A CLINICO-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS IN MOSUL CITY, IRAQ.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating disease that affects millions of people worldwide. In this study, we aimed to shed light on the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of MS in Ninevah governorate, Iraq. Our goal was to provide valuable insights into the disease's prevalence, symptoms, and functional disability among Iraqi patients. The present case-series study was conducted on 418 patients diagnosed with MS based on McDonald criteria. Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS) used for patients' assessment. The prevalence of MS in Ninevah governorate is predicted to be 10.3 per 100,000, with an annual incidence ranging from 4.6 to 11.57 per million in the last four years. The average age of symptom onset was 27.7±9.9 years, with an average symptom duration of 7.2±6.9 years. Women were twice as likely to be diagnosed with MS, with a female-male ratio of 1:0.6. Sensory symptoms were more common than visual and motor symptoms. The most common subtype of clinical presentation was relapsing-remitting MS, followed by secondary progressive MS and primary progressive MS. Finally, 68.5%, 25.4%, and 6.1% of patients had mild, moderate, and severe functional disability, respectively. The study found that the age of onset, clinical pattern, and disability from MS were consistent with studies in other Middle Eastern countries. However, the prevalence of MS in the study was relatively lower than in neighboring countries due to underestimation of the disease, limited tools for diagnosing MS, and a shortage of neurologists. The study emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and proper management of MS to improve patients' quality of life.

Menopausal age, related factors and climacteric symptoms in Libyan women.

OBJECTIVE: Studies of the menopause have received much attention recently as fluctuating hormone levels are known to influence a woman's mood and well-being. The present study aimed to evaluate the onset of natural menopause in Libyan women together with the prevalence of postmenopause-related symptoms experienced. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tripoli city, from October 2008 to June 2009; 91 women were recruited from urban and rural areas. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and included a number of lifestyle variables. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 53 years, and the median age at menopause for postmenopausal women was 47 years. Out of 20 possible symptoms, the mean number of symptoms was 8.36. The most frequent symptoms were hot flushes and aching in muscles and joints (74.4%). Increasing level of education was positively associated with more symptoms, and increased tea or coffee consumption resulted in fewer symptoms. Of the total subjects, 8.1% reported no symptoms. In the four domains, 87.2% reported physical symptoms, 83.7% reported psychosocial symptoms, 76.6% reported vasomotor symptoms and 48.8% reported sexual symptoms. Our data showed that the most common disease associated with the frequency of menopausal symptoms was osteoarthritis, followed by hypertension, heart diseases and diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION: The age of menopause in Libyan women, as in other developing countries, is less than the median age reported for Western women. The menopausal women experienced various symptoms and morbidities as part of a normal life stage, and their quality of life was negatively affected by these symptoms.

Hormonal changes in cerebral infarction in the young and elderly.

Fifty-one patients with CCT verified cerebral infarction were submitted to serum and CSF radioimmunoassay of FSH, LH, estradiol (E2), progesterone, testosterone, cortisol and T4. The results were compared to those of 82 matched controls. Our findings suggest that (1) high serum E2 is a risk factor of stroke in males; (2) low serum T4 is a risk factor in males; (3) serum testosterone is reduced in acute stroke in males confirming that it is stress sensitive; (4) serum LH was higher in hypertensive thrombotic males when compared to normotensive ones, and (5) FSH, LH, E2 and T4 are undetectable in CSF of patients and controls.

A comparative study of antidepressants in the treatment of depressive states.

The effect of six antidepressants has been investigated in six groups of twenty patients suffering from depressive states. The over-all response of the six groups, as well as the response of the individual target symptoms of depression according to the Hamilton Rating Scale are reported.