A systematic review of the economic burden of diabetes mellitus: contrasting perspectives from high and low middle-income countries.

Introduction: Diabetes increases preventative sickness and costs healthcare and productivity. Type 2 diabetes and macrovascular disease consequences cause most diabetes-related costs. Type 2 diabetes greatly costs healthcare institutions, reducing economic productivity and efficiency. This cost of illness (COI) analysis examines the direct and indirect costs of treating and managing type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methodology: According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, Cochrane, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Medline Plus, and CENTRAL were searched for relevant articles on type 1 and type 2 diabetes illness costs. The inquiry returned 873 2011-2023 academic articles. The study included 42 papers after an abstract evaluation of 547 papers. Results: Most articles originated in Asia and Europe, primarily on type 2 diabetes. The annual cost per patient ranged from USD87 to USD9,581. Prevalence-based cost estimates ranged from less than USD470 to more than USD3475, whereas annual pharmaceutical prices ranged from USD40 to more than USD450, with insulin exhibiting the greatest disparity. Care for complications was generally costly, although costs varied significantly by country and problem type. Discussion: This study revealed substantial heterogeneity in diabetes treatment costs; some could be reduced by improving data collection, analysis, and reporting procedures. Diabetes is an expensive disease to treat in low- and middle-income countries, and attaining Universal Health Coverage should be a priority for the global health community.

An observational multi-center study on type 2 diabetes treatment prescribing pattern and patient adherence to treatment.

In 2021, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) reported that the prevalence of diabetes in Pakistan was 9.6%, higher than the global average. However, adherence to treatment guidelines, e.g., American Diabetes Association and Pakistan Endocrine Society and prescription patterns for Oral anti-diabetes (OAD), is poorly understood in Pakistan. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the prescribing practices of anti-diabetic medications, an association of lifestyle modification with drugs prescribed, and their effectiveness in preserving ideal glycemic levels in diabetic patients undergoing treatment in tertiary care teaching hospitals in rural and urban Pakistan. In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from prescriptions of outpatient diabetic patients from different rural and urban tertiary care hospitals between October 2021 and February 2022. 388 participants were enrolled in the study for a detailed interview on prescription evaluation and glycemic control. The coinvestigators conducted an interview with the patient and used a pre-validated questionnaire to collect the data. The relationship between following treatment guidelines and clinical and demographic factors was found using chi-square tests for bivariate analyses. The study reported that out of 388, the mean ages of the patients were 48 ± 12.4, and the majority were female. It was observed that 60.1% and 66.5% have uncontrolled fasting and random blood glucose, respectively. The education level of the study participants was also below par to have a complete understanding of the medical condition and self-management therapy. Even though they were taking the right medications-an average prescription regimen included 5.08 medications-52.1% of the studied people had glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels higher than the therapeutic threshold set by the International Diabetes Federation. In this modern era, it was observed that the prescribing trend was still focused on traditional therapeutic options Biguanides, sulfonylureas, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors were prescribed in 64.6% of the patients. A significant association was found between glycemic control and body mass index, adherence to lifestyle modifications, and the number of medications prescribed (p-value < 0.05). The study reveals that Pakistan's prescribing practices do not align with international and national guidelines, leading to a high prevalence of uncontrolled diabetes and widespread use of polypharmacy among patients. To address this issue, policymakers should prioritize establishing a comprehensive national diabetes action plan. Additionally, there is a pressing need to develop diabetes education and awareness programs emphasizing the importance of lifestyle modifications for effective diabetes management.

Dietary habits and physical activity patterns in relation to nutritional status among school-aged children in Pakistan: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Childhood malnutrition remains a significant public health problem impacting the physical and mental growth if school aged children, particularly in limited-resource countries. Objective: The study objective was to assess levels of physical activity, patterns of screen time (S.T.), the relationship between physical activity and screen time patterns, and how these factors affect growth status (adjusting for socioeconomic status). Methodology: A cross-sectional study included 3,834 children between 6-14 years attending pre-selected schools. Teachers, students, and parents were invited to fill out a standardized questionnaire, and Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated using Center for disease control (CDC) centile charts. A Chi-square was performed to see the possible association between any height and weight abnormalities and all possible risk factors. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to see the effect of variables significantly associated with univariate analysis. Results: Approximately 2,447 (63.8%) children were between 11-14 years old and 1,387 (36.2%) were between 4-10 years old. The mean height was 143.71 ± 16.51 centimetres, the mean weight was 36.5 ± 12.9 kilogram, and the mean BMI was 17.16 ± 3.52. Multivariate logistic regression status and junk food combined affected stunting socioeconomic status was significantly associated with being underweight p = 0.001. Conclusion: Childhood obesity and stunting remain significant problems in Pakistani school-going children. These are significantly associated with poverty, a lack of physical activity opportunities, and available food quality.

Frequency and impact of slow flow / no flow in primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of slow/no flow in primary percutaneous coronary intervention, to know the clinical and angiographical predictors of the phenomenon, and to investigate the immediate impact of slow/no flow on haemodnamics. METHOD: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, from June 2018 to July 2019, and comprised patients presenting with ST elevation myocardial infarction who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Demographic and clinical details of the patients were recorded. The antegrade flow was assessed and determined using the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction criterion. Patients were assessed for the occurrence, predictors and impact of slow/no flow. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 559 patients, 441(78.9%) were males. The overall mean age of the sample was 55.86±11.07 years. Angiographical slow/no flow during the procedure occurred in 53 (9.5%) patients, while normal flow was achieved in 506(90.5%). The thrombolysis in myocardial infarction grade in the affected patients was 0 in 10(1.8%), 1 in 15(2.7%), and 2 in 28(5%) patients. Smoking status, prior myocardial infarction, prior heart failure, no history of pre-infarct angina, cerebrovascular disease, New York Heart Association class III or IV, Killip class III or IV, and lower ejection fraction were significant predictors of slow/no flow (p<0.05). The angiographical and procedural predictors were total occlusion of culprit vessel and high thrombus burden (p<0.05). Direct stenting and use of bare metal stents had significantly less chance of developing slow/no flow (p<0.05). The most common immediate impact was hypotension 26(49.1%) and bradyarrhythmia 5(9.4%). However, 2(3.8%) patients developed haemodnamically unstable ventricular tachycardia that resulted in mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Predictors on the basis of history and angiographical features can be taken into account to anticipate the occurrence of slow/no flow phenomenon.

Glycated haemoglobin association with severity of thrombus burden in non-diabetic versus diabetic patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: To determine and compare the relationship between glycated haemoglobin level on admission and the angiographic thrombus burden in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, from June 2018 to July 2019, and comprised patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Demographic details and self-reported duration of diabetes was recorded. The thrombus burden was assessed on angiography classifying 0 = no thrombus, 1 = possible thrombus, 2 = small thrombus, 3 = moderate thrombus, 4 = large thrombus, and 5 = total occlusion. The data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 212 patients, 173(81.6%) were men, and 75(35.4%) had body mass index ≥30kg/m2. The overall mean age of the sample was 54.62±11.75 years. Known diabetic cases were 82(38.7%) and 20(24.4%) were insulin-dependent. Mean glycated haemoglobin level was 7.18±2.03% and 96(45.3%) patients had the critical value >6.5%. Pre-procedure thrombus score in 118(55.7%) patients was 3 and 4 and 57(26.9%) had total occlusion. A significant relationship between glycated haemoglobin level and thrombus score was found in the overall sample as well as in diabetic and non-diabetic groups (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Increased glycated haemoglobin level was found to have a positive correlation with thrombus score in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Hysterectomy as a management option for morbidly adherent placenta.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the outcome of interval (delayed) hysterectomy as compared to cesarean (immediate) hysterectomy in cases of placental invasion in previous cesarean sections. STUDY DESIGN: Comparative study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Unit II, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2008 to June 2011. METHODOLOGY: The study subjects included 28 women with history of previous cesarean section who had low lying as well as morbidly adherent placenta (MAP) of variable degree. Patients were classified into two groups (group A and B) according to whether cesarean or interval hysterectomy was needed at time of delivery. Demographic data, obstetrical risk factors such as parity and number of previous cesarean sections were compared as well as radiological and histopathological findings, and details of the management. Chi-square, Fisher's exact and t-tests were used to compare proportions and mean values. RESULTS: The frequency of MAP in previous cesarean sections turned out to be 1.83/1000 (28/15,340) deliveries. Mean maternal age (26.54 vs. 29.13 years, p=0.05), mean gestational age (33.8 vs. 36 weeks, p=0.05), estimated blood loss (2615.38 vs. 1506.6 mL, p=0.001), volume of blood transfused (9.76 vs. 2.9 pints, p=0.001) and the duration of hospital stay (10.69 vs. 32.86 days, p=0.001) differed significantly between group A and group B. One maternal death occurred in each group. Eight patients had other complications in group A compared to 3 patients in group B. Three neonatal deaths occurred in group A compared to nil in group B. CONCLUSION: The frequency of morbidly adherent placenta was 1.83/1000 deliveries. The management and outcome differed markedly according to emergency and scheduled antenatal diagnosis. Counselling and antenatal radiological screening can reduce the high morbidity and mortality associated with it.