Pregnancy induced hypertension and fetal outcomes

The study aimed at determining the fetal outcomes in Pregnancy Induced hypertension [PIH], and identifying associated maternal complications and common mode of delivery. The study determined fetal outcomes in cases of PIH, identified the most common mode of delivery and the most common maternal complication associated with. 107 cases with PIH were identified between January 2007- January 2008 in GMC Hospital and Research Centre, Ajman, UAE. Data was collected from the case records these patients. The variables under study were analysed using PASW 17 version. The study revealed that PIH does not result in severe negative fetal outcomes, although there is some adverse effect on the fetus. The average birth weight was 3.13kg, with 7% each of Intrauterine Fetal Death and Intrauterine Growth Restriction, among the total of 107 cases of PIH. Although the results of the study did not support a strong association between PIH and negative fetal outcomes, because of early and effective management of cases, it does not exclude the possibility of any adverse effects on the fetus, especially in untreated cases

Infectious diseases detected among immigrants in Kuwait

The aim of this study was to detect the infectious diseases prevalent among immigrants and to control their spread in Kuwait. More than 200,000 immigrants come to Kuwait every year for residence or work, and the majority of them [75%] come from developing countries w h e re infectious diseases are endemic. All the immigrants were checked for infectious diseases like, malaria, filaria, tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis B and C before they were issued a residence permit. These tests were performed between 1991 and 1999. The screened population consisted of 921,012 for malaria and filaria; 1,645,052 for HIV; 326,246 for hepatitis B and C and 1,645,052 for tuberculosis. The total number of persons infected with all the five diseases was 11,545 [0.2%]. About 1366 [0.15%] individuals were infected with malaria; 691 [0.08%] with filaria; 591 [0.04%] with HIV; 1194 [0.4%] with hepatitis B; 628 [0.2%] with hepatitis C and 7075 [0.4%] with tuberculosis. All the newly arrived immigrants infected with malaria were treated in the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Kuwait. Those with filaria, HIV, hepatitis B and C were deported to their country of origin because of the risk of transmission of these

Malaria in non-endemic Kuwait: detection of very low level plasmodium falciparum infections using polymerase chain reaction

Imported malaria continues to be a problem in Kuwait since most patients present with very low levels of parasitaemia. The diagnosis is often delayed or missed because of the low sensitivity of the standard stained blood smear test used for the identification of malarial parasites. In this study, we standardized a highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction [PCR] to detect malarial parasites. A total of 100 individuals presenting with various forms of infection were screened with the standard Giemsa-stained smears and were compared with the PCR for diagnosis and the sensitivity of the two methods. Our results show that PCR is a highly sensitive and specific technique to detect low levels of Plasmodium falciparum parasites in clinical samples, and at least 6 cases [12%] who were microscopically negative had PCR-detectable parasitaemia. The PCR is a highly sensitive assay which can detect very low levels of malarial parasites and thus is of great value to obtain accurate detection of chronic, residual and sub-patent infections in Kuwait

Hypnozoites resistant to primaquine: the first case reported from Kuwait

Primaquine is the only drug currently in use to eliminate the gametocytes of Plasmodium Vivax [PV] and also, destroys hypnozoites [latent liver stages] of PV and Plasmodium ovale [PO] and thereby effects a radical cure. The usual dose for antirelapse therapy for PO infection is 15 mg base daily for 14 days or once weekly for 8 weeks. Radical cure of PV in some parts of South-East Asia and Oceania requires higher total doses of primaquine [15-22.5 mg base daily for 14 days or once weekly for 8 weeks]. In Kuwait, 30 mg of primaquine is given weekly for 8 weeks as a radical cure according to WHO recommendations. In this paper, we report a case of a patient in whom, hypnozoites were resistant to primaquine at 45 mg weekly, for 8 weeks