Dermatitis artefacta

Dermatitis artefacta [DA] is an intentional self-inflicted dermatitis produced by patients for unconscious psychological gain. Characteristically, patients deny the responsibility for their creation. It is a poorly understood condition and, in most cases, goes on for a long period of time before a diagnosis is made. This condition creates a lot of anxiety for physicians due to a lack of awareness of the disorder and involves a considerable amount of time and resources to deal with. Suspicion usually arises when there is an unconvincing history of the evolution and recurrence of these lesions, their locations on the body, and their bizarre shapes. Here we report a typical case of DA in a 33-year-old male who repeatedly presented with oddly shaped recurrent skin lesions in the left lower leg for nine years. He had numerous doctors' visits and tests, and was admitted to a number of different hospitals without reaching a diagnosis or a cure

Psychosocial impact of breast cancer diagnosis among Omani women

The aim of this study was to explore different psychosocial impacts on Omani women diagnosed with breast cancer. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 19 Omani women diagnosed with breast cancer to describe the impact of the disease on their personal and social life. Women were recruited from wards and out-patient clinics at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat. Four main themes emerged. These were: a] factors related to psychological distress of the disease and uncertainty [worry of death, interference with work and family responsibilities, searching for hope/cure, travelling overseas]; b] reactions of family members [shocked, saddened, unity, pressure to seek traditional treatments]; c] views of society [sympathy, isolation, reluctant to disclose information]; and d] worries and threats about the future [side effects of chemotherapy, spread of the disease, effect on offspring]. Breast cancer diagnosis has several devastating psychosocial impacts on women in Oman. Healthcare professionals working with women with breast cancer should be aware of the different psychosocial impacts of the disease on women's lives. Appropriate measures must be taken by the decision makers whenever needed, including enforcing positive views and support of Oman's society towards women with breast cancer

Effects of pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain on low birth weight in Omani infants: a case-control study

This study aimed to investigate the association between pre-pregnancy maternal body mass index [BMI], gestational weight gain and low birth weight [LBW] in babies born to a sample population of Omani women. A case-control study was carried out among deliveries registered between 1[st] May 2010 and 30[th] April 2011 at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman. A case was defined as a woman who delivered a low birth weight baby [<2,500 g]; a control was a woman delivering a baby weighing between 2,500 and 4,000 g. A random selection of 150 cases and 300 controls was carried out using the hospital information system. Maternal, pre-natal, and delivery data were extracted from the mothers' follow-up cards. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were executed to examine the association between pre-pregnancy maternal BMI and LBW. The percentage of underweight mothers [BMI <18.5] was higher among the cases compared to the controls [17.3% versus 6%; P <0.001]. The proportion of mothers with less-than-recommended weight gain was also higher among the cases compared to the controls [57.7% versus 33%; P <0.001]. After adjustment for potential confounders, infants of underweight mothers had more than twice the risk of LBW compared to those of mothers with normal weight [odds ratio = 2.27; 95% confidence interval 1.09-4.71]. Underweight Omani women as well as women with less-than-recommended gestational weight gain were at higher risk of delivering LBW babies. Maternal health promotion programmes should be directed towards improving mothers' nutrition before and during pregnancies

Injuries presented at a primary care setting in Oman

This study aims to measure the rate, types, and causes of injuries presented at a primary care setting in the Muscat governorate. A cross-sectional study was carried out where all patients who attended the Al Moabelah Health Center from the period of 1[st] January 2010 to the 31[st] December 2010 were identified from the electronic medical records. Patients identified with any type of injury were then selected for further data collection with their age and gender recorded. Details such as the type, cause and nature of the injury at the clinic were gathered from the clinical notes. A total number of 86,554 visits were recorded for the year 2010. The rate of injury visits was 24 per 1000 visits. In this study, the rate of injury visits was found to be four times more common in males [44.4 per 1000] than in females [11.5 per 1000], p