ABSTRACT
Objective: The aim of our study was to compare the presence of hypertension in people consuming hard water or fresh water and level of hardness, in individual water resources in Haji Samoa village near Keti Bundar, Sindh, Pakistan. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Keti Bundar in September 2014. There are two sources of water supply in the area; rain water / hard water. 340 people were included. People > 18 years of age, living in Keti Bundar for > 5 years were included. People having chronic kidney disease, diabetes, or taking anti-hypertensive drugs/oral calcium supplements were excluded. Demographic features, Body Mass Index [BMI] and blood pressure were recorded. Water sample was checked for hardness. Hardness of > 180 ppm was considered to be very hard. Hypertension was compared between people consuming hard or fresh water. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: Out of 340 people, 80 [23.5%] had hypertension; in people consuming hard water 38 [20%] were hypertensive while 42 [28%] people consuming fresh water were hypertensive. This difference was not found to be statistically significant. While testing the hardness of water resources, the level of hardness was found to be very high, 3 out of 4 reservoirs; which were not suitable for human consumption. Conclusion: We conclude that hypertension is no more common in people taking fresh water than hard water; but the underground well water in area of Keti Bundar has high levels of hardness
ABSTRACT
Objective: To determine the gender differences in risk factors and patterns contributing towards deliberate self-poisoning. Methods: A descriptive study of patients admitted in National Poisoning Control Center Ward-5, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center Karachi, was conducted for six months from 1st July 2013 to 1st January 2014. The information was gathered using a questionnaire generated from World Health Organization, International Programme on Chemical Safety's INTOX [WHO IPCS INTOX] recording format for toxic exposure the data was analyzed on package SPSS version 14.0. The results were obtained in numbers and percentages. The Chi-square test was used for statistical differences of risk factors for deliberate self-poisoning in relation to gender. p-values of <0.05 were considered significant. Results: Out of the 374 patients analyzed during this period the age group most frequent was within the range of 15-74 years, with 61.5% of the subjects being male. No significant age difference was observed between male and female subjects. Single male subjects represented the largest population which attempted deliberate self-poisoning. History of psychiatric illness and drug abuse was more common in male subjects. There was no significant difference in educational status, agent used for Deliberate Self-Poisoning [DSP], number of agents used or route of exposure in the two genders. The agent most commonly used was organophosphate insecticide. Conclusion: Young single males belonging to low socioeconomic group and having history of psychiatric illness or drug abuse are at greater risk of Deliberate Self-Poisoning [DSP]. Preventive strategies need to be directed at this population
ABSTRACT
Objective: The primary aim of our study was to determine the frequency of headache in medical students exposed to secondhand smoking, as well as observing response of non-smoker medical students for passive smoking
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at three private colleges of Karachi in June 2014, sample size was 300. The inclusion criteria were medical students between 18-25 years of age who were non-smokers, exposed daily once or more to secondhand smoking. Students were inquired about age, gender, duration, location and frequency of exposure to passive smoking and presence or absence of secondhand smoking related headache and response and behavior of smokers observed by non-smoker students to counselling
Results: Out of 290 students 186 [64.1%] complained of headache related to passive smoking, 172 [59%] were exposed in medical colleges. Of 127 [43%] had been exposed to passive smoking more than two times a day. Although 255 [88%] out of 290 students favoured prohibition of smoking at public place, but only 90 [31%] did practical attempt to advise smokers to stop smoking at public place. Response of smokers was good, 73% students believed that smokers gave positive response to their advice
Conclusion: There appears to be a high frequency of headache related to secondhand smoking. Hence, students should be provided special training skills to council the smokers to avoid smoking at public place; moreover we also need practical implementation of laws against smoking at public place
ABSTRACT
To assess the association of Diabetic Retinopathy [DR] with type and duration of Diabetes Mellitus, mode of treatment and glycaemic control. An observational study was carried out. Patients with the diagnosis of either Type1, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM] or Type 2, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM] were enrolled into the study through non-probability, convenient sampling method from Jinnah Medical College Hospital Karachi from July 2012 to March 2013. Thorough history and physical examination was done on each patient. Glycaemic control was assessed by glycosylated Hb level [HbAIc]. All information so collected was entered into a proforma. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. A total of 108 patients were examined. Out of these, 33 [30.6%] had Type 1 and 75 [69.4%] had Type 2 diabetes. In Type 1 group, 18 [54.5%] were female while in Type 2 group, 37 patients [49.3%] were female. In Type 1 group, 60.6% [n=20] had DR compared to 37.3% [n=28] in Type 2 group [p <0.005]. DR. was seen less frequently in subjects with less than five years duration in both the groups i.e. 12.6% in Type 1, and 15.7% in the Type 2 group. This increased to 100% [p<0.001] in Type 1, and 77.7% [p<0.02] in the Type 2 group with a duration of over 20 years of diabetes. In patients on insulin therapy, 60.6% in Type 1 group and 53.1% subjects in Type 2 had DR. In Type 2 group, 25.6% subjects on oral hypoglycaemics and/or diet therapy had DR. None of the subjects in both groups with HbA1c <7% had any evidence of DR. The frequency of DR. is higher in patients with Type 1, than those with Type 2, in patients receiving insulin therapy and with long duration of diabetes. Higher levels of HbA1c have clear relationship with development of DR