Burden of chronic kidney disease in an urban city of Pakistan, a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease in an urban city and to assess the risk factors associated with the condition. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was carried out from June to December 2012 by arranging health camps for asymptomatic population in Karachi at busy shopping areas frequented by people of all socioeconomic classes. The camps provided free screening tests for the general public. Serum creatinine was checked and estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. SPSS 17 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of the 301 subjects who came to the camps, 293(97%) had their serum creatinine checked. The age range was 30-80 years. Chronic Kidney Disease was found in 75(25.60%)subjects. A significant relationship was found between the disease and Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension (p=0.006). There was also a significant relationship between Hypertension and Diabetes with mean Glomerular Filtration Rate (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In view of the prevalence rate of Chronic Kidney Disease, early screening and risk factor stratification is recommended.

Depression is linked to uncontrolled hypertension: a case-control study from Karachi, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: High blood pressure is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and may be more prevalent in persons with psychopathology. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between uncontrolled hypertension with depressive and anxiety disorders in two tertiary care centers in Karachi. METHODS: It was a case-control study conducted in two hospitals in Karachi. Cases were patients with uncontrolled hypertension and controls were patients with controlled hypertension. History of anxiety or depression as measured by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was the exposure. HADS of >8 was suggestive of having anxiety or depression. RESULTS: A total of 700 participants were approached, out of whom 590 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and consented to participate, 323 (54.7%) participants were enrolled as cases and 267 (45.3%) as controls. Mean (SD) age was 54.98 (12.38) years, 229 (38%) were males. Odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) of having uncontrolled hypertension and being depressed (HADS-D > 8) was 2.02 (1.44-2.83), p value ≤ 0.001. The association remained significant even after adjusting for age and gender in Model 1 OR (95% CI): 1.82 (1.27-2.60), p value = 0.001, ethinicity and education in Model 2 OR (95% CI): 1.87 (1.29-2.71), p value = 0.001 and comorbids, history of hospitalization body mass index in Model 3 OR (95% CI): 1.94 (1.31-2.85), p value = 0.001. CONCLUSION: There is association between uncontrolled hypertension and depression that is independent of sociodemographic factors, comorbids and history of hospitalization.

Benign cardiac tumours associated with sudden death.

AIMS: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for 50% of cardiovascular mortality with an estimated annual toll of 300 000 deaths in the USA and 60 000 deaths in the UK. Benign primary cardiac tumours are extremely rare, and although many of these entities are clinically silent, a few can cause significant morbidity or even sudden death. The objective of the study is to raise awareness of benign primary cardiac tumours as a possible cause of SCD so that more cases are identified by pathologists during life. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between 1994 and 2012, the hearts of more than 1600 people who had SCD were referred for pathological assessment to ascertain the precise aetiology of SCD. Eleven cases of SCD associated with benign cardiac tumours were identified; four were cystic tumours of the atrioventricular (AV) node, three lipomas, two rhabdomyomas, one haemangioma, and one myxoma. CONCLUSION: This study highlights that benign cardiac tumours are exceptionally uncommon yet potentially lethal. Careful examination of the heart will identify most of these lesions. A major exception, however, is cystic tumour of the AV node, the most common primary cardiac tumour causing sudden death. Since the gross findings of this lesion may be minimal, we recommend taking a routine section of the conducting system, including the AV node, in all cases of sudden death.

Double-positive Goodpasture's syndrome with concomitant active pulmonary tuberculosis.

Anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease usually presents as rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, and, when accompanied with pulmonary hemorrhage, it is called Goodpasture's syndrome. Anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) may co-exist with anti-GBM antibodies. In most of these "double positive" cases, ANCA is specific for myeloperoxidase (p-ANCA). We report a rare case of a critically ill patient c-ANCA-associated double-positive Goodpasture's syndrome with concomitant tuberculosis that was successfully treated with immunosuppression, plasmapheresis and anti-tuberculous therapy (ATT). A 32-year-old gentleman with a 15 pack-year smoking history presented with massive hemoptysis, respiratory failure and oliguria. Laboratory investigation revealed anemia, elevated creatinine and active urinary sediment. Chest X-ray revealed bilateral pulmonary infiltrates. Broad-spectrum antibiotics and intravenous corticosteroids were started. Bronchoscopy showed alveolar hemorrhage and smears from bronchial lavage from both lungs were positive for acid fast bacillus (AFB). Vasculitis work-up revealed high titers of c-ANCA and anti-GBM antibodies. Kidney biopsy revealed crescents in >50% glomeruli on light microscopy. Immunofluorescence showed linear deposition of IgG and C3. The patient received pulse methylprednisone for three days followed by oral prednisone and ATT. In addition, he also underwent nine sessions of plasmapheresis. Oral Cyclophosphamide was added on Day 10. The patient showed remarkable recovery as his lung fields cleared and his kidney function got stabilized. Cyclophosphamide was continued for three months and then switched to azathioprine. At six months, the creatinine is 1.2 mg/dL, with minimal proteinuria and a normal chest X-ray. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only reported case of double-positive Goodpasture's syndrome (c-ANCA and anti GBM) with active tuberculosis treated successfully.

Sudden death owing to right atrial hemangioma.

Primary cardiac tumors are rare, with an autopsy incidence of 0.03%. Seventy-nine percent to 85% of primary cardiac tumors are benign, and of the benign tumors, cardiac hemangiomas account for 5-10% of cases. Most cardiac hemangiomas are asymptomatic and are discovered incidentally at autopsy, or by echocardiography, computerized tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging. We report a case of sudden death owing to cardiac hemangioma in a 22-year-old woman who collapsed while shopping and became unresponsive. The autopsy revealed a hemorrhagic mass on the surface of the right atrium which was infiltrating and replacing the wall of the right atrium; histopathological examination confirmed the tumor was a cavernous hemangioma. Fewer than 20 cases of right atrial cavernous hemangiomas have been reported in English literature, emphasizing the rarity of our case.

Primary malignant mesothelioma of the pericardium.

Primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma is an extremely rare tumor. One of the largest autopsy series gave an incidence of primary pericardial tumors of 0.0022%, of which mesothelioma is the most common type. A male predominance of the disease has been described, and the majority of cases occur in the fourth to seventh decades of life. Unlike peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma, there has been no definite correlation between asbestos exposure and pericardial disease. Malignant pericardial mesothelioma carries a poor prognosis with few successful treatment strategies and little benefit from radiation and chemotherapy. We report a case of a 66-year-old man who presented with shortness of breath, right shoulder pain, and peripheral edema of the lower limbs. A large pericardial effusion was seen on echocardiography, which was drained but the patient died the following day. A malignant tumor was found on autopsy and a final diagnosis of primary malignant pericardial mesothelioma was made following histopathological examination.

Cystic tumour of the atrioventricular node: three cases of sudden death.

Cystic tumour of the atrioventricular nodal region is a rare primary cardiac tumour that can cause sudden death. Antemortem diagnosis and successful excision of this type of tumour are extremely rare. Three cases of sudden death are reported: A 25- and 40-year-old with a history of heart block and a 60-year-old with no medical history. There have been more than 120 cases of sudden death attributed to primary cardiac tumours in the literature. Although over 100 of these lesions were histologically benign, their intracardiac locations precipitated conductive and haemodynamic abnormalities that resulted in sudden death. The most common intracardiac lesion causing sudden death, cystic tumour of the atrioventricular node, however, may not be discovered unless the atrioventricular node is microscopically examined.

Pathological study of primary cardiac and pericardial tumours in a specialist UK Centre: surgical and autopsy series.

BACKGROUND: Primary cardiac and pericardial tumours are rare with a prevalence of between 0.001% and 0.3%. Thus, general pathologists are not familiar with them. Modern advances in cardiac imaging have increased the number of patients identified with a primary cardiac tumour in its early stage and also improved prognosis. At the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, we did a retrospective study to investigate the pathological features of primary cardiac and pericardial tumours and compared our findings to other cardiac centres. METHODS: All pathologic records at the Royal Brompton Hospital between 1990 and 2008 were reviewed to identify patients with a confirmed diagnosis of primary cardiac tumours. A total of 94 patients with a histological diagnosis of primary cardiac and pericardial tumours were identified and formed the study population. RESULTS: The majority (n=67, 71.3%) of cases were benign cardiac tumours. Myxoma was the most common histologic type accounting for 27 cases. Among cases with primary malignant tumours (n=27, 28.7%), unclassified sarcoma (n=11), leiomyosarcoma (n=5), and lymphoma (n=4) were the most common histologic types. CONCLUSION: This study, primarily from an adult setting (n=78, 83%) demonstrates a large spectrum of cardiac tumours seen in recent cardiologic practice. Myxoma is still the most common tumour but more fibroelastomas are being diagnosed due to increased imaging.

Massive fluid requirements and an unusual BUN/creatinine ratio for pre-renal failure in patients with cholera.

BACKGROUND: Cholera is an important infectious cause of secretory diarrhea. The primary symptom of infection is the sudden onset of watery diarrhea with subsequent volume depletion causing renal insufficiency. The objective of this research is to study the level of dehydration at presentation and subsequent fluid management in patients with cholera. METHODS: This study was conducted on 191 patients of Cholera admitted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan during the period of 5 years. Medical charts were evaluated retrospectively for initial hydration status, baseline lab investigations on admission and discharge and fluid therapy given to all the patients while their stay in the hospital and the data was analyzed on SPSS 15.0. RESULTS: Out of the 191 patients, 83(43%) were males and 108 (57%) were females with mean age of 42.3 years (SD+/-18.34). The average duration of symptoms was 3.75 days (SD+/-2.04). Of 191 patients, 175 (92.1%) presented with dehydration, 80 (42.3%) were given Ringer's Lactate (R/L) + Normal Saline (N/S), 45 (24%) patients were given R/L + N/S + Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORS), 27 (14.3%) of the patients were kept on R/L only and remaining were given various combinations of R/L, N/S, ORS and Dextrose Saline (D/S). On admission mean Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) was 24.54 (SD+/-16.6), mean creatinine was 2.47 (SD+/-2.35) and mean BUN/Creatinine ratio was 11.63 (SD+/-5.7). CONCLUSION: Aggressive fluid rehydration remains the cornerstone of management of cholera. Instead of presenting with a classical BUN/Creatinine ratio of >20:1, patients with pre-renal failure in cholera may present with a BUN/Creatinine ratio of <15:1.

Outbreak of dengue fever in Karachi 2006: a clinical perspective.

OBJECTIVE: This study reports clinical manifestations and spectrum of severity of dengue fever (DF), dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) in adult patients admitted during 2006 outbreak in Karachi. A rough estimation of cost of care was also calculated. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi from January to December 2006. Patients suspected of having DF with positive dengue IgM antibodies were included and records were reviewed. Patients were divided into DF, DHF and DSS as per WHO classification, and the severity of clinical manifestations was determined. RESULTS: A total of 278 (65.72%) of 423 patients admitted with suspected dengue illness had positive IgM titer. Mean age was 31 +/- 12.9 years, with 168 (60%) males and 110 (40%) females. Common presenting symptoms were fever (100%), vomiting (78%), epigastric pain (52%), bleeding tendencies (34%), and erythematous rash (33%). Thrombocytopenia (60%), Leucopenia (45%), elevated transaminases (ALT 71%; AST 88%), and deranged PT (22%) and aPTT (75%) were the predominant. Laboratory parameters: DF was diagnosed in 169 (61%) patients, 82 (29%) were classified as DHF, and 27 (10%) as DSS. Patients with DHF/DSS were younger <30 years (n=60, 55%) and had longer hospital stay (p=0.001). Case fatality rate for DHF/DSS group was 4.6%. CONCLUSION: It was estimated that endemicity of DF is on the rise in Karachi and a significant proportion of patients had DHF and DSS. Younger patients develop DHF and DSS and have high case fatality rate.

Preoperative antifungal therapy may improve survival in patients with Aspergillus brain abscess.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine if the preoperative use of antifungal therapy positively influences clinical outcome in patients with Aspergillus brain abscess. METHODS: We studied 25 patients with confirmed diagnosis of cerebral aspergillosis. We compared baseline characteristics and outcomes of patients treated with either amphotericin B or itraconazole either pre-operatively (n=11) or post-operatively (n=14) at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were included in the study. Cerebral aspergillosis was largely a disease of immune competent people (80%). Baseline clinical characteristics between the two treatment groups were comparable i.e., age (P>0.896), gender (P>0.999), coma at presentation (P>0.999), immunosuppression (P>0.623), number of abscesses (P>0.999) and interval between presentation and surgery (P>0.447). Overall mortality was 40%. The overall outcome was significantly better (P<0.001) in patients treated with antifungal therapy before surgery. All 11 patients who received antifungal therapy before surgery survived, but only preoperative itraconazole treatment was statistically associated with an improved survival compared to delayed treatment. CONCLUSION: Cerebral aspergillosis was largely a disease of immune competent people (80%). Overall mortality was 40%. The outcome was significantly better in patients treated with antifungal therapy (especially itraconazole) before surgery suggesting a possible beneficial effect of pre-surgical treatment with antifungal therapy.

Brain death: concepts and knowledge amongst health professionals in province of Sindh, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: Last few decades have seen improved resuscitative measures and use of life saving machines like ventilators. Due to these dramatic interventions, end of life decisions, including brain death and organ transplantation, have become more complex and a major problem in our clinical practice. This study was done to find the opinion and awareness of physicians regarding issues surrounding brain death in this region. METHODS: A total of 259 questionnaires were analyzed that encompassed physicians at different level of training and students in the final year of their training, from five major tertiary care centres, located at Karachi and Hyderabad and who are involved in decision making about brain death and related issues. RESULTS: One hundred and forty one (54 percent) respondents did not have a clear idea regarding the definition of brain death. Majority of doctors 122 (47 percent) would therefore not turn off the ventilator even in a brain dead patient. Sixty seven (26 percent) actually considered it Euthanasia. Most considered 24 hrs as optimal period before confirming the diagnosis of brain death. Most of the doctors favoured a confirmatory test, like an electroencephalogram, to confirm the diagnosis of brain death. Majority of the doctors (68 percent) would not consider stopping ventilatory support of a patient in a persistent vegetative state. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the lack of understanding and confusion regarding issues surrounding brain death in this region especially among junior doctors and highlights the importance of including these issues in the medical curricula.

Knowledge about osteoporosis among healthy women attending a tertiary care hospital.

INTRODUCTION: To determinate the knowledge on osteoporosis-risk factors and disease in three age groups of Pakistani women. METHODS: In this exploratory cross-sectional study, an osteoporosis knowledge assessment questionnaire (OKAT) was used to collect data and it was delivered through a face-to-face interview. Questions were asked about symptoms of osteoporosis, knowledge of risk factors, preventive factors and treatment. A convenience sample (n =320) comprising of three groups of healthy women aged 25-35 years, 36-45 years, and over 45 years was taken. The scoring range was 0 to 20. Among-group comparisions of means were analyzed by two-way ANOVA. To determine the overall influence of osteoporosis-risk factors, the multivariate analysis was used. RESULTS: The knowledge on osteoporosis in younger women was very poor compared to relatively older females. However, women belonging to higher socioeconomic status and better education had slightly more knowledge about osteoporosis compared to those with a low education level, regardless of age. CONCLUSION: The majority of women had modest knowledge on osteoporosis. Younger women were at increased risk for low bone mass and premature osteoporosis.