Using leprosy elimination campaign on leprosy case finding: Case series study in Kurdistan, Iran

BACKGROUND: Because of the long incubation period of leprosy and disability caused by it, even mother to fetus transmission has been reported. Thus, this disease causes much alarm. Kurdistan Province, which is located in the Western part of Iran, is one of the regions that have previously suffered from endemic leprosy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the leprosy elimination campaign (LEC) on leprosy case finding in Baneh, Iran, in 2012. METHODS: This case series study was conducted in Baneh District. Case finding was performed via LEC method, which is a recommended method for leprosy case finding in endemic areas. The performed steps included public education, and screening families of ex-patients through careful examination, identification of suspected cases, and diagnosis based on specialist’s examination. RESULTS: The families of ex-patients were assessed and 76 people who had prolonged exposure to ex-patients were invited to be examined by a trained general physician. Subsequently, 50 people were referred to a dermatologist for further examinations, 5 of whom and 1 unexposed person underwent bacteriological test for further evaluation. The results of all the tests were negative. CONCLUSION: Active leprosy case finding and use of LEC method require a great deal of money and efforts to identify a small number of patients. Because a district like Baneh is in the process of eliminating leprosy and since the economic and social situation has changed greatly over the past two decades, LEC method is no longer cost effective

Evaluation of Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms in Kurdistan, a Western Province in Iran

Abstract Introduction Allergic rhinitis, like other allergic diseases, is one of the most common disorders during childhood; this study was conducted to assess and compare the prevalence and severity of allergic rhinitis in children and adolescents living in Kurdistan province. The study was aimed to provide a ground for the identification of likely causes and risk factors of this disorder

Population Size Estimation of Tramadol Misusers in Urban Population in Iran: Synthesis of Methods and Results

Background: Estimating the population who use drugs is essential for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of substance use prevention and treatment. This study aims to estimate the population who misuse tramadol in urban population in Iran. Methods: We used the wisdom of the experts (WOTE) and network scale-up (NSU) methods to calculate the population of tramadol misusers in 10 provincial capitals of Iran, in 2016. The WOTE was conducted among pharmacists in drugstores and the personnel of traditional medicinal herbs stores. They guessed the best estimation of tramadol misusers population in their cities. The NSU method was conducted among the general population and participants were questioned about ever and daily, non-medical use of tramadol during last 12 months in their network. The median of the methods was used to calculate the proportion of the adult population (15-49 years old). Findings: The population size of tramadol misusers in studied cities was 83300 [95% uncertainty limits (UL): 47960-256220]. This corresponded to 6.6 per 1000 (95% UL: 3.88-20.30) of the 15-49-year-old population. The projected number of tramadol misusers for all 31 provincial capitals was 118290 (95% UL: 68100-363130840) and 212440 (95% UL: 122310-653410) for all urban areas. NSU also estimated the number of people who misuse tramadol on daily basis. These numbers were 52000 (95% UL: 19940-176570) for studied cities, 73840 (95% UL: 28320-250740) for all 31 provincial capital cities, and 132610 (95% UL: 50860-450310) for all urban areas in Iran. Conclusion: This study presents information on high prevalence of tramadol misuse in urban population. We need national control measures and demand reduction programs to control tramadol misuse

Using leprosy elimination campaign on leprosy case finding: Case series study in Kurdistan, Iran

BACKGROUND: Because of the long incubation period of leprosy and disability caused by it, even mother to fetus transmission has been reported. Thus, this disease causes much alarm. Kurdistan Province, which is located in the Western part of Iran, is one of the regions that have previously suffered from endemic leprosy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the leprosy elimination campaign (LEC) on leprosy case finding in Baneh, Iran, in 2012. METHODS: This case series study was conducted in Baneh District. Case finding was performed via LEC method, which is a recommended method for leprosy case finding in endemic areas. The performed steps included public education, and screening families of ex-patients through careful examination, identification of suspected cases, and diagnosis based on specialist’s examination. RESULTS: The families of ex-patients were assessed and 76 people who had prolonged exposure to ex-patients were invited to be examined by a trained general physician. Subsequently, 50 people were referred to a dermatologist for further examinations, 5 of whom and 1 unexposed person underwent bacteriological test for further evaluation. The results of all the tests were negative. CONCLUSION: Active leprosy case finding and use of LEC method require a great deal of money and efforts to identify a small number of patients. Because a district like Baneh is in the process of eliminating leprosy and since the economic and social situation has changed greatly over the past two decades, LEC method is no longer cost effective

Evaluation of Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms in Kurdistan, a Western Province in Iran

Introduction Allergic rhinitis, like other allergic diseases, is one of the most common disorders during childhood; this study was conducted to assess and compare the prevalence and severity of allergic rhinitis in children and adolescents living in Kurdistan province. The study was aimed to provide a ground for the identification of likely causes and risk factors of this disorder. Materials and Methods This study was a cross-sectional study. In order to collect data, 4,000 questionnaires were distributed to elementary schools and junior high schools and 3,890 questionnaires were completed; as a result, the survey response rate was 97%. The study was carried out based on International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC): ISAAC questionnaire. After entering the data into SPSS version 13, they were analyzed using logistic regression and Chi- square test. Results Of a total 3,890 people, 29.7% of the subjects in this study reported a history of sneezing or runny nose in the past 12 months; it was reported more in boys in the age group 13-14 years and the difference between the sexes was significant [Odds ratio(OR)=1.35, Confidence interval (CI)]: 1.09-1.67, P < 0.01). Based on physician diagnosis, 9.37% of the subjects were overtaken by allergic rhinitis and it was more prevalent in boys at both educational levels and the difference was statistically significant in subjects aged 13-14 years old (OR=1.44 CI: 1.07-1.94,

Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis Symptoms among Students in Kurdistan: a North-west Province of Iran

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD), often called eczema or atopic eczema is a very common skin disease; AD looks different in infants, children, and adults. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the disease in Kurdistan province. Materials and Methods Cross-sectional study using written questionnaires ISAAC  where 4,000 students in two age groups 7-6 and 14 -13 years in the province were using multi-stage sampling was carried out so that the first two floors rural and urban communities in every city and in every school pupil samples were selected based on 8-digit code. Results The prevalence of itchy rashes in the past 6 months, itchy rashes in the past 12 months and rashes at flexural areas were 7.5%, 8.9%, and 10.3%, respectively; the prevalence was higher in 13-14 years old than 6-7 years old and was higher in boys than in girls(Odds Ratio (OR)=1.44, Confidence interval (CI)= 1.49-2,

The Prevalence of Asthma Symptoms in Elementary and Middle School Students in Kurdistan Province, the West of Iran

Background Asthma is one of the most important childhood diseases in developing countries. The prevalence, mortality, and economic burden of the disease have taken a rising trend since 1960, and this increase was more marked in children. The presents study aimed to assess the prevalence of asthma symptoms diagnosed by International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire in Kurdistan province, Western Iran. Materials and Methods In  a  cross-sectional study, to collect the required data 4,000 questionnaires were distributed among student aged 6-7 years and 13-14 years; and the response rate was 97 percent. An ISAAC questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic variables, past health history, and respiratory health. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression and Chi-square test were use for analysis. Result. The prevalence of asthma diagnosed by physician was 3.9%. The prevalence of wheezing was 26.5% in the province in the past 12 months. There was a large difference between different cities in terms of the prevalence rates, so that it varied from 1.7% in Dehgolan to 8% in Sarvabad; hence, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion There was a relatively high prevalence of wheezing in the past 12 months and previous diagnosis of asthma among the students in Kurdistan province which was higher than that in other similar studies

The Prevalence of Transient and Permanent Congenital Hypothyroidism in Infants of Kurdistan Province, Iran (2006-2014)

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most common endocrine diseases and one of the major causes of preventable mental retardation. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of transient and permanent congenital hypothyroidism in Kurdistan province, Iran.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all registered congenital hypothyroidism neonate of health centers of cities covered by Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences during 2006 to 2014 entered to study. Demographic and laboratory information of CH neonates was collected and entered into the Stata-12 and was analyzed using student t-test and Chi-square statistic and P- value less than 0.05 was considered.Results: Overall incidence rate during 2006 to 2014 for province was 1.8, 2.3, 3.2, 4.3, 3.3, 4.0, 3.6, 4.6 and 2.7, respectively per 1000 neonates in this period. The number of diagnosed patients was 855 cases including 519 (60.7%) boys and 336 (39.3%) girls who 516 (60.4%) cases were from urban areas. Of the total patients, 202 (22.6%) were permanent. There was no significant difference between gender, location, type of childbirth, and season of birth with transient and permanent types of disease (P˃0.05); while, there was a significant statistical relationship between consanguineous marriages and congenital hypothyroidism (