The epidemiology of in-hospital burn patients in a tertiary hospital in Damascus, Syria. A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Syria has been facing a dreadful crisis for the past 11 years, which has had a significant toll on the healthcare system of the country, and its ability to adequately manage acute injuries. In this research, we study the epidemiology and outcomes of burn patients admitted to the burn center of Al-Mouwasat Hospital in Damascus, Syria. METHODS: A retrospective cohort research was conducted from January 2017 to December 2021. All accessible paper-based medical records of burn injury patients admitted to the hospital were evaluated. ABSI score was used to classify injury degrees. Chi-square test and logistic regression model were used to study the association between demographic variables and outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 641 patients, 367 (57.3%) were males and 274 (42.7%) were females. Children represented more than half of our sample 377 (58.8%). The most common cause of burns was flame 393 (61.3%), followed by scalding 199 (31.0%). Most of the patients had a more than 10% TBSA of burns 511 (79.7%). 209 (32.6%) patients had a moderate ABSI score, followed by moderately severe in 149 (23.2%) patients. Children, patients who had high ABSI scores, and those who needed respiratory support were more likely to die than others 2.545 (1.079-6.004), 9.208 (4.061-20.879), respectively. CONCLUSION: Death was the outcome of third of the hospitalized patients. Furthermore, Children made up more than half of the sample, and had the highest rates of leaving the hospital against medical advice. These results underline the importance of an updated nationally uniformed protocol for the management of burn patients.

Prevalence of Ménière's Disease in Syrian Patients with hypothyroidism: Cross-sectional study.

Background: Ménière's Disease, a long-term debilitating disorder has been increasingly found among patients with hypothyroidism. Our study aims to evaluate the prevalence of ménière's disease among hypothyroid patients and assess the interrelationship between patients' symptomology and ménière's disease. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at the endocrinology clinics at Damascus Hospital and Syrian Red Crescent Hospital, Damascus, Syria between September 2021 and January 2022. Patients with hypothyroidism were interviewed using a questionnaire. The questionnaire contained questions about socio-demographic information, hypothyroid history, diagnostic criteria of ménière's disease, chief complaint, medical history, and lab test results. Patients, who reported ménière's disease symptoms, were referred to the otorhinolaryngology clinic for confirmation or exclusion of ménière's disease. At the clinic, patients underwent an otoscopy and a pure tone audiometry, probable and definite ménière's disease was diagnosed accordingly. Results: Of 217 hypothyroid patients included in the sample, 17 (7.8%) were diagnosed with definite ménière's disease and 31 (14.3%) were diagnosed with probable ménière's disease. Hypothyroid symptoms reported among patients diagnosed with definite ménière's disease compared to no diagnosis differed by feeling low (χ2 (1, 217) = 4.014, p = 0.045), and depressive appearance (χ2 (1, 217) = 8.887, p = 0.003). Patients diagnosed with definite ménière's disease, probable ménière's disease, and both definite and probable ménière's disease were more likely to report that their symptoms affected their lifestyle compared to those that reported no effect (χ2 (3, 217) = 62.565, p < 0.001), (χ2 (3, 217) = 31.380, p < 0.001), and (χ2 (3, 217) = 35.542, p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: A high number of hypothyroid patients were diagnosed with MD. Clinicians should consider clinically screening for MD among hypothyroid patients presenting to clinics.