ABSTRACT
Objectives@#To assess the prevalence of noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk factors and the factors associated with the coexistence of multiple risk factors (≥ 2 risk factors) among adolescent boys and girls in Bangladesh. @*Methods@#Data on selected NCD risk factors collected from face to face interviews of 4,907 boys and 4,865 girls in the national Nutrition Surveillance round 2018-2019, was used. Descriptive analysis and multivariable logistic regression were performed. @*Results@#The prevalence of insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, inadequate physical activity, tobacco use, and being overweight/obese was 90.72%, 29.03%, 4.57%, and 6.04%, respectively among boys; and 94.32%, 50.33%, 0.43%, and 8.03%, respectively among girls. Multiple risk factors were present among 34.87% of boys and 51.74% of girls. Younger age (p < 0.001), non-slum urban (p < 0.001) and slum residence (p < 0.001), higher paternal education (p = 0.001), and depression (p < 0.001) were associated with the coexistence of multiple risk factors in both boys and girls. Additionally, higher maternal education (p < 0.001) and richest wealth quintile (p = 0.023) were associated with the coexistence of multiple risk factors in girls. @*Conclusion@#The government should integrate specific services into the existing health and non-health programs which are aimed at reducing the burden of NCD risk factors.
ABSTRACT
Objectives@#To assess the prevalence of noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk factors and the factors associated with the coexistence of multiple risk factors (≥ 2 risk factors) among adolescent boys and girls in Bangladesh. @*Methods@#Data on selected NCD risk factors collected from face to face interviews of 4,907 boys and 4,865 girls in the national Nutrition Surveillance round 2018-2019, was used. Descriptive analysis and multivariable logistic regression were performed. @*Results@#The prevalence of insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, inadequate physical activity, tobacco use, and being overweight/obese was 90.72%, 29.03%, 4.57%, and 6.04%, respectively among boys; and 94.32%, 50.33%, 0.43%, and 8.03%, respectively among girls. Multiple risk factors were present among 34.87% of boys and 51.74% of girls. Younger age (p < 0.001), non-slum urban (p < 0.001) and slum residence (p < 0.001), higher paternal education (p = 0.001), and depression (p < 0.001) were associated with the coexistence of multiple risk factors in both boys and girls. Additionally, higher maternal education (p < 0.001) and richest wealth quintile (p = 0.023) were associated with the coexistence of multiple risk factors in girls. @*Conclusion@#The government should integrate specific services into the existing health and non-health programs which are aimed at reducing the burden of NCD risk factors.
ABSTRACT
Pakistan has an extensive network of public facilities aimed to provide primary health care including eye care. Yet no data exist on the number and purpose of eye visits to these facilities. This study aimed to describe the pattern of eye diseases in public primary care hospitals in a district in Pakistan's Sindh province. This study was conducted in 14 randomly selected government primary health care centers 10 Basic Health Units and 4 Rural Health Centers in district Nawab shah, a central district of Sindh province. Doctors in these centers were trained in diagnosis and management of common eye diseases at the primary level and requested to record data prospectively on the total number of patient visits, total number of eye consultations and reasons for eye consultation. Data were entered and analyzed using EPI Info Software. Over a period of one month, 9759 visits were made to the 14 selected primary health care centers. Eye diseases accounted for 1.8% of the total visits. Adults were more likely to have an eye consultation compared with children [Odds Ratio: 2.96; P < 0.01]. Conjunctivitis [34.1%], cataract [22.0%], and corneal problems [6.9%] were the most common reasons for eye consultations. Despite solid evidence of a high burden of eye diseases at the community level in Pakistan, eye diseases accounted for only a very small proportion of the total consultations in the primary health care facilities. Efforts are needed to assess barriers to optimal utilization of existing primary health care services for eye diseases
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Malaria is a major health problem in South Asia. It can be associated with many complications. Thrombocytopenia is the most common hematological complication of malaria
Our aim was to assess the severity and frequency of thrombocytopenia in malaria
DESIGN: This was a descriptive case-series study. A total of 69 admitted patients diagnosed with malaria were assessed for thrombocytopenia using automated quantitative D3 Analyzer
The data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. The results were obtained in numbers and percentages
Data was expressed as means with standard deviation
RESULTS: Out of the sample population 64 patients were diagnosed with vivax malaria and 3 with falciparum malaria while 2 patients had mixed infection. About 86% of patients with vivax malaria had thrombocytopenia while 66% of patients with falciparum malaria had thrombocytopenia
Mean platelet count in vivax malaria was 84.02x10[3]/microL with a range of 15-213x10[3]/microL
Platelet count of <20,000/microL was seen in only 2 patients with vivax malaria and none of the patients with falciparum malaria
CONCLUSION: Thrombocytopenia is a common feature in malaria. In patients having fever with thrombocytopenia, malaria should be on top of differential diagnosis. Viral hemorrhagic fevers can also present as fever but in these cases the complete blood counts has other features such as high hematocrit and leucopenia along with thrombocytopenia. Our finding can have therapeutic implications in the context of avoiding unnecessary platelet transfusion with the relatively more benign course in vivax malaria. In our study the commonest cause of thrombocytopenia in malaria was vivax malaria
ABSTRACT
To share our experience of 154 cases of clinical vitamin A deficiency in Pakistani children. Methods and The data on age, sex, date of presentation and clinical stage of vitamin A deficiency was recorded. A total of 154 children aged 0-15 years suffering from clinical vitamin A deficiency [xerophthalmia] were recorded. One hundred and twenty three [79.9%] children were 0-6 years with 99 [64.3%] male children. Blinding xerophthalmia [corneal xerosis, corneal ulcers ad keratomalacia] was present in 94 [61%] children. Thirty nine% children presented in summer, 28% in autumn, 20% in winter and 13% in spring respectively. This report indicates that clinical cases of vitamin A deficiency in children do occur in Pakistan. Children under 6 years of age are the most vulnerable age group and there is a seasonal variation in presentation. Both life and sight of these children are at risk. Community based studies may be helpful to identify the magnitude of the problem and possible risk factors at national, provincial and district levels