Prevalence of obesity among adults in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates

Background: There is an increasing prevalence of obesity globally which is associated with Non Communicable Diseases. As this trend continues even in UAE we decided to focus on determining the prevalence of obesity among adults in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), UAE.Methods: This was a retrospective observational study done in adults between the age group of 18 to 77 years using convenience sampling technique in 544 subjects. Anthropometric, bio chemical, clinical and demographic data was collected by direct interview for four consecutive years, i.e. from 2013 to 2016. Body Mass Index (BMI) was analyzed to classify individuals as overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9kg/m²), Obese grade I (BMI 30.0-34.9kg/m²), Obese grade II (BMI 35.0-39.9kg/m²) and obese grade III (BMI > 40.0kg/m²).Results: Data was obtained from 544 subjects and considered for analysis. Our results showed that the mean age of the study population was 39.29±13.43 years, the mean weight was 75.35±15.65 kilograms and the mean BMI was 27.62±5.43kg/m2. A total of 67.6% of the study population was either overweight or obese. The prevalence of overweight is 36.2% followed by obesity prevalence of 31.4% of which 22.8% were categorized as Grade I obese, 5.5% Grade II obese and 3.1% Grade III obese. We found that higher proportions of males were in overweight and obese category compared to females.Conclusions: The results derived from our study shows that obesity and overweight are widespread among Ras al khaimah population with the obesity prevalence of 31.4%. Hence, policy makers should focus on preparing national nutritional strategies and implement protocols to overcome this burden by giving practical solutions

Evaluation of potential drug-drug interactions and adverse drug reactions among chronic kidney disease patients: An experience from United Arab Emirates

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and assessing nature of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.Methods: This was a prospective observational study involving adult CKD patients. Occurrence of pDDIs was evaluated using Micromedex database 2.0. Suspected ADRs during the study period were documented and assessed.Results: Overall prevalence of pDDIs was found to be 85.3 %. A total of 811 pDDIs with 225 different pairs of interacting drugs were identified. Majority of the patients had ≥ 3 pDDIs regardless of type of severity. Thirty-five ADRs were identified in 25 CKD patients. Hyperkalemia was the most-commonly suspected ADR. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age (OR: 1.04, 95 % CI: 1.01 - 107), length of hospital stay (OR: 1.15, 95 % CI: 1.0 - 1.32), presence of comorbidity like diabetes (OR: 9.1, 95 % CI: 3.2 - 25.3) and number of drugs prescribed (OR: 6.88, 95 % CI: 1.5 - 30.0) were positively correlated with occurrence of pDDIs. Length of hospital stay (OR: 1.05, 95 % CI: 0.99 - 1.06) and number of drugs (OR: 0.16, 95 % CI 0.03 - 0.84) were identified as independent predictors of occurrence of ADRs.Conclusion: Prevalence of pDDIs was high in the study population. A majority of the pDDIs were of major severity type, fair documentation grade, and of unspecified onset. A majority of suspected ADRs were probably of moderate in severity and not preventable type

HYPERPHOSPHATEMIA IN END STAGE RENAL DISEASE: PREVALENCE AND PATIENTS CHARACTERISTICS OF MULTIETHNIC POPULATION OF UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Objective: Hyperphosphatemia is significantly associated with increased mortality among end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on hemodialysis. There is paucity of data on hyperphosphatemia in ESRD patients of the multiethnic population of United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of hyperphosphatemia in ESRD patients of the multiethnic population of UAE undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.Methods: Adults ESRD patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis for more than six months at the study site were included. Demographic, clinical and biological data of the patients were collected. Patient characteristics were compared as per the serum phosphate level, between patients with or without hyperphosphatemia. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify the predictors of hyperphosphatemia.Results: Hyperphosphatemia was present in 73.8% of the study population, while 31.3% presented with high calcium-phosphate product. Univariate logistic analysis revealed that hyperphosphatemia was inversely correlated with age, hemoglobin, serum calcium, and hypertensive nephropathy as cause of renal disease, and positively correlated with female gender, expatriate status, body mass index (BMI), higher number of comorbidities, calcium-phosphate product and parathyroid hormone (PTH). Multivariate logistic regression model revealed that only age, BMI, hemoglobin and PTH independently correlated with hyperphosphatemia.Conclusion: We report a high prevalence of hyperphosphatemia in multiethnic study population undergoing maintenance hemodialysis at a secondary care hospital in UAE. In this study population, only age, BMI, hemoglobin and PTH were identified as independent predictors of hyperphosphatemia

Assessment of Academic Resilience and its associated factors among Pharmacy Students in Twelve Countries

Objective Academic resilience, a critical determinant of academic achievement, is affected by various factors. There is a paucity of large-scale international assessments of academic resilience among pharmacy students. Therefore, this study aimed to assess academic resilience among pharmacy students in 12 countries and to evaluate factors associated with their academic resilience levels. Methods A cross-sectional online survey-based study was conducted among randomly selected pharmacy students in 12 countries: Egypt, Türkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates. After pilot testing, the validated 30-item academic resilience scale (ARS) was used for the assessment. The data were collected between November 1, 2022 and April 15, 2023. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed, as appropriate. Results A total of 3950 were received from the 12 participating countries. The mean age was 21.68 ± 2.62 years. About two-thirds of the responses were from female participants and those studying for Bachelor of Pharmacy degrees. Overall, the findings show moderate academic resilience, which varied across countries. The median (IQR) of the total ARS-30 was 114 (103−124). Females exhibited lower negative affective and emotional response subscale levels than males. There were significant cross-country variations in the ARS-30 and all subscales. The highest overall levels were reported for Sudan, Pakistan, and Nigeria and the lowest were reported for Indonesia and Türkiye. Students in private universities tended to have higher overall ARS levels than public university students. Higher academic performance was significantly associated with ARS levels, whereas those with excellent performance exhibited the highest ARS levels. Students with exercise routines had higher ARS levels than those without exercise routines. Finally, students who were engaged in extracurricular activities had higher ARS levels than those who did not participate in these activities. Conclusion The study offers insights into the factors affecting academic resilience in pharmacy students across several countries. The findings could guide interventions and support activities to improve resilience and academic outcomes

Cryptococcemia in pancreas-kidney transplant patient

Solid organ transplant recipients have a higher risk of developing invasive fungal infections (IFIs) due to immunosuppressive therapy. Cryptococcosis is the third most commonly occurring invasive fungal infection in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Cryptococcemia is associated with high mortality rate.We present a case of cryptococcemia in a 31-year-old female with a pancreas-kidney transplant who was admitted to hospital for the management of a suspected Hemodialysis catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI)

From textbooks to online sources: An Investigation of drug information resource preference and utilization among healthcare Professionals

Background: Providing drug information (DI) is one of the essential pharmaceutical care services. Previous research has documented varying DI preferences and utilization practices among Healthcare Professionals (HCPs). This study aimed to determine the preference and utilization of DI resources among HCPs and identify the main barriers that impede their ability to utilize them. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in selected government, private hospitals, and primary healthcare clinics. A thirteen-item survey instrument was developed to assess the utilization, accessibility, preferences, and satisfaction with various DI resources and barriers. HCPs meeting the inclusion criteria were identified and contacted. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 27. Results: 311 responses were considered for the final analysis. Most HCPs who contributed to this survey were pharmacists, nurses, and physicians. Google was the most frequently used reference resource, at 64.3% (n = 200), followed by other subscription-based databases at 36% (n = 112) and package inserts at 30.5% (n = 95). UpToDate was the most commonly used database, i.e., 42.1% (n = 131) (RII = 0.749196). Treatment was the most common category of DI, and 69.8% (n = 217) searched (RII = 0.899517). Lack of time, 46% (n = 201), was the most limiting factor for seeking DI. Variables such as work experience, practice setting, education level, and continuing medical education hours were the significant (p < 0.05) predictors of some DI utilization components and preferences. Conclusion: This study shows differences in preference and utilization of drug information resources (DIR) by HCPs, depending upon their clinical practice and background. Therefore, educational strategies are needed to empower HCPs about DIR

Zika virus disease knowledge among the future health-care providers of the United Arab Emirates

Zika virus (ZIKV) disease has become a major public health concern. Although there are no reported cases of ZIKV disease in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), there is a potential risk of transmission due to large expatriate population and high influx of international travelers. This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge of ZIKV disease among the students of a medical and health sciences university in the UAE. Their knowledge of ZIKV disease was assessed using a specially designed, pretested, and validated questionnaire. Of the 500 respondents included in the final analysis, 314 (62.8%) respondents presented with poor knowledge of ZIKV disease. The mean knowledge score of the study population was 10.48 ± 2.48 out of a maximum of 17. Gender, college and year of study, nationality and attendance in lecture/conference/workshop on Zika were significantly associated with the level of knowledge. The males possessed significantly (P = 0.046) better knowledge as compared to the females. Students of medical college had significantly (P = 0.005) better knowledge as compared to students of other colleges. The level of knowledge improved significantly (P = 0.026) as the year of study progressed. There is a need for medical and paramedical students to update their knowledge of ZIKV disease as they are the future health-care providers who will be responsible for creating awareness about such outbreaks and their preventive measures

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a kidney transplant recipient; case report

Patients with kidney transplants are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 because of long-term immunosuppression and may end up with severe disease with adverse outcome. The experiences of COVID-19 management in kidney transplant recipients are limited. This is a case of COVID-19 in a 45-year-old patient with a second renal transplant on triple immunosuppressive therapy who was successfully treated for COVID-19, septic shock, acute kidney injury and was discharged with a stable graft function. The patient presented with mild COVID-19 symptoms but later went into septic shock followed by acute kidney injury due to a secondary bacterial infection. The patient was successfully managed using antivirals, corticosteroids, reducing the dose of immunosuppressants initially, then discontinuing all the immunosuppressants in view of septic shock and finally reinstating the immunosuppression gradually on clinical improvement. This case report may serve as a reference for treating immunocompromised kidney transplant recipients having COVID-19. However, more data and experiences are needed for optimization of treatment of kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19

Clinical Characteristics, Risk Factors for Severity and Pharmacotherapy in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in the United Arab Emirates

Data on the clinical characteristics, severity and management of COVID-19 from the Middle East region, especially the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is very limited. We studied the clinical characteristics, laboratory biomarkers, risk factors for severity and pharmacotherapy of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in this single-center, analytical cross-sectional study conducted in a secondary care hospital of the UAE. A total of 585 patients were included in the study (median age, 49 years (IQR, 39–59); 66% male). Age > 45 years (OR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.04–4.14, p = 0.040), male gender (OR = 3.15, 95% CI: 1.52–6.51, p = 0.002), presentation symptoms such as fever (OR = 3.68, 95% CI:1.34–10.11, p = 0.011) and shortness of breath/dyspnea (OR = 5.36, 95% CI: 2.69–10.67, p p = 0.002), neutrophils > 7 × 103/mcL (OR = 4.89, 95% CI: 1.66–14.37, p=0.004), lymphocytes 3/mcL (OR = 7.78, 95% CI: 1.01–60.19, p = 0.049), sodium p = 0.044), potassium p = 0.045), urea > 6.5 mmol/L (OR = 3.37, 95% CI: 1.69–6.73, p = 0.001) and LDH > 227 IU/L (OR = 6.26, 95% CI: 1.61–24.32, p = 0.008) were independent predictors of the severity of COVID-19. Antivirals (524, 89.6%) and corticosteroids (358, 61.2%) were prescribed for the management of COVID-19. In conclusion, older age, male gender, presentation symptoms such as fever and dyspnea, low hemoglobin, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, elevated levels of urea and lactate dehydrogenase were found to be independent risk factors for severe COVID-19. The pharmacotherapy of COVID-19 patients in our study was diverse, and the medications were prescribed based on the clinical condition of the patients