scholarly journals Frequency of thrombocytopenia and its severity in patients of Malaria.

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (09) ◽  
pp. 1398-1403
Author(s):  
Yasmeen Batool ◽  
Sabeen Fatima ◽  
Gulzaib Pervaiz ◽  
Naseem Akhtar ◽  
Maliha Asif ◽  
...  

Pakistan is an endemic area for malaria. Malaria is considered to be associated with thrombocytopenia. The frequency of thrombocytopenia varies in different studies. This study was done to determine the frequency of thrombocytopenia among patients with malaria. Objectives: To determine the frequency and severity of thrombocytopenia in patients of malaria. Study Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Pathology Department, Nishtar Medical University, Multan. Period: Eight months; (04-03-2018 to 03-11-2018). Materials & Methods: One hundred and fifty patients with malaria were included in the study. Platelet count of all the patients was done on Sysmex-K167. The patients were categorized according to the presence of thrombocytopenia (yes or no) and the severity of thrombocytopenia (mild, moderate or severe). The data was described as frequency distribution table. Results: The mean age of the patients was 31.81 + 15.31 years. There were 46 (30.7%) female patients and 104 (69.3%) male patients. Thrombocytopenia was present among 103 (68.7%) patients. Mild, moderate and severe thrombocytopenia was found in 60 (58.3%), 24 (23.3%) and 19 (18.4%) patients, respectively. Conclusion: This study concludes that frequency of thrombocytopenia is very high among patients with malaria. Severity of thrombocytopenia is mild to moderate, with few patients presenting with severe thrombocytopenia. This finding signifies that malaria is an important cause of thrombocytopenia. So the platelet count should be monitored closely in patients of malaria to avoid possible complications of thrombocytopenia. Moreover, it is suggested that malaria is an important differential diagnosis of thrombocytopenia with fever but needs confirmation by thick and thin smears for malarial parasite. In case of viral infections like dengue fever, smears will be negative for malarial parasite and patients will present with leucopenia and thrombocytopenia and majority of peripheral blood leucocytes will be reactive lymphocytes.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Kranthi Swaroop Koonisetty ◽  
Ubydul Haque ◽  
Rajesh Nandy ◽  
Nasrin Aghamohammadi ◽  
Tamanna Urmi ◽  
...  

Dengue fever is one of the most important viral infections transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Accurate identification of cases and treatment of dengue patients at the early stages can reduce medical complications and dengue mortality rate. This survey aims to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) among physicians in dengue diagnosis and treatment. This study was conducted among physicians in Turkey as one nonendemic country and Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia as three dengue-endemic countries. The dosing frequencies, maximum doses, and contraindications in dengue fever were examined. The results found that physicians from Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia have higher KAP scores in dengue diagnosis and treatment compared to physicians in Turkey. This may be due to a lack of physician’s exposure to a dengue patient as Turkey is considered a nonendemic country. This assessment may help establish a guideline for intervention strategies among physicians to have successful treatment outcomes and reduce dengue mortality.


Author(s):  
Paulina Majek ◽  
Mateusz Jankowski ◽  
Bartłomiej Nowak ◽  
Maksymilian Macherski ◽  
Maciej Nowak ◽  
...  

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) are devices for generating a nicotine aerosol by heating the tobacco sticks. This study aimed to assess (1) the prevalence of HTP and tobacco cigarette usage among medical students, (2) to characterize smoking habits and (3) to assess students’ awareness and opinions about HTPs. A cross-sectional survey on the frequency and attitudes toward cigarettes, e-cigarettes and HTP use was performed between 2019–2020 at the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland). The data were obtained from 1344 students aged 21.8 ± 1.9 years (response rate: 66.9%). Current traditional tobacco use was 13.2%, e-cigarettes use 3.5%, and HTP use 2.8% of students. Duration of use was shorter among HTPs users comparing to cigarette smokers (p < 0.001) although the number of tobacco sticks used daily was similar (p = 0.1). Almost 30% of respondents have ever tried HTPs. HTPs were considered safe by 5.3% of respondents (43.2% of HTP users vs. 3.9% of non-HTP users, p < 0.001). HTP users were more likely to report that heating tobacco is not addictive (odds ratio (OR) = 8.9, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.8–45.8) and disagreed with a public ban on HTP use (OR = 4.9, 95%CI: 2.5–9.8). Among students, HTP use was less popular than cigarette smoking, but awareness of their presence is widespread.


Geriatrics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lai San Kong ◽  
Farida Islahudin ◽  
Leelavathi Muthupalaniappen ◽  
Wei Wen Chong

Antibiotics are commonly prescribed among older adults, and inappropriate use of antibiotics has been noted. However, there is limited information about their knowledge and expectations for antibiotics. This study aimed to assess older adults’ knowledge of antibiotic use and resistance, their expectations for antibiotics and the relationship between knowledge, expectation and inappropriate practices related to antibiotic use. A cross-sectional survey involving respondents aged 60 years and above was conducted, using a validated questionnaire. A lack of knowledge about the role of antibiotics was observed, whereby more than half of the respondents incorrectly believed that antibiotics can treat viral infections (53.5%) and colds and coughs (53.7%). Also, 67.9% of respondents incorrectly believed that antibiotic resistance occurs when the body becomes resistant to antibiotics. Almost half of the respondents would expect antibiotics for symptoms of self-limiting viral infections. Respondents who answered correctly for the role of antibiotics in viral infections were more likely not to expect antibiotics for cold, flu and cough (p < 0.001). Respondents who answered correctly regarding the need to adhere to antibiotics were more likely to have completed their antibiotic course (p < 0.001). Future educational initiatives should provide key information on the role of antibiotics and the importance of complying with antibiotics in this population.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1321-1327
Author(s):  
Quang V. Le ◽  
Huy L. Trinh ◽  
Kim Ngan T. Mai ◽  
Manh D. Pham ◽  
Paul A. Glare

PURPOSE To evaluate a screening tool for identifying which patients admitted to the oncology ward of a Vietnamese hospital should be referred to specialist palliative care (PC). METHODS We performed a cross-sectional survey of consecutive patients hospitalized in the Department of Oncology and Palliative Care at Hanoi Medical University Hospital between June 2019 and September 2019. We translated a validated 11-item screening tool into Vietnamese and used a total score of ≥ 5 as a positive screen. RESULTS One hundred participants were recruited. Forty-four patients (44%) screened positive. Of these, 37 (84%) had locally advanced or metastatic disease, 31 (70%) had uncontrolled symptoms, and 43 (98%) requested a PC consultation. A score ≥ 5 was significantly more common in patients with stage IV disease versus earlier stage, performance status of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 2 versus ECOG 0, and when life-limiting complications of cancer were present. Screening identified four patients overlooked by oncologists as needing referral, and 34% of patients requesting a referral had scores < 5. CONCLUSION This screening tool provided oncologists with easy-to-use criteria for referring patients for PC. At the same time, it relieved the work load for under-resourced PC physicians by screening out requests with low-level need. This tool should be part of routine assessment on admission in all oncology units in Vietnam.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nazim Farooq ◽  
Aqsa Mehmood ◽  
Fatima Amjad ◽  
Jaweria Syed

Objective: To assess the prevalence of shoulder pain and functional disability (SPFD) in Type-1 diabetic patients, and to explore its association with duration of the disease, age and gender. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out on previously diagnosed patients with Type-1 diabetes mellitus between April 2019 and March 2020. Data was collected from six hospitals including three tertiary care hospitals of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Three hundred and twenty-eight patients were recruited through convenience sampling. Shoulder Pain and Disability Index was used to determine SPFD among participants. Point-biserial and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to find out the correlation between the variables. Independent t-test was used to determine the difference in the mean scores between the variables. Results: The prevalence of SPFD was found 85.7%. A significant correlation was found of the SPFD with age (r = 0.332, p < 0.001), duration of the diabetes mellitus (r = 0.154, p = 0.005) and gender (rpb = 0.171, p = 0.002). A significant difference was found in SPFD mean scores between female and male patients (female patients = 43.42±22.80, male patients = 35.31±22.91, p = 0.002). Conclusion: SPFD seems prevalent among Type-1 diabetic patients. Increasing age, long history of diabetes mellitus and female gender appear the associated risk factors for the shoulder pain and disability. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.3401 How to cite this:Farooq MN, Mehmood A, Amjad F, Syed J. Shoulder pain and functional disability in type 1 diabetic patients: A cross-sectional survey. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(4):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.3401 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-23
Author(s):  
Irem Akdemir Kalkan ◽  
Ayşe Nur Usturalı Mut ◽  
Gule Cinar ◽  
Fatih Keskin ◽  
Kemal Osman Memikoglu ◽  
...  

Objective: Influenza is a systemic infectious disease. It is recommended that all pregnant women receive the influenza vaccine because the mortality of the disease is high during pregnancy. However, the rates of influenza vaccination in pregnant women are low. This study aims to estimate the rate at which Turkish gynecologists and obstetricians (GOs) recommend the influenza vaccine to their pregnant patients.. Materials and Methods: This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. The sample size was calculated to be 364 based on 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. The data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of 17 questions, which was distributed through social media. The final study group included in the research consisted of 384 GOs. Results:The mean age of the GOs that participated in the study was 39.7 years (SD = 10.2). 43.5% of the GOs reported that they recommended the influenza vaccine to pregnant women who had consulted with them, while 62.8% reported that at least 50% of the pregnant women they had recommended the vaccine rejected it. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, three factors increased the rate of GOs’ not to recommend influenza vaccination: the GOs’ age, not receiving influenza vaccination themselves, and not knowing the social insurance reimbursement for the vaccine. Conclusion: Vaccination of pregnant women is necessary because of the increased mortality risk of influenza during pregnancy. Even though GOs are not in charge of vaccinating their patients during their routine pregnancy follow-up, they can contribute to vaccination rates by recommending the vaccine. Physicians’ application of scientific knowledge and transferring it to their patients can contribute to increased adult immunization rates. Conclusion: Influenza, Influenza Vaccine, Pregnancy, Vaccination, Viral Infections


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (suppl_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P Pesheva ◽  
L Georgieva ◽  
N Hristov ◽  
A Velkova ◽  
E Georgieva ◽  
...  

Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 759
Author(s):  
Mikaela Michaelidou ◽  
Spyridon A. Karageorgos ◽  
Constantinos Tsioutis

We aimed to assess the knowledge and understanding of antibiotic use and resistance in the general population of Cyprus, in order to inform future antibiotic awareness campaigns with local evidence. Cross-sectional survey following the methodology of the “Antibiotic resistance: Multi-country public awareness survey” of the World Health Organization, during December 2019–January 2020. A total of 614 respondents participated: 64.3% were female and most were aged 35–44 years (33.2%) or 25–34 years (31.8%). One-third had used antibiotics >1 year ago and 91.6% reported receiving advice on appropriate use from a medical professional. Despite high awareness on correct use of antibiotics, lack of knowledge was noted for specific indications, where approximately one-third believed that viral infections respond to antibiotics and 70.7% lack understanding of how antibiotic resistance develops. Higher education graduates exhibited significantly higher knowledge rates. As high as 72.3% were informed about “antibiotic resistant bacteria” from healthcare professionals or social media. Most agreed on the usefulness of most suggested actions to address antibiotic resistance, with higher proportions acknowledging the role of prescribers. Up to 47% could not identify their role in decreasing antibiotic resistance. Our study provides local evidence to inform future efforts in a country characterized by high antibiotic consumption rates.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abiodun Christopher Jemilohun ◽  
Charlse John Elikwu ◽  
Daniel Ekhaeyouno Ezuduemoih

Pre-procedural screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are routinely done in several endoscopy centres in Nigeria. These tests constitute an additional layer of financial burden to the patients since most of them settle their medical bills out of pocket. At the same time, the burden of these viral infections on the society demands that all measures are taken to prevent their iatrogenic transmission. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV among patients referred for gastrointestinal endoscopy so as to determine the relevance of routine screening before procedures. The study was a retrospective cross-sectional survey of patients referred to the Digestive Endoscopy Unit of the Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilisan-Remo, for endoscopy from January 2015 to December 2018. A total of 432 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 48.15 (±15.89) while the age range was 12-86 years. Of these, 240 (54.7%) were females while 199 (45.3%) were males. The results of the viral screening available in the record book varied: HBV (n = 419), HCV (n = 238) and HIV (n = 417). The prevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV was 4.3% (95% CI = 2.4% - 6.2%), 2.1% (95% CI = 0.4% - 4.2%) and 1.0% (95% CI = 0.2% - 1.9%) respectively. Fourteen (3.3%), 5 (2.2%) and 14 (3.4%) patients who were initially negative, were rescreened for HBV, HCV and HIV respectively for repeat endoscopy. None of these patients tested positive for the viruses. We found no evidence of viral transmission from endoscope to patients in our centre. Viral pre-screening for endoscopy in settings with low to moderate prevalence rates of HBV, HCV and HIV infections may not be necessary.


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