood of death was 2.28 times higher in individuals with a previous history of suicide attempts and 1.85 times higher in those with a psychological disorder. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest an increasing trend in attempted and completed suicide by hanging, especially among individuals with a history of suicide attempts and psychological disorders. It is necessary to take action to reduce the rate of suicide attempts and identify the underlying causes of suicide attempts by hanging

Excess Deaths During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Southern Iran: Estimating the Absolute Count and Relative Risk Using Ecological Data

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to increased mortality rates. To assess this impact, this ecological study aimed to estimate the excess death counts in southern Iran. Methods: The study obtained weekly death counts by linking the National Death Registry and Medical Care Monitoring Center repositories. The P-score was initially estimated using a simple method that involved calculating the difference between the observed and expected death counts. The interrupted time series analysis was then used to calculate the mean relative risk (RR) of death during the first year of the pandemic. Results: Our study found that there were 5571 excess deaths from all causes (P-score=33.29%) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 48.03% of these deaths directly related to COVID-19. The pandemic was found to increase the risk of death from all causes (RR, 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19 to 1.33), as well as in specific age groups such as those aged 35-49 (RR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.32), 50-64 (RR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.28 to 1.49), and ≥65 (RR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.32) years old. Furthermore, there was an increased risk of death from cardiovascular diseases (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.22). Conclusions: There was a 26% increase in the death count in southern Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of these excess deaths were not directly related to COVID-19, but rather other causes, with cardiovascular diseases being a major contributor

Epidemiology and predictors of multimorbidity in Kharameh cohort study: A population‐based cross‐sectional study in southern Iran

Abstract Background and Aim Multimorbidity is one of the problems and concerns of public health. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and identify the risk factors associated with multimorbidity based on the data of the Kherameh cohort study. Methods This cross‐sectional study was performed on 10,663 individuals aged 40–70 years in the south of Iran in 2015 to 2017. Demographic and behavioral characteristics were investigated. Multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of two or more of two chronic diseases in a person. In this study, the prevalence of multimorbidity was calculated. Logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of multimorbidity. Results The prevalence of multimorbidity was 24.4%. The age‐standardized prevalence rate was 18.01% in males and 29.6% in females. The most common underlying diseases were gastroesophageal reflux disease with hypertension (33.5%). Multiple logistic regression results showed that the age of 45–55 years (adjusted odds ratio [ORadj]] = 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–1.38), age of over 55 years (ORadj = 1.21, 95% CI, 1.06–1.37), obesity (ORadj = 3.65, 95% CI, 2.55–5.24), and overweight (ORadj = 2.92, 95% CI, 2.05–4.14) were the risk factors of multimorbidity. Also, subjects with high socioeconomic status (ORadj = 1.27, 95% CI, 1.1–1.45) and very high level of socioeconomic status (ORadj = 1.53, 95% CI, 1.31–1.79) had a higher chance of having multimorbidity. The high level of education, alcohol consumption, having job, and high physical activity had a protective role against it. Conclusion The prevalence of multimorbidity was relatively high in the study area. According to the results of our study, age, obesity, and overweight had an important effect on multimorbidity. Therefore, determining interventional strategies for weight loss and control and treatment of chronic diseases, especially in the elderly, is very useful

Epidemiological features and consequences of COVID‐19 in patients with and without gastrointestinal symptoms in southwestern Iran. A retrospective observational study

Abstract Background and Aims Some studies have shown that in addition to respiratory symptoms, gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations reported in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). The aim of this study was to compare the epidemiological features and consequences of COVID‐19 in patients with and without GI symptoms. Methods This retrospective observational study concluded on 15,323 COVID‐19 patients with GI symptoms and 95,724 patients without symptoms. All symptoms and comorbidities of the patients collected. To investigate the differences between qualitative variables in the two groups, χ2 test was used. Logistic regression analysis also used to identify determinants of mortality in patients with COVID‐19. Results During the course of the study, 111,047 cases of COVID‐19 occurred. Of these, 13.8% of patients had GI symptoms, and 9.9% of deaths due to COVID‐19 occurred in these patients. The most common reported GI symptoms among COVID‐19 patients were nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In addition, comorbidities, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and thyroid disease were significantly higher in patients with GI symptoms. The result of multiple logistic regression showed that the chance of mortality is higher in a patient with COVID‐19 who have dyspnea, fever, cough, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, immunodeficiency, chronic kidney disease, thyroid disease, chronic pulmonary disease, and male gender. The chance of death was lower in people with GI symptoms. Conclusion According to the findings of this study, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were the most common GI symptoms. Also, the chance of death is higher in people with co‐morbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Therefore, it is necessary to follow these people closely

The prevalence and predictors of cardiovascular diseases in Kherameh cohort study: a population-based study on 10,663 people in southern Iran

Background The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is rapidly increasing in the world. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and Predictors factors of CVD based on the data of Kherameh cohort study. Methods The present cross-sectional, analytical study was done based on the data of Kherameh cohort study, as a branch of the Prospective Epidemiological Studies in Iran (PERSIAN). The participants consisted of 10,663 people aged 40–70 years. CVD was defined as suffering from ischemic heart diseases including heart failure, angina, and myocardial infarction. Logistic regression was used to model and predict the factors related to CVD. Additionally, the age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) of CVD was determined using the standard Asian population. Results The ASPR of CVD was 10.39% in males (95% CI 10.2–10.6%) and 10.21% in females (95% CI 9.9–10.4%). The prevalence of CVD was higher among the individuals with high blood pressure (58.3%, p < 0.001) as well as among those who smoked (28.3%, p = 0.018), used opium (18.2%, p = 0.039), had high triglyceride levels (31.6%, p = 0.011), were overweight and obese (66.2%, p < 0.001), were unmarried (83.9%, p < 0.001), were illiterate (64.2%, p < 0.001), were unemployed (60.9%, p < 0.001), and suffered from diabetes mellitus (28.1%, p < 0.001). The results of multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of having CVD was 2.25 times higher among the individuals aged 50–60 years compared to those aged 40–50 years, 1.66 folds higher in opium users than in non-opium users, 1.37 times higher in smokers compared to non-smokers, 2.03 folds higher in regular users of sleeping pills than in non-consumers, and 4.02 times higher in hypertensive individuals than in normotensive ones. Conclusion The prevalence of CVD was found to be relatively higher in Kherameh (southern Iran) compared to other places. Moreover, old age, obesity, taking sleeping pills, hypertension, drug use, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had the highest odds ratios of CVD.Medicine, Faculty ofNon UBCExperimental Medicine, Division ofMedicine, Department ofReviewedFacultyResearche