Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding cervical cancer and screening among women visiting primary health care in Qatar

There are no data on the knowledge, attitude and practices of Qatari women about this cancer. Therefore this cross-sectional interview-based study was conducted in 2008 among 500 women at 5 randomly selected primary health care centres in Qatar to determine their knowledge, attitude and practices regarding cervical cancer and screening. Just over 85% had heard of cervical cancer and 76% had heard about the Pap smear. Knowledge of cervical cancer was significantly greater among women aged 30-49 years, and those employed, married for > 15 years, with a university degree, or who had had 4 births or 3 miscarriages. Almost 40% had had a Pap smear test at least once and 85.5% of the rest would have a test if they were told that the procedure was painless and simple. Over half wanted the test to be done in the well-woman clinic at the primary health care centre. Knowledge and practice was inadequate among those under 30 years old, those recently married and those with a lower education level

Mitochondrial disease with myopathy

Mitochondrial disease with myopathy is a rare progressive disease which affects more than one system of the body. It can be diagnosed only by muscle biopsy showing ragged red fiber cells [RRFs] that requires special [trichrome] staining, often not available in routine histopathology laboratories. There is no specific treatment or cure for the condition. A case, confirmed by biopsy, is reported in a 42-year-old Qatari female suffering from previously undiagnosed chronic progressive weakness and possibly related hyperthyroidism