Health care workers safety: screening and immunization: a review

The paper puts forth the need for health care workers safety whilst undertaking their job on a daily basis. Presently there are number of factors that are directly linked to the safety of health care workers. However, Occupational Health is very important and useful for health workers that are exposed to their job hazards. Every year, many lives are lost because of the spread of infections in hospitals. Every hospital’s occupational health departments should ensure that all new staff are vaccinated to protect them against microorganisms carried by other patients, and with vaccinated against preventable diseases. This will help to prevent the health workers from occupational exposure to patients’ blood or any other bodily substances, including injury from sharp objects, and also guarantees that the new employees does not infect the patients with infectious diseases. Furthermore, all the new staff should be screened for blood borne pathogenic diseases

Diabetes mellitus type 2 and other chronic non-communicable diseases in the central region, Saudi Arabia (riyadh cohort 2): a decade of an epidemic

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Follow-up epidemiologic studies are needed to assess trends and patterns of disease spread. No follow-up epidemiologic study has been done in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to assess the current prevalence of major chronic, noncommunicable diseases, specifically in the urban region, where modifiable risk factors remain rampant. This study aims to fill this gap.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 9,149 adult Saudis ages seven to eighty years (5,357 males (58.6%) and 3,792 females (41.4%)) were randomly selected from the Riyadh Cohort Study for inclusion. Diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMT2) and obesity were based on the World Health Organization definitions. Diagnoses of hypertension and coronary artery disease (CAD) were based on the Seventh Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure and American Heart Association criteria, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall crude prevalence of DMT2 was 23.1% (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 20.47 to 22.15). The age-adjusted prevalence of DMT2 was 31.6%. DMT2 prevalence was significantly higher in males, with an overall age-adjusted prevalence of 34.7% (95% CI 32.6 to 35.4), than in females, who had an overall age-adjusted prevalence of 28.6% (95% CI 26.7 to 29.3) (<it>P </it>< 0.001). The overall crude prevalence of obesity was 31.1% (95% CI 30.1 to 32.0). The age-adjusted prevalence of obesity was 40.0%. The prevalence of obesity was higher in females, with an overall prevalence of 36.5% (95% CI 35.1 to 37.83), than in males (25.1% (95% CI 23.7 to 26.3)) (<it>P </it>< 0.001). The age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension and CAD were 32.6% (95% CI 31.7 to 33.6) and 6.9% (95% CI 6.4 to 7.4), respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Comparisons of our findings with earlier data show that the prevalence of DMT2, hypertension and CAD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has alarmingly worsened. Aggressive promotion of public awareness, continued screening and early intervention are pivotal to boosting a positive response.</p

Circulating leukocyte telomere length is highly heritable among families of Arab descent

Background Telomere length, an indicator of ageing and longevity, has been correlated with several biomarkers of cardiometabolic disease in both Arab children and adults. It is not known, however, whether or not telomere length is a highly conserved inheritable trait in this homogeneous cohort, where age-related diseases are highly prevalent. As such, the aim of this study was to address the inheritability of telomere length in Saudi families and the impact of cardiometabolic disease biomarkers on telomere length. Methods A total of 119 randomly selected Saudi families (123 adults and 131 children) were included in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometrics were obtained and fasting blood samples were taken for routine analyses of fasting glucose and lipid profile. Leukocyte telomere length was determined using quantitative real time PCR. Results Telomere length was highly heritable as assessed by a parent-offspring regression [h2 = 0.64 (p = 0.0006)]. Telomere length was modestly associated with BMI (R2 0.07; p-value 0.0087), total cholesterol (R2 0.08; p-value 0.0033), and LDL-cholesterol (R2 0.15; p-value 3 x 10-5) after adjustments for gender, age and age within generation. Conclusion The high heritability of telomere length in Arab families, and the associations of telomere length with various cardiometabolic parameters suggest heritable genetic fetal and/or epigenetic influences on the early predisposition of Arab children to age-related diseases and accelerated ageing

Decreasing Prevalence of the Full Metabolic Syndrome but a Persistently High Prevalence of Dyslipidemia among Adult Arabs

A decade has passed since metabolic syndrome (MetS) was documented to be highly prevalent in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. No follow-up epidemiologic study was done. This study aims to fill this gap. In this cross-sectional, observational study, a total of 2850 randomly selected Saudi adults aged 18–55 years were recruited. Subjects' information was generated from a database of more than 10,000 Saudi citizens from the existing Biomarkers Screening in Riyadh Program (RIYADH Cohort), Saudi Arabia. Anthropometrics included body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, as well as waist and hip circumferences. Fasting blood glucose and lipid profile were determined using routine laboratory procedures. The definition of ATP-III (NHANES III) was used for the diagnosis of the full MetS. The overall prevalence of complete MetS was 35.3% [Confidence-Interval (CI) 33.5–37.01]. Age-adjusted prevalence according to the European standard population is 37.0%. Low HDL-cholesterol was the most prevalent of all MetS risk factors, affecting 88.6% (CI 87.5–89.7) and hypertriglyceridemia the second most prevalent, affecting 34% (CI 32.3–35.7) of the subjects. The prevalence of the full MetS decreased from previous estimates but remains high, while dyslipidemia remains extremely high, affecting almost 90% of middle-aged Arabs. Screening for dyslipidemia among Saudi adults is warranted, especially among those most at risk. Scientific inquiry into the molecular causes of these manifestations should be pursued as a first step in the discovery of etiologic therapies

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus

AbstractObjectivesDiabetes mellitus (DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD) are closely related. DM is a risk factor for CAD, but it is also equivalent to established CAD. The prevalence of DM and CAD is growing primarily due to the rising prevalence of obesity. The rapidly changing life style, especially in developing countries, plays major role in the occurrence of these diseases.MethodsWe performed a literature review to summarize and explore the relationship between CAD and DM with a special focus on Arab countries in terms of risk factors and prevalence. We suggest future directions to prevent escalation in the incidence of DM and CAD in Arab countries.ConclusionAn important part of any preventive program for CAD should include clear prevention strategies for DM and other associated metabolic risk factors, such as obesity. Preventive measures, such as physical exercise in high-risk groups, at the population level should be encouraged

Early Diagnosis of Diabetic Neuropathy in Almadinah Almunawwarah

AbstractObjectivesDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a major public health problem worldwide. The aim is to assess the early detection of impaired nerve function and the risk factors associated with the development of diabetic neuropathy.MethodsIt is a prospective descriptive study of age-matched 263 diabetic Saudi patients from the outpatient clinic of the Diabetic Centre in King Fahd Hospital in Almadinah Almunawwarah in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during 2008-2009. Written informed consent was obtained from each subject after the protocol was approved by the local ethics committee. All subjects were diagnosed as diabetics using WHO criteria. We obtained detailed demographic data as age, sex, special habits, height, weight and body mass index, arterial blood pressure, type and duration of diabetes, glycosated haemoglobin (HbA1C), lipid profile, management, family history of hypertension, diabetes. Assessment of neuropathy by using the Diabetic neuropathy index and diabetic neuropathy score. Asymptomatic patients who scored less than two in clinical examination were referred to be assessed by complete neurological examination, and nerve conduction studies. Data were calculated and compared by using SPSS version 13.0.ResultsThe type I were 39 (14.8%) and type II were 244 (85.2%) diabetic patients and the mean duration of diabetes mellitus in all diabetic patients was 13.89 ± 8.7 years. The symptomatic diabetic neuropathy patients were 165 (62.7%)s out of 263 diabetic patients and the asymptomatic were 98 (37.3%). The risk factors for neuropathy were old age, poor blood sugar control, long duration of diabetes, hyperlepidemia, Body Mass Index (BMI). There were no statistical significant differences in relation to types of diabetes mellitus. There was positive correlation which shown by the linear regression charts between the grades of nerve conduction defects in asymptomatic diabetic neuropathy patients and duration of diabetes, age, BMI and HbA1C.ConclusionThe early detection of by sub-clinical nerve conduction of diabetic patients is of a major clinical interest that could lead to more intensive supervision of diabetic patients. Further studies should be performed in order to confirm these findings