Prevalence of depression among hypothyroid patients attending the primary healthcare and endocrine clinics of King Fahad Hospital of the University (KFHU).

CONTEXT: Hypothyroidism is the most prevalent endocrine disorder worldwide, with a prevalence of 4%-5%. Thyroid hormone has a role in neurological development, and hormone deficiency can be manifested by many neurological signs and symptoms such as behavioral disturbances, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. AIMS: To estimate the prevalence of depression among hypothyroid patients attending primary healthcare and endocrine clinic of King Fahad Hospital of the University (KFHU) and to assess the relationship between depression and different factors. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of depression among hypothyroid patients attending the primary healthcare and endocrine clinics of KFHU in Al Khobar. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were screened for depression using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 screening tool, in addition to obtaining their sociodemographic data, details of their thyroid function status, and other risk factors for depression. Also, patient medical files were used to obtain the laboratory results. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 23. Continuous data were displayed using mean and standard deviation; categorical data were displayed in numbers and percentage. Chi-square test was used to assess the relationship between the variables. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: It was found that 33.9% of patients were depressed with varying degree of depression. Certain symptoms were found to be associated with higher risk of depression such as fatigue, memory problems, hair loss, and gland enlargement. CONCLUSION: Depression was concluded to be prevalent among hypothyroid patients. And screening for depression among hypothyroid patients is recommended.

Common errors in writing the cause of death certificate in the Middle East.

A death certificate is an official document in which the medical practitioner primarily records the cause of death sequence, the time interval between the onset of the cause of death and death, and personal details of the deceased. Errors in death certificate documentation are not uncommon. We aim to review the common errors in writing the cause of death certificate in the Middle East. For this review, we searched the PubMed database using a comprehensive search strategy to identify studies from the Middle East that reported errors in the cause of death certification from inception to August 17, 2019. Of the 308 items initially identified, 5 were eligible for inclusion. These studies were reported from only a few countries (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Lebanon and Palestine) in the Middle East and did not represent all the countries geographically located in the Middle East. The Middle East is not immune to errors in the medical certification of the cause of death. The absence of the cause of death, inappropriate listing and sequencing of the causes of death, mentioning the mechanism or mode of death instead of the cause of death, absence of time interval between the onset of the cause of death and death, use of abbreviations and symbols instead of formal medical terminology, and absence of the certifying medical practitioner's signature were the commonly death certification errors observed in this regional literature review. Additional studies to assess death certification errors in all the Middle East countries are needed. Efforts should be made to compulsorily include the teaching and learning of the cause of death certification in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Interactive workshops on drafting the cause of death certificate should be periodically conducted for the benefit of the interns and residents.