Childhood obesity in the Middle East: a review

Accurate and comprehensive data on the extent of the problem of childhood obesity is lacking in countries of the Middle East. This review, based on a Medline search, summarizes the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents in the region during 1990-2007. The highest rates of obesity and overweight were reported from Bahrain and the lowest from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Studies from Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic of Iran and Kuwait showed an upwards trend in childhood obesity compared with a decade ago. Lack of uniformity in reference standards and reporting systems renders comparisons difficult. Nevertheless, the high prevalence of childhood obesity in the Middle East should stimulate policy-makers in the region to set up effective national and regional surveillance systems

[Predicting of changes in obesity indices regarding to dietary patterns in longitudinal Tehran lipid and glucose study]

This study aimed at investigating the association between obesity indices [Body Mass Index [BMI], Waist Circumference [WC], Waist to Hip Ratio [WHR]] and dietary patterns derived from Reduced Rank Regression [RRR] analysis among Tehranian adults in a cohort study. Over a duration of 6 years, 141 adults were examined before and after 6 years for obesity indices. Dietary intakes were recorded at baseline by two 24 hour dietary recalls. RRR analysis derived five patterns with respect to total fat, polyunsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio, cholesterol, fiber and calcium intakes. The calculated factor scores were categorized in quintiles and changes in obesity indices were scrutinized within these quintiles. The first pattern [traditional] showed high loadings on refined carbohydrates, whole grain, vegetables, red and processed meat, saturated and trans fat, egg, showing significant high positive correlation with fat, cholesterol and calcium intakes [r=0.478, 0.626, and 0.486, respectively; p<0.001]. All obesity indices had an increasing trend across quintiles of pattern score [p<0.05 for BMI and WHR, p<0.001 for WC]. The fifth pattern [egg] had high loading for eggs, salty snacks, and fruits, and negative loadings for red and processed meat, saturated and trans fat, plant oil, and dairy products, indicating increasing trends for WC [p<0.001] and WHR [p<0.05] after adjustment for potential confounders. Other patterns showed non-significant trends for obesity indices. RRR analyses were indicative of two dominant dietary patterns correlated with increase in obesity indices in Tehran

Reproductive health knowledge, attitudes and practices of Iranian and Afghan men in Tehran province

This study was carried out in south- west Tehran province to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of men, Iranians and Afghan refugees, regarding reproductive health. A questionnaire was used for the assessment. Mean scores for knowledge, attitudes and practices for Iranians were 4.38/30, 13.89/20 and 12.99/31 respectively; for Afghans the scores were 3.79/30, 11.66/20 and 11.88/31. Although the scores in both groups were low, Afghans showed significantly lower scores for attitudes and practices. Access to reproductive health services was the same for both groups. Further scrutiny of men's role in reproductive health, particularly social and cultural factors, is strongly recomended

[Clinical characteristics of a utoimmune hepatitis]

Autoimmune hepatitis [AIM] is a self-perpetuating hepatocellular inflammation of unknown cause. It is characterized by the presence of interface hepatitis on histologic examination, hyper gammaglobulinemia, and autoantibodies in serum. This study was performed to determine clinical and laboratory profile of AIH in Iran. The medical records of patients with AIM from 4 gastroenterology clinics in Tehran were retrospectively reviewed from September 1988 to May 2003. Forty-six patients with AIM whose medical records were complete were selected for final review. Of the 46 patients, 38 [82%] were female. The median age at presentation was 24 years. All patients fell into the category of AIM type-I. Seventeen percent had associated autoimmune diseases with diabetes type-I and autoimmune hemolytic disease being more common. The onset was acute in 5% and chronic in 87% with the remaining 8% being asymptomatic. The most common symptoms were icterus [59%] and fatigue [33%] and the most common signs were splenomegaly [33%] and hepatomegaly [30%]. In all cases, HBV and HCV serum markers were negative and serum levels of ferritin and copper were within normal limits. High serum levels of AST, total billirubin and alkaline phosphatase were detected in 93%, 39% and 74%, respectively while hyper gammaglobulinemia was found in 67%. SMA, ANA, PANCA and A MA were positive in 50%, 37%, 4% and 13%, respectively. AIH type-I is more common in Iran than in the United States and Europe and other types are seen rarely. Younger age at presentation, less frequent acute onset disease and lower rate of autoantibody positivity and hyper gammaglobulinemia may merit attention