Distribution of lower urinary tract symptoms [LUTS] in adult women

To determine the distribution of lower urinary tract symptoms in adult women and the frequency with which the women consulted a health care provider for their symptoms. Design: Cross-sectional analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Community Health Center of Aga Khan University Hospital from November 1st to 30th, 2002. Subjects and A trained interviewer administered a structured questionnaire to women patients or attendants aged 18 years and older coming to the center. Fifty-two% of the study subjects reported having at least one or more urinary complaints in the past. Stress incontinence was the highest reported complaint [38.4%] followed by burning [34.4%], frequency [26%], painful micturition [20.4%], urge incontinence [18.8%], incomplete emptying of bladder [14.4%], dribbling [12.4%] and poor stream [8.4%]. Forty-three% of the women with LUTS never consulted a health care provider for their problem. Although the distribution of LUTS among females was found to be high, the patients did not consider it important enough to consult a health care provider. There is a need to create awareness among females regarding LUTS and the need to consult a health care provider for their problems

Left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with focal cerebral ischemia

The study was designed to identify the presence of Echocardiographic Left Ventricular hypertrophy [LVH] in incident cases of focal cerebral ischemia. A cohort of patients with diagnosis of stroke or TIA were included who were admitted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. All these patients had transthoracic echocardiogram [TTE] done during admission on the advice of the primary Neurologist. Data was collected for 12 months and analysis done on epi-info program, using level of significance as a statistical test. We correlated the presence of hypertension with Echo-LVH and ECG-LVH. Echo-LVH was reported in 77 patients [61%] as compared to ECG-LVH which was observed in only 5 patients [4%, according to Este's criteria]. A total of 23 patients had Echo-LVH without known hypertension and this figure is quiet alarming. Hypertension increases the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease and LVH is a strong predictor of Cerebrovoscular event. The increased incidence of ECHO-LVH in known and unknown hypertensive patients identified the need towards health awareness program in general as well as in highly susceptible population

Center-based prevalence of anxiety and depression in women of the northern areas pakistan

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression in women of the Northern areas. METHODS: A cross-sectional center-based study was conducted at Singal Medical Center [SMC], Gilgit, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan, using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]. One hundred and twenty women, between the ages of 16 and 60, attended the SMC over a two month period and were included in the study. Using HADS, it was found that 50% of the women had anxiety and/or depression; 25% suffered only from anxiety, 8% from depression and 17% had features of both. This study supports the previous studies of stress in remote areas and also contradicts the belief that people who live in the remote rural areas lead stress-free lives or have low rates of psychiatric morbidity [JPMA 50:138, 2000]

Syndrome X and family practitioners

Increased incidence of hypertension, non-insulin dependent diabetes [NIDDM] and coronary heart disease often cluster in the same individuals and there have been speculations that a common mechanism may be responsible for all of these pathological conditions. This risk factor constellation, which is associated with an enhanced risk for cardiovascular disease, is sometimes referred to as the 'Insulin Resistance Syndrome', 'Syndrome X', or the 'Metabolic Syndrome'. To find out the prevalence of Syndrome X in the population of patients coming to a preventive health check clinic at a tertiary care teaching hospital in a megacity of the developing world. A total of 270 patients, above the age of 40 years, who attended preventive health check clinics of 2 Family Physicians at the Aga Khan University from January 1996 to July 1997 were selected. Patients below 40 years were excluded from the study. The prevalence of Syndrome X, defined as association of obesity, NIDDM, hypertension, raised LDL and raised triglycerides is 2.6% in patients above 40 years, who were screened in this study. The significant prevalence of Syndrome X is alarming and we need to strengthen our existing educational programs for prevention of obesity, increased physical activity and better control of hypertension. When drugs are selected for pharmacological treatment, priority should be given to those, which improve the insulin sensitivity index or are at least neutral in this respect