Prevalence and risk factors of gallbladder polyps in primary health care centers among patients examined by abdominal ultrasonography in Qatar: a case–control study

Background: Gallbladder (GB) polyps are raised lesions from the GB wall and projected into its lumen. The prevalence of GB polyps ranged between 4.3% and 12.3%. The clinical presentation of GB polypoid lesions vary, can be nonspecific and vague, and may be asymptomatic. Identifying malignant and premalignant polyps is important to provide treatment early and prevent cancer spread or development of malignancy. Ultrasonography (US) is the first imaging modality widely used in abdominal imaging. It is a noninvasive, rapid, painless, and safe imaging technique, with no radiation; thus, it is considered the best available examination with good sensitivity and specificity for GB polyps. Aim of the work: This study aimed to determine the relative frequency of the GB polyps and its risk factors among patients who underwent abdominal US in Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar. Materials and methods: This was quantitative multicenter observational case–control study nested in a cross-sectional design. For the cross-sectional top-level study, the first step was to assess available abdominal ultrasound studies for the presence of GB polyps and stones. The second step was to perform a case–control study with three groups (a case group and two control groups; first, participants without GB stones and GB polyps; second, patients with GB stones but without GB polyps). Results: The study evaluated the GB images of 7156 individuals. The overall prevalence of GB polyps was 7.4% in the study population. Specifically, the overall prevalence of solitary GB polyp was 4.2% and that of multiple GB polyps was 3.2%. Regarding the size distribution of GB polyps in positive cases, 89.4% were < 6 mm, 9.3% were 69 mm, and 1.3% were ≥ 10 mm. Prevalence rate of selected comorbidities were as follows: liver disease, 1.8%; diabetes mellitus, 25.5%; hypertension, 25.5%; and dyslipidemia, 29.8%. The prevalence in male and female patients was 7.7% and 7%, respectively. The prevalence of GB polyps was higher in south-eastern patients (21.4% of positive cases) and was the highest in the overweight group (8.8%). A higher prevalence was noted in the hypertensive group (hypertensive group, 9.8%; non-hypertensive group, 6.6%) and dyslipidemia group (dyslipidemia group, 7.8%; no dyslipidemia group, 7.2%). Moreover, a higher prevalence was noted in hepatitis B surface (HBS)-positive group (15%) than in the HBS-negative group (8.2%) and slightly higher in Helicobacter pylori antigen positive group than in the negative group. Conclusion: Abdominal US is an important and commonly used imaging modality in the detection of GB polyps. In this study, the prevalence of GB polyps was approximately 7.4%, with higher prevalence in participants who were overweight and had diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.

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Association of Higher Circulating Insulin Antibody with Increased Mean Amplitude Glycemic Excursion in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional, Retrospective Case-Control Study

Journal of Diabetes Research ◽

10.1155/2019/7304140 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Jian Zhu ◽

Lu Yuan ◽

Wen-ji Ni ◽

Yong Luo ◽

Jian-hua Ma

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Mean Amplitude ◽

Case Control ◽

Retrospective Case ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Relationship ◽

Control Study

Insulin antibody (IA) may potentially affect a patient’s glycemic control due to its variability in both binding and/or releasing insulin. However, the association between IA titer and daily glycemic variability (GV) is still unknown. We thus performed this cross-sectional, retrospective case-control study to assess the relationship between IA titer and mean amplitude glycemic excursion (MAGE) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients using a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system. We recruited 100 eligible patients (IA>5%, IA positive) and divided them into two groups—a low (L) group and a high (H) group—based on their IA titer. The control (C) group consisted of 47 patients (IA≤5%, IA negative) matched for age, BMI, gender, and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). The CGM determined the GV of enrolled patients. The primary outcome was the relationship between the IA titer and the MAGE, and the secondary outcome was the differences of GV among the three groups. We found that patients in the H group had higher levels of blood glucose fluctuation parameters than those in the L and C groups. The Ln(IA) was positively correlated with Ln(MAGE) even after adjusting for age, gender, BMI, HbA1c, and fasting and postprandial C-peptide(r=0.423, p<0.001). Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis revealed that Ln(IA) was an independent factor of Ln(MAGE) (beta=0.405, p<0.001). In conclusion, the higher circulating IA titer was associated with increased MAGE in T2DM patients, indicating that those patients with elevated IA titer should receive GV assessment and individualized treatment.

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Latent Cytomegalovirus Reactivation in Patients With Liver Failure: A 10-Year Retrospective Case-Control Study, 2011-2020

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fcimb.2021.642500 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Qingluan Yang ◽

Zhe Zhou ◽

Xuefang Yang ◽

Yuming Chen ◽

Aiping Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Liver Failure ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Case Control ◽

Negative Group ◽

Retrospective Case ◽

Positive Group ◽

Cell Counts ◽

Cmv Reactivation ◽

Control Study

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to explore potential risk factors for cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation and their impact on liver failure patient outcomes.MethodsA 10-year retrospective case–control study was conducted in adult participants, who were diagnosed with liver failure and had undergone CMV DNA tests. CMV reactivation cases were matched with controls at a 2:1 ratio based on age, sex, and year of admission. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore risk factors for CMV reactivation.ResultsBetween January 2011 and April 2020, 198 adult patients with liver failure and available CMV DNA test results were enrolled into the study. Among them, 33 patients had detectable CMV DNA in their plasma (16.7%). Clinical manifestations and liver function were comparable between the CMV reactivation and non-reactivation groups. However, CMV reactivation may triple mortality in patients with liver failure. We found that nearly 50% of patients in the CMV-positive group received glucocorticoids, compared to 13.6% in the CMV-negative group (P=0.000). The median total glucocorticoid dose included 836.5 mg of methylprednisolone (IQR 308.7-1259.0 mg) in the CMV-positive group, which was significantly higher than that in the CMV-negative group. A multivariate analysis revealed that glucocorticoid use significantly increased the risk of CMV reactivation (adjusted OR, 4.84; 95% CI, 1.61–14.49; P=0.005). Patients with CMV reactivation tended to be associated with higher white cell counts (adjusted OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.08–1.36; P=0.002).ConclusionsHigh intravenous glucocorticoid doses may be the most important risk factor for CMV reactivation in liver failure.

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