ABSTRACT
Background: The Bihari community is an underprivileged group of people, immigrants from Pakistan during 1971 independence war, now living in Bangladesh. This community is considered as vulnerable for not having adequate health care facilities and access to health services. The current study is aimed to determine the association between behavioural, metabolic risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCD) and socio-demographic factors among Bihari community in Bangladesh.Methods: It was a community based cross-sectional study. Total 183 Bihari living in Geneva camp in Dhaka city have been included in the study by purposive sampling. An adopted WHO STEPS questionnaire was used for data collection. A semi structured questionnaire and standardized procedures were used to measure behavioural risk factors and physical characteristics. Data were analysed by using SPSS version 21.Results: Among the respondents the mean age was 44.4±13.2 years with 60.1% men. One-third (32.2%) were current tobacco user, almost all (99.5%) didn’t take sufficient fruit and vegetables, 52.5% were added salt user, 76.0% didn’t perform adequate physical activity but alcohol consumers were negligible (3.3%). More than half (54.6%) were overweight or obese, 33.9% had hypertension, 23.0% had hyperglycaemia and 50.3% had hyperlipidaemia. Sex, age, education, occupation and family income were significantly associated with these NCD risk factors.Conclusions: To our best knowledge this is the first ever study that describes the NCD risk factors and its sociodemographic determinants among the Bihari population in Bangladesh.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: In India Filariasis is considered to be a majorpublic health problem. India constitutes about 20% of totalglobal burden. Microfilaria are released and circulate inthe peripheral blood with nocturnal periodicity. Due toits extremely rarity it is difficult to detect them in routineperipheral blood smears, Fine Needle Aspiration (FNAC)Smears and body fluids. The objective of our study was toemphasise on having a high index of suspicion of filarialinfection in any swelling especially in patients from endemiczones. This study also aims to highlight the importance ofFNAC as a cheap and effective tool to diagnose microfilaria.Material and Methods: A total of 9590 cases, with lesionsin different sites were encountered in this study.The patientsunderwent thorough clinical examination and routineinvestigations.The cystic lesions that were included in thisstudy were aspirated. The material centrifuged and smearsprepared were stained with Leishman-Giemsa and PAP stain.Results: In this study out of a total of 9590 cases of superficialswellings that were subjected to fine needle aspirationcytology, 11 cases of filariasis were diagnosed on routineFNAC material from various sites. Out of these11 cases,maximum cases of filariasis were reported in lymph nodes (3cases),breast swelling (2 cases), followed by scrotal swellings(2 cases), thyroid swellings (2 cases), parotid (1 case) andPleural (1 case).Conclusions: Filariasis is an uncommon condition and needa high index of suspicion and careful screen of FNA smearsespecially in asymptomatic patients belonging to endemiczones, so as not to miss this incidental finding especially inpatients from endemic areas. This study also highlights theimportance of FNAC as a cheap and effective tool to diagnosemicrofilaria.