Atrioventricular block after acute myocardial infarction and its association with other clinical parameters in Pakistani patients: an institutional perspective.

OBJECTIVES: Conduction defects complicating acute myocardial infarction are frequently associated with increased morbidity and mortality. As frequency of this complication has not been widely studied in our population, therefore in this study we aimed to evaluate the frequency of complete atrioventricular block in patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction and its association with other clinical parameters. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 50.55 ± 6.72 years at the time of MI. There were 147 (82.1%) males and 32 (17.9%) females. There were 83 (46.4%) patients having hypertension, 61 (34.1%) diabetes mellitus, 75 (41.9%) smokers, 75 (41.9%) patients having positive family history, 11 (6.1%) having dyslipidemia, and 73 (40.8%) obese patients in this study. The Frequency of complete atrioventricular (AV) block in acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction was found to be 7.3%, and no association with any other clinical factor was found which could predict this condition according to results of our study. Therefore, protocols should be designed in our routine clinical practice to deal with such a life threatening condition.

Prevalence and risk factors of Helicobacter pylori infection in Saudi children: a three-year prospective controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the most common chronic infections. The risk factors for H. pylori infection in both developing and developed countries are closely related to poor living conditions in childhood. This study aimed to establish the prevalence of H. pylori infection and its associated risk factors among children in the western and central regions of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was performed among symptomatic children in National Guard hospitals who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy from 2010 to 2013. The gold standard diagnosis of H. pylori infection was histologic presence of the bacteria in the gastric biopsy. The variables analyzed as possible risk factors included demographic and living characteristics, socioeconomic status, potential mode of transmission, and clinical indications of H. pylori infection. RESULTS: A total of 303 children were included in the study. The overall prevalence of H. pylori infection was 49.8%. Among the studied variables, the following were positively associated with the presence of H. pylori in multivariable analyses: age above 10 years(OR = 11.84, 95% CI = 3.90-35.94, p < .0001), an income of <5000 SR (OR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.07-3.95), more than eight persons in the household (OR = 3.46, 95% CI = 1.67-7.20), bed sharing (OR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.32-3.86), and two affected parents (OR = 11.19, 95% CI = 1.29-97.27). Abdominal pain and anorexia were significant predictors of H. pylori infection (p = .005 and .009, respectively). CONCLUSION: Helicobacter pylori infection had a high prevalence among Saudi children in the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh. It was a relatively common cause of abdominal pain and anorexia. In this cohort of children, H. pylori infection was associated with variables indicative of a crowded environment and poor living conditions, further supporting the conclusion that improving socioeconomic conditions and designing a preventive health strategy in Saudi Arabia will likely protect children against this infection.