A study to assess knowledge and attitude of infertile Kashmiri couples

Background: Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive naturally after one year of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. The chance to conceive depends on multiple factors like the length of sexual intercourse, frequency of coitus and age of couples. This could be due to male as well as female factors and deficiencies.Methods: This is a cross sectional observational study conducted on infertility patients. A fertility questionnaire was designed for both the partners with questions covering knowledge and attitude towards infertility.Results: A total 100 couples were selected in which prevalence of primary and secondary infertility was 72% and 28% respectively. The mean duration of infertility was 3 years. On scoring their level of knowledge, 52% had inadequate knowledge, 44% had moderate knowledge and 4% had adequate knowledge. There was no statistically significant difference in the knowledge in relation to their educational qualification and type of infertility among participants.Conclusions: Infertility is common problem affecting 10-15% of the population. The knowledge about infertility and its risk factors is generally limited among the participants, in spite of their educational status.

Rare bleeding disorders: spectrum of disease and clinical manifestations in the Pakistani population

Background@#Rare inherited coagulation factor deficiencies constitute an important group of bleeding disorders. A higher frequency of these disorders is seen in areas of high consanguinity.Our aim was to study the prevalence and spectrum of rare inherited bleeding disorders, characterize the severity of the deficiencies, identify different clinical manifestations, and evaluate different treatments provided. @*Methods@#This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Haematology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Rawalpindi, between January 2014 and December 2018.A detailed history was taken, and an examination was performed. The signs and symptoms were noted, and the patients were diagnosed on the basis of a coagulation profile. The disease severity was assessed using factor assays. @*Results@#Among 2,516 patients with suspected coagulation disorders, 774 (30.8%) had an inherited bleeding disorder. Of the 774 patients, 165 (21.3%) had a rare bleeding disorder;91 (55.2%) of them were males, and 74 (44.9%) were females, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.2:1. The median patient age was 9 years 3 months. The most common disorder was factor VII deficiency (46 patients, 27.9%). The most common clinical presentation was bruising in 102 (61.8%) and gum bleeding in 91 (55.2%) patients. @*Conclusion@#The most common rare bleeding disorder in our population is factor VII deficiency. The prevalence of these bleeding disorders is high in our population due to a high number of consanguineous marriages.