The prevalence of hypogonadism in patients with thalassemia major in Iran – a systematic review and meta-analysis study

Background and aims: Hypogonadism is one of the most common endocrine complications in patients with thalassemia major. A simple review of studies show different hypogonadism prevalence and has been reported between 31.3-88% in Iranian patients with thalassemia major. So, this meta-analysis study was conducted to determine the hypogonadism prevalence in Iranian patients with thalassemia major. Methods: This study was conducted based on PRISMA checklist for systematic review and meta-analysis studies. A comprehensive search by two researchers was conducted according to MESH keywords in databases such as Magiran, Iranmedex, SID, Medlib, IranDoc, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane, Embase, Springer, Online Library Wiley and also search engine Google Scholar. Then, all articles were examined without any time limited until October 2015. Data were analyzed using random effects model and Stata ver. 11.1 software. Results: Sixteen studies involving 2938 patients with average age of 17.34 were identified to analyze in the meta-analysis. Hypogonadism prevalence in patients with thalassemia major in Iran has been estimated 42.3% (CI 95%: 30.7-53.8). Minimum and maximum prevalence in Iran were related to the center (41%) and east (45%), respectively. Hypogonadism prevalence in male and female patients was 49% and 45.2%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between hypogonadism prevalence and year of the study and sample size. Conclusion: The prevalence of hypogonadism in Iranian patients with thalassemia major is high and it is needed to perform a continuous and regular plan and follow up for these patients

A systematic review of the venous thromboembolism prevalence and related risk factors in patients with Covid-19

Abstract Introduction The present study was performed to evaluate the pooled prevalence of the venous thromboembolism (VTE) and the factors affecting its incidence in patients who are affected with coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Patients and methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out by searching all the authentic online databases. The study includes papers worldwide since 2019 to 2022. After assessing related articles, the required information was collected based on a prepared checklist and analyzed by STATA software. Result According to the estimates, pooled prevalence of VTE among patients with Covid-19 was 0.17 (95% CI = 0.13–0.22, P = 0.000). Analysis of prevalence values of VTE in patients with Covid-19 based on geographical areas showed statistically significant differences emerged from the study results. Analyses showed that stroke is a significant risk factor. Discussion The present study showed a relatively high prevalence of VTE in patients infected with coronavirus. Results of study showed that prevalence of VTE is significantly differ according to geographical areas; it can be concluded that racial differences and genetic factors can affect the VTE incidence in Covid-19-affected patients. Additionally, a history of stroke and cerebrovascular events can be a risk factor indicating the need for prophylactic anticoagulant treatment in these patients, but history of respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, liver disease, malignancy, and smoking is not risk factors of VTE in patients affected with Covid-19

Association of Iron Deficiency Anemia and Febrile Seizure in Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Current findings suggest that iron deficiency anemia (IDA) may be a predisposing factor for febrile seizure (FS), while some studies show the lower prevalence of IDA in the children with FS.The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to elucidate the association between IDA and FS. Methods: A comprehensive search was performed using MeSH keywords in databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar without time limit until 2017. Cochrane test and I2 index were used for the evaluation of heterogeneity among the retrieved studies. Data analysis was performed in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software version 2. Results: In total, 38 studies conducted on 3,738 cases and 3,720 controls were reviewed in this meta-analysis. Considering the significant heterogeneity (I2=87.981;