[Frequency of use of potentially inappropriate medications and its associated factors in elderly people in Qom city, 2012, Iran]

Today, use of potentially inappropriate medications [PIM] by the elderly is a serious concern. This study was done with the purpose of determining the frequency of use of potentially inappropriate medications and its associated factors among the elderly in Qom city. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 1240 elderly people were selected using systematic cluster sampling from nursing homes, outpatient clinics, and Kamkar, Nekoei, and Shahid Beheshti Hospitals in Qom city in 2012. Data were collected by demographic questionnaire and Beers criteria [updated in 2003], and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square and t-tests. In this study, 31% of the elderly were using PIM. Digoxin [7.9%], alprazolam and Bisacodyl [6.1%], and chlordiazepoxide [4.6%] were the most common potentially inappropriate medications used by the elderly. The frequency percentage of PIM use was significantly associated with education, cause of drug use, and number of medications used by the elderly [p<0.05]. The frequency percentage of the use of PIM in outpatient centers were more than other centers. Also, more than a quarter of elderly subjects used at least one potentially inappropriate medication. The frequency percentage of PIM use in outpatient treatment centers, illiterate people, subjects with cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders, and those who took more than 5 drugs were more than other groups. Nurses can prevent the development of side-effects in elderly subjects by review of drugs used in patients. Therefore, it is suggested that a study be conducted to determine the effect of training about PIM use on the incidence of adverse effects, drug interactions, frequency of hospitalization and mortality rate in elderly people

[Association of body mass index with sexual dysfunction in women referred to health centers of Qom city, 2010, Iran]

Satisfactory sexual performance is an important factor for strengthening families and is the source of many innovations in human life that can be affected by many factors. Obesity as a recent epidemic has influenced the global population. Researches have shown that sexual dysfunction is associated with obesity in men, but this association is unclear in women. This study aimed to investigate the association between body mass index [BMI] and sexual dysfunction in women. In this case-control study of women who referred to the selected health centers of Qom city, 77 persons with sexual dysfunction [score 28] by a standardized questionnaire of sexual function. To determine BMI, height, and weight, and distribution of body fat, waist and hip circumferences were measured. Data were analyzed using statistical tests, such as t-test, chi-square and multiple regression, on the significance level [p<0.05]. The mean BMI in case group was 34.1 +/- 5.4 and 26 +/- 4.4 in the control group, that statistical test showed a significant relationship between BMI and sexual dysfunction [p<0.05]. Also, the most dysfunction was observed in the arousal phase in the case group and in the sexual pain phase in the control group [p<0.05]. According to the results of this study, obesity affects some aspects of sexual performance in women. Therefore, interventional studies on weight loss in obese women with sexual dysfunction are necessary to reveal the association of obesity with sexual dysfunction