Predictors of treatment interruption in pulmonary tuberculosis patients

Tuberculosis [TB] is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacterium, mainly mycobacterium tuberculosis.1 The World Health Organization declared TB a global health emergency in 1993.2 This is a cross sectional descriptive study. To identify factors predicting treatment interruption in pulmonary tuberculosis patients under DOTS [Directly Observed Treatment Short Course] strategy in District Lahore. It is conducted on 421 pulmonary tuberculosis patients under DOTS, in district Lahore, Pakistan in 2006 - 07. At the end of the treatment period, the treatment interrupters were 31 / 421 [7.4%]. Among them 25 / 421 [5.9%] were defaulters, while 6 / 421 [1.4%] were non-compliers. Analysis showed a significantly increased risk of treatment interruption among those who need to travel in order to get medicine [p < 0.0001], those who need to travel a distance of more than 30 minutes walk to get medicine [p < 0.0001], those who occasionally need to buy medicine [p = 0.024] and those patients who were directly observed by health care provider [p < 0.0001]. The issue of treatment interruption in tuberculosis patients and the factors identified in the study, need to be addressed, so the compliance can be improved

Frequency of prenatal depression in second and third trimesters of pregnancy in Karachi: a hospital based study

Objective: To determine the frequency of depression and its relationship with some demographic variables in pregnant women presenting in the second and third trimester at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan

Design: A descriptive study

Setting: Departments of Psychiatry and Gynecology/Obstetrics, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi, Sindh- Pakistan, from July 2003 to October 2003

Methods: Seventy-five females in second and third trimester of pregnancy were interviewed in out patients department. Questionnaire was based on Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. Main outcome measure was to find out the number of pregnant depressed females

Results: Pregnant females had twenty-six to thirty-six weeks of pregnancy. Twenty-six females [34.6%] were found to have clinically significant depression according to Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. Most of the cases were found between 22 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. The average age of presentation was 26 years. Six, out of 26 [23%] depressed females were primigravida. More so, other cases which were having depression were mostly in their second or third confinements [ten cases out of twenty-six i.e. 38%]

Conclusion: Prenatal depression is an important clinical entity and shall be screened during second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The more severe cases should be offered treatment with either psychotherapy or medications to avoid future complications