Etiology of pleural effusion among adults in the State of Qatar: a 1-year hospital-based study

There have been no systematic studies of diseases causing pleural effusion in Qatar. This prospective, hospital-based study involved all adult patients [> 15 years] with pleural effusions who were admitted to referral hospitals over a 1-year period. A total of 200 cases of pleural effusion were identified [152 males and 48 females]; mean age 45.1 [SD 18.5] years. A majority of patients [73.5%] were non-Qataris, mostly from the Asian subcontinent. The most frequent cause of pleural effusions was tuberculosis [32.5%], followed by pneumonia [19%], cancer [15.5%] and cardiac failure [13%]. The most frequent cause of malignant effusion was bronchogenic carcinoma [38.7%], whereas Gram-positive organisms were the most frequent isolates from empyema fluid [62.5%]. Histological examination and culture of pleural biopsy were the most useful diagnostic workup for tuberculosis effusions, whereas repeated cytological examination of pleural fluid and pleural biopsy were most useful for malignant effusions

Clinical pattern of cirrhotic ascities in the state of Qatar

Ascites is a common important feature of chronic liver disease and to determine the extent, causes, clinical presentation and nature of cirrhotic ascites in Qatar a descriptive, prospective study was made of 48 males and 14 females with cirrhotic ascites and a mean age of 56.2 "12.6 years admitted to the Medical Department, Hamad General Hospital between January 2004 and January 2005. Twenty six were Qatari, the remainder being of various nationalities. The most common cause of cirrhotic ascites was chronic alcoholism, found in 29 [46.8%] patients. Uncomplicated liver cirrhosis was found in 40 [64.5%] patients, complicated liver cirrhosis in 22 [35.5%] patients. At admission, encephalopathy, GI bleeding, and fever were found to be significantly associated with complicated cirrhotic ascites. Results of the study suggest that cirrhotic ascites is common in the State of Qatar with the most common causes being chronic alcoholism followed by chronic viral hepatitis C and B. It is suggested that efforts are needed to prevent and treat these two conditions

Adult T-cell Leukemia / Lymphoma: First case report from Qatar

In what appears to be the first case of Adult T-cell Leukemia/Lymphoma [ATLL] reported in Qatar and Middle Eastern Arab countries, a 39-year-old lady presented first with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and hypercalcaemia and later showed the full picture of ATLL, splenomegaly leukocytosis, skin rash, and bone marrow infiltrations. She responded well to chemotherapy, with complete remission after four cycles of combination chemotherapy but the prognosis of patients with ATLL is poor. Although patients may respond initially to treatment with combination chemotherapy regimens devised for advanced, aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma [NHL], relapses are common with a median survival of eight months and a four-year survival of 12 percent