An alarmingly high and increasing prevalence of obesity in Jordan / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES@#The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of obesity in Jordan, to assess related trends, and to determine associated factors and comorbidities. @*METHODS@#A multipurpose national household survey of Jordanian adults was conducted over a 4-month period in 2017. Data were collected using a structured validated questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements including waist circumference (WC; measured midway between the iliac crest and the lower rib margin), body mass index (BMI), hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio were obtained to categorize participants with regard to overweight and obesity. @*RESULTS@#This study included 4,056 persons (1,193 men and 2,863 women) aged 18 years to 90 years (mean±standard deviation, 43.8±14.2 years). According to the International Diabetes Federation WC criteria, the age-standardized prevalence of obesity was 60.4% among men and 75.6% among women, while approximately three-quarters of men and women were overweight or obese as defined by BMI. The age-adjusted odds of obesity in 2017 were approximately twice those in 2009 in men (odds ratio [OR], 1.98) and women (OR, 1.96). In the multivariate analysis, age, region of residence, and marital status were significantly associated with obesity in both genders. Obesity was significantly associated with increased odds of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, elevated triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol after adjusting for age. @*CONCLUSIONS@#The rate of obesity in Jordan is high and increasing, and obesity is associated with other metabolic abnormalities. Well-defined programs to control and prevent obesity, as well as intersectoral action, are urgently required to reverse current trends.

An alarmingly high and increasing prevalence of obesity in Jordan / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES@#The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of obesity in Jordan, to assess related trends, and to determine associated factors and comorbidities. @*METHODS@#A multipurpose national household survey of Jordanian adults was conducted over a 4-month period in 2017. Data were collected using a structured validated questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements including waist circumference (WC; measured midway between the iliac crest and the lower rib margin), body mass index (BMI), hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio were obtained to categorize participants with regard to overweight and obesity. @*RESULTS@#This study included 4,056 persons (1,193 men and 2,863 women) aged 18 years to 90 years (mean±standard deviation, 43.8±14.2 years). According to the International Diabetes Federation WC criteria, the age-standardized prevalence of obesity was 60.4% among men and 75.6% among women, while approximately three-quarters of men and women were overweight or obese as defined by BMI. The age-adjusted odds of obesity in 2017 were approximately twice those in 2009 in men (odds ratio [OR], 1.98) and women (OR, 1.96). In the multivariate analysis, age, region of residence, and marital status were significantly associated with obesity in both genders. Obesity was significantly associated with increased odds of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, elevated triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol after adjusting for age. @*CONCLUSIONS@#The rate of obesity in Jordan is high and increasing, and obesity is associated with other metabolic abnormalities. Well-defined programs to control and prevent obesity, as well as intersectoral action, are urgently required to reverse current trends.

Epstein-Barr virus and Hodgkin lymphoma in Jordan

Background and objectives: This study aims to examine the possible association of Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] in Classical Hodgkin lymphoma [cHL] and to shed light on the epidemiology of Hodgkin lymphoma [HL] in Jordan

Patients and Methods: We examined 100 consecutive cases of HL for the presence of EBV in tumor cells by immunohistochemistry for latent membrane protein-1 [LMP-1]. We collected patient data on age, sex and histologic subtype. We reviewed the pathological findings in each case and confirmed diagnosis

Results: Nodular lymphocyte predominant HL was diagnosed in 6% of the cases and these were negative for EBV LMP-1. Of the 94 cases of cHL, 65% were males, the most common subtype was nodular sclerosis [NS], representing 70% of the cases, and 45.7% of cHL [43% of all HL] cases were positive for EBV LMP-1. The positive cases were significantly related to age: 51 years [p: 0.009 and 0.014 respectively], male gender [p: 0.03] and mixed cellularity [MC] subtype [p: <0.0001]. In line with other developing countries, there also appears to be a trend towards a decreasing association of EBV with cHL and a subtype switch from MC to NS in Jordan

Conclusion: The epidemiology of HL in Jordan and some developing countries is approaching that of developed countries

Relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and metabolic syndrome among Jordanian adults

Evidence of the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and metabolic syndrome (MeS) remains uncertain and incongruent. This study aimed to determine the association between 25(OH)D and MeS among Jordanian adults. A complex multistage sampling technique was used to select a national population-based household sample. The present report deals exclusively with adults aged > 18 years who had complete information on all components of MeS (n = 3,234). A structured questionnaire was used to collect all relevant information. Anthropometric, clinical, and laboratory measurements were obtained. MeS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition. Of the total, 42.0% had MeS and 31.7% had 25(OH)D < 30 ng/ml. In a stratified analysis, the prevalence of MeS did not differ significantly between subjects with low and normal 25(OH)D levels for men and women in all age groups. In the multivariate analysis, the odds of MeS were not significantly different between subjects with low and normal 25(OH)D levels (OR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.70, 1.05, P-value = 0.133). The association between 25(OH)D and MeS remained non-significant when 25(OH)D was analyzed as a continuous variable (OR = 1.004, 95% CI; 1.000, 1.008, P = 0.057) and when analyzed based on quartiles. None of the individual components of MeS were significantly associated with 25(OH)D level. This study does not provide evidence to support the association between 25(OH)D level and MeS or its individual components. Prospective studies are necessary to better determine the roles of 25(OH)D levels in the etiology of MeS.

Familial mediterranean fever: a prevalent condition amongest the arabs

Autoinflammatory diseases are a group of disorders characterized by seemingly unprovoked inflammation in the absence of high-titer autoantibodies or antigen-specific T-cells and include the hereditary periodic fever syndromes. Familial Mediterranean Fever [FMF] is the prototype of the autoinflammatory disorder. It is an autosomal recessive disorder with high prevalence in non Ashkenazi Jews, Armenians, Turks and Arabs. The classic clinical picture is recurrent acute short-lived febrile and painful attacks with variable periods of remission. It is complicated by amyloidosis that leads to renal failure in a subset of patients. The gene responsible for FMF, MEFV, has been identified and its role in inflammation is under study. There appears to be a distinctive clinical picture among Arab FMF patients and the spectrum and distribution of MEFV mutations is different from other ethnic groups commonly affected by FMF. The clinical and molecular aspects of FMF in the Arabs are discussed

Thyroid function and thyroid autoimmunity in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus

An association between diabetes mellitus and autoimmune thyroid disease is well known. We have investigated the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and autoimmunity in type 1 diabetic patients. Seventy-nine type 1 diabetic patients were recruited in the study, and underwent complete investigations for thyroid function, which included free thyroxine, free tri-iodothyronine, and thyroid stimulating hormone, of those only 64 patients had performed thyroid autoantibodies [TAb]; anti- thyroid peroxidase antibodies [TPOAb] or antimicrosomal antibodies and thyroglobulin antibodies [TgAb]. They were compared with 127 healthy subjects matched for sex and age. This study was carried out at the National Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Genetics, Jordan University, Amman, Jordan between 2000 and 2001. In the diabetic group, 7 cases [8.9%] of thyroid dysfunction were detected, 4 of these were diagnosed as subclinical hypothyroidism, whereas the other 3 had overt hypothyroidism and were on thyroxine replacement therapy. In the control group, 6 [4.7%] subjects were diagnosed as subclinical hyperthyroidism. There was a significant difference in thyroid function variables between diabetics and controls. Among type 1 diabetic patients, 7 [9.2%] had thyroid autoantibodies, 5 with positive TPOAb only and 2 with positive TAb; TPOAb or antimicrosomal antibodies and TgAb; compared with 8 [6.3%] in the control group, 4 with positive TPOAb only and 4 with positive TAb; TPOAb or antimicrosomal antibodies and TgAb P=0.68. Biochemical thyroid dysfunction and thyroid autoimmunity were evident in type 1 diabetics who were apparently euthyroid, with no significant difference between diabetics and controls