Frequency of Beta Thalassemia trait among the healthy individuals: a single centre study

Objective: To determine the frequency of beta thalassemia trait among the asymptomatic healthy individuals

Study Design: Cross sectional study

Place and Duration of Study: This was carried out at Pakistan Air Force [PAF] Hospital Lahore from Jan 2016 to Jun 2017

Patients and Methods: The subjects were both male and female who came from all over Pakistan for central medical board for selection in Pakistan Air Force. Their ages were between 18 and 28 years. Their complete blood counts were measured on Sysmex KX 21 hematology analyzer. Candidates with microcytic hypochromic indices without anaemia were screened for beta thalassemia trait. Haemoglobin [Hb] electrophoresis was done on cellulose acetate paper at alkaline PH. HbA2 estimation was done by measuring the absorbance of elute on spectrophotometer. Beta thalassemia was diagnosed if the subject had HbA2 more than 3.5 percent. The data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences [SPSS] software version 17

Results: A total of 2279 individual were enrolled in the study. Among them 2061 [90.4 percent] were males and 218 [9.6 percent] were females. Out of 2061 males, 91 [4.41 percent] were found to have beta thalassemia trait whereas among females only 6 [2.75 percent] out of 218 had beta thalassemia trait. The overall frequency of beta thalassemia trait was found to be 4.25 percent

Conclusion: The overall frequency of beta thalassemia trait in our study was found to be 4.25 percent. Thalassemia screening should be carried out along with normal health screening tests at least once in lifetime

Clinical registry for rheumatoid arthritis; a preliminary analysis

Objective: To establish a clinical registry for Rheumatoid Arthritis and delineate the most common symptoms that rheumatoid arthritis [RA] patients experience in our set up

Study Design: Cross sectional study

Place and Duration of Study: Study was carried out at Military Hospital [MH] Rawalpindi at Rheumatology Department during the period of Jan 2013 to Jun 2015

Material and Methods: A clinical registry for Rheumatoid Arthritis was developed as per criteria jointly developed by American College of Rheumatology [ACR] along with European League against Rheumatism [EULAR] [2010]. Fifty-eight patients were registered after their informed consent and approval by Military Hospital [MH] Rawalpindi ethical committee. Age, gender and relevant clinical parameters of RA patients were recorded on case report forms and stored for analysis in the RA registry in Excel 2010. The figures were reported in frequencies and percentages

Results: Multiple joint pains [48.28%], fever [24.14%], morning stiffness of joints [22.41%] were the most common symptoms in RA patients. Other clinical manifestations included painful bilateral swollen joints [13.79%], pain in different parts of the body [10.34%], Raynaud's phenomenon [10.34%], malaise [8.62%], swollen body parts [8.62%], ulcers [8.62%], fatigue [6.90%], nodules on skin/elbow/interphalangeal joints [6.90%], deformities of fingers/ hand [3.45%], redness of eyes [3.45%], body rash [3.45%], inability to walk [3.45%], cervical lymphadenopathy [1.72%], stiffness of spine [1.72%] and myalgias [1.72%]

Conclusion: It is concluded that multiple joint pains, fever and morning stiffness of joints are the most common symptoms of RA patients

Frequency of various types of leukaemias diagnosed at PAF hospital mianwali

To determine the frequencies of various types of leukaemias in a secondary care hospital. Descriptive. PAF Hospital Mianwali, from Jan 2009 to Dec 2012. Record of all the cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia [ALL], acute myeloid leukaemia [AML], chronic lymphocytic leukaemia [CLL] and chronic myeloid leukaemia [CML] diagnosed during the period of study was retrieved from the laboratory and total number of leukaemia cases were counted. The ages and the genders of the patients were noted. Median age at diagnosis for each type of leukaemia was worked out. Frequency of each leukaemia type was noted and relative frequency was calculated as percentage. Out of a total of 67 patients, AML was diagnosed in 22 [32.8%], CML in 16 [23.8%], ALL in 15 [22.4%] and CLL in 14 [20.9%] cases. Median age at diagnosis for ALL, AML, CLL and CML was 5,41, 70 and 40 years respectively while male to female ratio was 2.7,1.4,1.3 and 1.5 respectively. AML was the commonest leukaemia type, followed by CML, ALL and CLL. In children, ALL was found to be four times more common than AML