Application of three uniplex polymerase chain reaction assays for the detection of atypical bacteria in asthmatic patients in Kuwait

Respiratory infections are known to exacerbate wheezing in many asthmatic patients. We aimed to use molecular methods for the fast detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila in respiratory specimens from asthmatic patients in Kuwait. We used uniplex PCR assays to detect the three atypical bacteria in clinical specimens from 235 asthmatic and non-asthmatic patients in Kuwait. A regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors related to the bacterial type. Group comparisons for similarity were conducted and correlation coefficients were calculated using SPSS statistical software. The detection limits using uniplex PCR for C. pneumoniae, L. pneumophila and M. pneumoniae were approximately 1 pg, 2.4 fg and 12 pg of DNA, respectively. M. pneumoniae PCR positivity was more common in asthmatic patients [15%] than in non-asthmatic subjects [9%] [P < 0.05]. A marked difference was observed between patients with acute asthma exacerbation [11%] and patients with chronic [stable] asthma [7%] among Kuwaiti patients; these percentages were 16% for non-Kuwaiti acute asthma patients and 14% for non-Kuwaiti chronic asthma patients [P < 0.201]. There was a weak positive correlation between asthma severity and PCR positivity for M. pneumoniae. The PCR results for C. pneumoniae and L. pneumoniae were found to be statistically insignificant. The results of this study suggest that infection with M. pneumoniae may be related to the exacerbation of asthma symptoms and could possibly be a factor that induces wheezing

Diabetic status of patients with leprosy in Kuwait

The aim of this study was to screen for diabetes mellitus in leprosy patients to elucidate whether leprosy infection may play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus in this population. Thirty patients of different ages and of both sexes with various types of leprosy were included in this study. In addition, 15 healthy individuals of comparable age and sex who had no family history of diabetes mellitus were identified as controls. In both groups, determinations of fasting and postprandial blood sugar, an oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT], measures of fasting serum insulin and pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF?], as well as calculations using the Homeostasis Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance [HOMA-IR], were carried out. Approximately 13.3% of the leprosy patients were diabetic, and 37.7% were in pre-diabetic. The highest incidences of diabetes and pre-diabetes were in lepromatous leprosy [10% and 20%, respectively]; a lower incidence of pre-diabetes [6.6%] was observed in tuberculoid leprosy; and the lowest incidence of diabetes [0.0%] was noted in borderline leprosy patients. Although normal healthy persons were not diabetic [0%], 20% were pre-diabetic. This study revealed that the incidence of diabetes was higher in the leprosy patients than in the control group. As a result, we recommend that all leprosy patients should be screened for diabetes

Association between apolipoprotein E-polymorphism and ischemic heart disease patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus: a preliminary study in Kuwait

We investigated the association between apolipoprotein E polymorphism and ischemic heart disease with or without type 2 diabetes in Kuwait and examined the impact of apolipoprotein E polymorphism in diabetic patients. The present study was conducted from January 2005 to June 2006 in the Diabetic Clinic of AI-Amiri and Al-Sabah Hospitals in Kuwait City. Apolipoprotein E polymorphism was assessed in 250 subjects of which 83 were ischemic heart disease patients [41 diabetic and 42 non-diabetic] and 105 were diabetic patients without ischemic heart disease. Results were compared with 62 healthy controls. Apolipoprotein E polymorphisms were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Apolipoprotein E3 allele was the most commonly occurring form. The frequency of apolipoprotein E4 was higher in ischemic heart disease patients with type 2 diabetes [39%] and the non-diabetic [31%] group, but lower in the diabetic [20%] and control groups [16%]. Apolipoprotein E4 allele may be related to the development of ischemic heart disease in patients with or without type 2 diabetes in Kuwait. However, future studies with larger population sizes are needed to establish such relationship

Meteorological factors, aeroallergens and asthma-related visits in Kuwait: a 12-month retrospective study

The increasing prevalence of asthma in many countries has been related to weather factors and aeroallergen concentrations, but this has not been studied in Kuwait. We evaluated the effect of meteorological factors and the occurrence of aerobiologicals on the number of asthma cases in Kuwait. The number of daily asthma visits to the allergy center and emergency department at Al-Sabha Hospital for 1 year were examined on a monthly basis for correlation with major metereological factors [temperature, relative humidity, rain, wind speed and direction]. Spore and pollen counts were collected hourly. A total of 4353 patients received asthma treatment during the year. The highest pollen count was in the month of September with a maximum relative humidity of 47% and no precipitation, but with a high mean temperature of 39.7C. Pollen counts were higher in the late summer [September] and occurred with a high patient visit to the allergy center. Fungal spore counts were significantly higher in early winter [December]. The high fungal spore count seemed related to with high relative humidity and high precipitation with a low mean average temperature of 19.7C. The increase number of patients with bronchial asthma visiting an emergency clinic during December was significantly associated with high aerial counts for fungal spores [P<.03], and the months of September and October were more significant for pollen. This study indicates that meteorological factors, aeroallergen concentrations and asthma-related visits are interrelated. The results may prove useful in the generation of hypotheses and development of designs for more comprehensive, individual-based epidemiological studies