Incidence trends and geographical distribution of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Iran

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma [NPC] has known as a highly distinct kind of head and neck cancer. This distinction has been due to its clinical presentation, epidemiology, outcome, and treatment. There have not been any reports of epidemiological analysis of NPC in Iran. This study has evaluated the incidence rates and trends of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the Iranian population during 2004 to 2009. The data have collected from the Iranian national cancer data system registry. All the cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma [with the topography code 11 and histology of carcinoma] have retrieved and analyzed from an overall cancer database during a 6-year period. The data have analyzed by using the SPSS, version 16. To determine the current incidence of NPC in Iran, we have examined the NPC cases from 2004 to 2009. A total of 1431 cases [981 male and 450 female NPC patients] have analyzed epidemiologically in this study. The mean age of the patients was 47.1 years. The incidence was 0.33 per 100000 persons. The overall incidence rate have increased annually [p<0.05]. The incidence of NPC gradually increased with age. Prefectures that bordering the Caspian Sea have proved to have a higher incidence than the other studied areas. Our study has indicated an increasing trend in the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Therefore; attempts should be precipitated for prevention

Effect of diabetes mellitus on the hearing ability of diabetic patients

Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disease. Most of the patients suffering from diabetes mellitus complain of hearing loss. Since the previous studies made in this regard were not complete, this study was further conducted in order to evaluate the adverse effects of diabetes mellitus on the hearing ability of the diabetic individuals referring to the clinics of the Medical Universities of Tehran, during 1994-2001 [1373-1380].This investigation was a prospective analytical study carried out on two groups of population in Tehran. The first group consisted of 1500 diabetic patients [case group], and the second group consisting of 1400 normal individuals [control group]. The age of the studied population was between 15-55 years. The "case group" consisted of "Diabetic Mellitus Confirmed" patients who were randomly chosen and were willing to cooperate with this study. Initially all of the patients were interviewed and later underwent complete physical examination, audiometry [pure tone, speech, impedance], and "Auditory Brainstem Evoked Response" [ABR] evaluations. The "control group" consisted of individuals that had visited the clinics due to different reasons and according to the standards of the "International Diabetes Federation" they were considered as "Not having Diabetes". They were also willing to participate in this study. Similar audiometric examinations were performed on this group. Finally the examination results of the two groups were compared. The following results were obtained in this study: 1- The existence of a specific and distinct hearing loss in high frequencies [4-8KHz] between the case and control groups [p<0.05].2- Presence of a significant difference in the hearing level of the NIDDM patients in the high frequencies as compared to the control group [p<0.01].3- There was a distinct hearing loss in the "Complicated Diabetic Patients" in the high frequencies as compared to the normal control group [p=0.01] 4- Patients with short term diabetes mellitus had normal level of hearing, but in patients suffering from long term diabetes mellitus, there was a significant hearing impairment in the high frequencies [4-8 KHz] as compared to the control group [p<0.005]. Due to the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the community and the presence of sensorineural hearing loss [especially bilateral] in the high frequencies in a significant number of studied patients, it's recommended to carry out a complete diagnostic audiometric evaluation in all the diabetic patients and to repeat the auditory tests regularly every year. With this method, we can not only be informed of the "Hearing status" of the patient but also use the results as a guideline and outlook for a better control of diabetes and its related complications

Parental smoking and risk of otitis media with effusion among children

Serous otitis is due to eustachian tube dysfunction and accumulation of fluid in the middle ear cavity. Otitis media with effusion [OME] is common among children and can cause hearing loss. Smoking is a common predisposing factor of this condition. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effects of smoking on the prevalence of OME among children residing in urban area of Tehran between 1996 and 1998. This cross-sectional study performed on 3833 pre-school and school-aged children which their age ranged from 2 to 11 years. Children were examined with pneumatic otoscope and tympanometry was performed; meanwhile, their parents were asked to complete a questionnaire. The incidence of OME was 9.1% and 14.1% in pre-school and school-aged children; respectively, and was higher among children with smoker parents. Parental smoking is a preventable predisposing factor for OME; meanwhile, there are significant statistical differences between healthy and sick children regarding their parents pack-years smoking