ABSTRACT
Background: Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are considered an overwhelming health burden in Saudi Arabia, greatlyaggravated with the increasing rates of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and obesity. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is one of the tumornecrosis factor receptors, commonly associated with coronary heart diseases. This study examines the possible correlationamong OPG with both DM and CVD. Methods: The study was conducted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and included 201subjects. They were divided into four matched groups: group 1 were patients with CVD only; group 2 were patients with DMtype 2; group 3 were patients suffering from DM and CVD, and group 4 was normal control. All groups were divided intomale and female subgroups. The following parameters were measured; complete blood picture, lipid profile, insulin, fastingglucose and kidney function and also then relationship to OPG levels. Results: OPG was significantly elevated in males withCVD alone (8.31 ± 4.01 ng/ml), or in association with DM (6.54 ± 3.55 ng/ml). An increase was noted in female patients,but only in the DM and CVD groups (6.75 ± 3.3 ng/ml). A weak positive correlation was detected between OPGconcentrations with both fibrinogen and glucose levels in females, while in males OPG levels were positively correlated withwaist to hip ratios. Conclusion: OPG could be a valuable biomarker for early CVD appearance.
ABSTRACT
Allergic rhinitis [AR] related inflammation might worsen the severity of obstructive sleep apnea [OSA], however, the relationship between the two disorders remains controversial. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of AR and atopic markers in OSA. This cross-sectional study recruited participants with sleeprelated complaints referred to a sleep center from February 2013 to June 2014. The diagnosis of OSA was based on the Berlin questionnaire [BQ] followed by confirmatory polysomnography [PSG]. The diagnosis of AR was made via focused history and clinical examination and was confirmed by measuring atopic markers. OSA was diagnosed in 97 out of 157 adults attending the sleep clinic [61.8%]. There was a high prevalence of AR [52.6%] among OSA individuals. This was not significantly different from the frequency in the non-OSA individuals [p = 0.5]. Elevated total immunoglobulin E [IgE; >100 K/micro L], eosinophil count, and positive Phadiatop tests were found in individuals with OSA to be 37.1%, 11.3%, and 41.2%, respectively. Individuals without OSA have shown similar percentages. In our cohort, there was no significant difference in frequency of AR and atopy among participants with OSA compared to those without OSA
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sleep Apnea, Obstructive , Biomarkers , Comorbidity , Surveys and Questionnaires , Cross-Sectional Studies , Saudi ArabiaABSTRACT
Despite the association between obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] and coronary artery disease [CAD], few studies have investigated this issue in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of OSA among CAD patients. This was a cross-sectional [descriptive] study conducted at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from April 2012 to December 2013. All consecutive patients referred to the cardiac catheterization lab for coronary angiography who exhibited evidence of CAD were included in this study. This study was conducted in two stages. During the first stage, each participant was interviewed individually. The administered interview collected data pertaining to demographics, comorbidities, and the STOP-BANG questionnaire score. The second stage of this study consisted of a diagnostic overnight polysomnography [PSG] of 50% of the subjects at high risk for OSA according to the STOP-BANG questionnaire. Among the patients with CAD [N = 156], 128 [82%] were categorized as high risk for developing OSA. PSG was conducted on 48 patients. The estimated prevalence of OSA in the study sample was 56.4%. Approximately 61% of the documented sleep apnea patients suffered from moderate to severe OSA. This local study concurs with reports in the literature indicating that OSA is very common among CAD patients
ABSTRACT
We report the case of a 40-year-old patient with incessant supraventricular tachycardia [SVT]. As this SVT was resistant to medical therapy and was complicated by severe LV dysfunction and cardiogenic shock, the patient was referred for EPS [electrophysiologic study] and ablation. EPS and successful ablation of the right atrial appendage [RAA] tachycardia were performed by means of a 3D mapping system NavX [St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN, USA] with complete resolution of symptoms and normalization of LV function, as evaluated at three-month follow-up examination.