Evaluation of risk factors in acute myocardial infarction patients admitted to the coronary care unit, Tripoli Medical Centre, Libya

The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the risk factors for acute myocardial infarction in patients attending Tripoli Medical Centre, Libya. Records were reviewed for 622 patients with a mean age of 58.3 [SD 12.9] years. Diabetes mellitus [48.2%], hypertension [35,7%] and smoking [50.6%] were among the risk factors reported. There were 110 patients [17.7%] who died during hospitaiization, mainly suffering cardiogenic shock [48.0%]. The rate of use of thrombolytic therapy was low in patients who were female [40.4% versus 58.4% for males], older age [31.6% for those > 85 years versus 63.3% for patients < 55 years], diabetics [45.3% versus 62.0% for non-diabetic patients] and hypertensives [47.3% versus 57.8% for non-hypertensive patients]. Prevention strategies should be implemented in order to improve the long-term prognosis and decrease overall morbidity and mortality from coronary artery disease in Libyan patients

Changes of some health indicators in patients with type 2 diabetes: a prospective study in three community pharmacies in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

The study aimed to examine changes in some health indicators in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, namely: reported self-care activity, health related quality of life, and patient opinion of the services provided by three community pharmacies in Sharjah, UAE. A group of patients was followed over 24 months. Patients under investigation received reminders packages during the first three months of the study. No reminders were sent after 3 months after the study was underway. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to test differences between means over different periods. All patients included in this study were found to have poor diet and exercise behavior at baseline. Three months into the study, more than 27% of the patients had acceptable diet, exercise, foot care and self-testing behavior. However, evaluation at six months and 24-months show that mean scores had almost returned to baseline levels. There were significant differences between the mean values of initial [baseline data] and final [at the end of the study] scores for general health [5.86, p=0.001], vitality [5.25, p<0.001], and role physical scales [3.81, p=0.02]. There was a significant [p < 0.001] 25% increase in the patients' perception of the ability of the pharmacist to assist in decreasing blood glucose level. Ongoing reminder packages are needed for continued progress in self-care activities and for achieving lasting changes in the behavior. Implementation of such a strategy through community pharmacies could help to improve patients' views of the quality of services received from these pharmacies and patient's quality of life, which should improve patient's drug therapy and reduce complications of diabetes