ABSTRACT
Introduction Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to severe disability and neurogenic shock, arrhythmias, autonomic dysfunction, pressure ulcers, etc., of the autonomic nervous system. Therefore, in these patients, cardiovascular problems should be investigated frequently. This study was conducted to evaluate the electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities in patients with spinal cord injury having inappropriate lipid profiles and their relationship with each other. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was held in the Internal Medicine Department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore, for a one-year duration from May 2020 to May 2021. It included 58 patients with spinal cord injury, 35 of whom had paraplegia, and 23 had tetraplegia. Fasting blood samples were taken for lipid profile analysis. Twelve-lead ECGs three times a day for one month were taken and analyzed in the context of previously available ECGs. Results Out of 58, the lipid profiles were found abnormal in 47 patients, 18 of whom had a normal ECG. The lipid profile was normal in 12, of which only one patient had ECG abnormalities. Cholesterol levels were found normal in 39 patients and deranged in 19 patients; low-density lipoproteins in nine patients, triglycerides in 18 patients, and high-density lipoprotein values in one patient were abnormal. Conclusions Sinus bradycardia was the most common ECG abnormality found in SCI patients with deranged lipid profiles. Further studies are needed in the future to validate the findings of this study.
ABSTRACT
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health crisis. The literature suggests that cancer patients are more prone to be affected by COVID-19 because cancer suppresses the immune system and such patients usually present poor results. The objective of this study is to present all clinical, laboratory, and demographic characteristics of COVID-19 patients with solid tumors. Methodology This study was conducted at the Dow University of Health Sciences for a period of six months from April 2020 to September 2020. In this study, we included a total of 1,519 confirmed patients diagnosed with solid tumors via polymerase chain reaction. The mortality timeline within 30 days of contracting the virus was considered, and the median age of the included individuals was 61 years, with a range of 20-95 years. Of the patients included in the study, 49.4% (750) were men; moreover, 3.15% of our study population had prostate cancer, 10.20% had colorectal cancer, 2.76% had breast cancer, and 10.46% had lung cancer. Of the patients, 25.93% presented with at least one comorbidity. For 73% of the patients, at least one direct therapy for COVID-19 was included in the treatment; 56.6% of the patients were hospitalized, and 11.32% were admitted to the intensive care unit. Results The mortality rate was 4.74% in the first 30 days after diagnosis, where 72 patients died. The findings of the first multi-variation model showed that males at older ages who were diabetic and going through cytotoxic therapy were prone to die within the first 30 days. However, the 30-day mortality rate was lower in patients diagnosed with prostate and breast cancer. The second set incorporated laboratory factors, where we found that higher values of leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, and lymphocytopenia were correlated with higher rates of mortality within 30 days. Conclusions We conclude that there is a higher mortality rate of COVID-19 in patients with solid tumors than in the general population. However, it was found to be lower in the Pakistani population compared with the Chinese and Western populations. Intensive care can decrease mortality rates in COVID-19 and cancer patients.
ABSTRACT
Introduction Degenerative scoliosis most commonly presents with lower back pain. Literature suggests that adults who have degenerative scoliosis are at greater risk of both hiatal hernia and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The objective of this study was to evaluate scoliosis as being the risk factor of GERD in adults. Materials and methods This prospective study was conducted at Dow University of Health Sciences over a period of two years (May 2018 to April 2020). The investigation included 210 participants with spinal disorders. The mean age was 71.6±9.6 years. The X-rays of the participants' whole spine were taken in a standing position, in the sagittal and coronal planes. Symptoms of GERD were measured through the quality of life and utility evaluation survey technology (QUEST) score, taking six points as cutoff values. The evaluation was done using radiographs to determine any relationship between spinal disorders and GERD. Negative values were analyzed in a right-sided convex curve while positive values in the left-sided convex curve were viewed in the coronal plane. Degenerative scoliosis was explained as a lumbar/thoracolumbar Cobb angle of more than 10 degrees. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done to assess the risk factors related to GERD. Results Out of 210 patients, 146 were found to have degenerative scoliosis at the level of the lumbar and thoracolumbar spine. Fifty-two patients had a right convex curve, and 94 had a left convex curve. Sixty-nine patients had GERD. According to the analysis of the multivariate logistic regression, the Cobb angle was highly related to GERD (p-value <0.05 and odds ratio of 1.031). The participants were grouped according to the Cobb angle of curve at the lumbar spine (less than 30 degrees with a large right-sided convex curve, 30 and more with a small curve, and more than 30+ degrees with a large left-sided convex curve). The study revealed that a large left-sided convex curve was highly related to GERD, with a p-value <0.05 and odds ratio of 10.935. Conclusions The left-sided large convex curve at the thoracolumbar or lumbar spine, especially when the Cobb angle was more than 30 degrees, was highly associated with GERD. Therefore, the symptoms of GERD should be monitored in the elderly population with degenerative scoliosis.
