Prevalence and outcome of COVID-19 among Iranian celiac patients.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and outcome of COVID-19 among Iranian celiac disease patients. Background: Patients with celiac disease (CD) might be at greater risk for opportunistic viral infections. Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) cause of respiratory disorder which spread around the world at the end of 2019. The question is does COVID-19 infection increase the risk of severe outcome and/or a higher mortality in treated celiac disease?. Methods: Data regarding demographic details, clinical history, and COVID-19 infection symptoms among treated celiac disease patients was collected from July 2020 to January 2021 and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results: A total of 455 celiac disease patients were included in this study. The prevalence of Covid-19 infection among celiac disease patients was 2.4%. Infection among women (72.7%) was higher than the men, and only one overweight man who smoked was hospitalized. Among COVID-19 infected celiac disease patients, the most common symptoms were myalgia 90.9% (10/11), fever, body trembling, headache, shortness of breath, loss of smell and taste, and anorexia (72.7%). Treatments for COVID-19, included antibiotics (90.9%), pain analgesics (54.5%), antihistamines (27.3%), antivirals (9.1%) and hydroxychloroquine (9.1%). Conclusion: This study shows that treated celiac disease is not a risk factor for severity or higher mortality in patients infected with COVID-19. Women, however, might need extra-protection to prevent COVID-19 infection.

Increased trend of breast cancer mortality in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide In Iran, it ranks first among cancers diagnosed in women and is the fifth most common cause of death. The aim of this study was to present the mortality trends from breast cancer for Iranian women during a period of almost a decade, in order to provide update information regarding the likely future. METHODS: We analyzed National death Statistic reported by the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education from 1995 to 2004 to generate annual mortality rates/100,000, overall, by age group (<15, 15-49 and ≥ 50 years of age) and age standardized rate (ASR). RESULTS: The age standardized mortality rate of breast cancer increased dramatically during these years from 1.40 to 3.52 per 100,000 and its mortality was increasing 151.4% for Iranian women, although it seemed that the rate leveled off from 2002 to 2004. Moreover the increasing rate was higher for those aged between 15-49 compared to age > 50 years old. CONCLUSION: There is an increasing trend for breast cancer mortality in Iran. Thus, health education programs to rectify the lack of women awareness about breast cancer signs and effective screening are urgently needed.

Epidemiological features of gastro-esophageal reflux disease in Iran based on general population.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of GERD base on population study in Tehran providence. BACKGROUND: Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common and chronic problem. Recent reports from developing countries indicate increment in the incidence and prevalence of the disease over the past. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional household survey conducted from May 2006 to December 2007 in Tehran province, Iran. Participants completed a valid gastro-esophageal reflux Questionnaire. The questionnaire included personal and family characteristics such as age, gender, and educational status. In addition, interviewers asked them regarding 10 GI symptoms. RESULTS: Altogether 18180 individuals participated in this cross-sectional study. The mean ± SD age of participant was 38.7±17.1 and 9072 (49.9%) were women. The prevalence of GERD was 8.85 (8.43-9.26). There was significant relationship between age, sex, marital and educational status with GERD. GERD symptoms were more common in women, older people, individuals with low education and married people. There was overlap between GERD, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and uninvestigated dyspepsia (UD). CONCLUSION: According to our finding although the prevalence of GERD in our population is less than other studies, this prevalence is increasing in recent years.