ABSTRACT
Exposure to biomass fuel smoke has detrimental health effects causing chronic diseases. This study investigated the relationship between biomass fuel smoke exposure and hypertension among the rural Bangladeshi women. A total of 410 women aged 19–60 years were enrolled in this study during April–May 2017 who regularly cooked with biomass fuel in traditional cook stove for the past ?1 year. Self-reported daily cooking hours and lifetime cooking experience of the participants were recorded, and their blood pressure was measured. Participants' age ?40 years, parental history of hypertension, body mass index ?25 kg/m2, and cumulative exposure to biomass smoke were found to be the significant risk factors of hypertension. Every 1 year increase in cumulative exposure to biomass smoke eventually exacerbated the risk of hypertension by 61% (adjusted odds ratio 1.61, 95% confidence interval: 1.16–2.22; P < 0.01). This study provides evidence that long-term exposure to biomass fuel smoke is associated with hypertension.
ABSTRACT
Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on maintenance HD.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the hemodialysis unit of a military hospital of Bangladesh from October 2013 to March 2014 and included 141 maintenance HD patients. All patients were assessed by HBsAg and anti-HCV antibodies in addition to routine liver function tests.Results: The age range of the study subjects were 18-70 years, and the majority (85.11%) were male. Among them 22 (15.60%) were positive for anti HCV, 5(3.5%) were positive for HBsAg, and 3 patients (2.13%) were positive for both HBsAg and anti-HCV. The duration of hemodialysis was higher in anti-HCV positive patients (49±24 vs. 25±10 months, p <0.05) than anti-HCV negative ones. Anti-HCV positive patients in this study received a higher number of blood transfusion (units) than anti-HCV negative patients (7.5±4.3 vs. 2.8±1.7 units, p <0.05). HBsAg positive patients also received a higher number of blood transfusion (units) than HBsAg negative patients (8.2±3.1 vs. 3.2±1.2 units, p <0.05).Conclusions: Hepatitis C virus was the major form of hepatitis in HD patients in this study. The duration of HD was higher in anti-HCV positive patients; the numbers of blood transfusion units were higher in patients positive for HCV and HBV than the negative ones.