Visceral leishmaniasis in the hills of western Nepal: A transmission assessment.

In Nepal, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been targeted for elimination as a public health problem by 2026. Recently, increasing numbers of VL cases have been reported from districts of doubtful endemicity including hills and mountains, threatening the ongoing VL elimination program in Nepal. We conducted a multi-disciplinary, descriptive cross-sectional survey to assess the local transmission of Leishmania donovani in seven such districts situated at altitudes of up to 1,764 meters in western Nepal from March to December 2019. House-to-house surveys were performed for socio-demographic data and data on past and current VL cases. Venous blood was collected from all consenting individuals aged ≥2 years and tested with the rK39 RDT. Blood samples were also tested with direct agglutination test, and a titer of ≥1:1600 was taken as a marker of infection. A Leishmania donovani species-specific PCR (SSU-rDNA) was performed for parasite species confirmation. We also captured sand flies using CDC light traps and mouth aspirators. The house-to-house surveys documented 28 past and six new VL cases of which 82% (28/34) were without travel exposure. Overall, 4.1% (54/1320) of healthy participants tested positive for L. donovani on at least one serological or molecular test. Among asymptomatic individuals, 17% (9/54) were household contacts of past VL cases, compared to 0.5% (6/1266) among non-infected individuals. Phlebotomus argentipes, the vector of L. donovani, was found in all districts except in Bajura. L. donovani was confirmed in two asymptomatic individuals and one pool of sand flies of Phlebotomus (Adlerius) sp. We found epidemiological and entomological evidence for local transmission of L. donovani in areas previously considered as non-endemic for VL. The national VL elimination program should revise the endemicity status of these districts and extend surveillance and control activities to curb further transmission of the disease.

Prevalence of latent structural heart disease in Nepali schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to quantify the burden of structural heart disease in Nepali children. METHODS: We performed a school-based cross-sectional echocardiographic screening study with cluster random sampling among children 5-16 years of age. RESULTS: Between December 2012 and January 2019, 6573 children (mean age 10.6 ± 2.9 years) from 41 randomly selected schools underwent echocardiographic screening. Structural heart disease was detected in 14.0 per 1000 children (95% CI 11.3-17.1) and was congenital in 3.3 per 1000 (95% CI 2.1-5.1) and rheumatic in 10.6 per 1000 (95% CI 8.3-13.4). Rates of rheumatic heart disease were higher among children attending public as compared to private schools (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.6-5.2, p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Rheumatic heart disease accounted for three out of four cases of structural heart disease and was more common among children attending public as compared to private schools.

Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency among Patients of Acute Coronary Syndrome in a Tertiary Care Center of Eastern Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: Vitamin D deficiency is an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Very few studies have been done to find out vitamin D deficiency status among cardiovascular patients in Nepalese setup. This research aims to find out the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among patients of acute coronary syndrome admitted in a tertiary care center of eastern Nepal. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among patients of acute coronary syndrome admitted in a tertiary care hospital from 1st February 2018 to 31st July 2018. Ethical clearence was taken from Institutional Review Committee of B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (Reference number: 259/074/075-IRC). Convenience sampling method was used. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. RESULTS: A total of 33 (64.7%) at 95% Confidence Interval (51.58-77.82) patients of acute coronary syndrome had vitamin D deficiency in our study with 19 (37.3%) having mild deficiency and 14 (27.4%) having moderate deficiency. None of the patients had severe vitamin D deficiency in our study. The mean vitamin D levels were lower in diabetics (23.57±9.28ng/ml) as compared to non-diabetics (31.91±12.50ng/ml), in hypertensive patients (24.36±7.67ng/ml) as compared to non-hypertensive patients (30.97±13.72ng/ml), and in patients with dyslipidemia (22.86±6.44ng/ml) as compared to those without dyslipidemia (37.68±13.15ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among patients of acute coronary syndrome in our study was comparable to various other homologous international studies.

A Multi-Country, Single-Blinded, Phase 2 Study to Evaluate a Point-of-Need System for Rapid Detection of Leishmaniasis and Its Implementation in Endemic Settings.

With the advancement of isothermal nucleic acid amplification techniques, detection of the pathogenic DNA in clinical samples at point-of-need is no longer a dream. The newly developed recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay incorporated in a suitcase laboratory has shown promising diagnostic efficacy over real-time PCR in detection of leishmania DNA from clinical samples. For broader application of this point-of-need system, we undertook a current multi-country diagnostic evaluation study towards establishing this technique in different endemic settings which would be beneficial for the ongoing elimination programs for leishmaniasis. For this study purpose, clinical samples from confirmed visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) patients were subjected to both real-time PCR and RPA assay in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. Further skin samples from confirmed cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) patients were also included from Sri Lanka. A total of 450 clinical samples from VL patients, 429 from PKDL patients, 47 from CL patients, and 322 from endemic healthy/healthy controls were under investigation to determine the diagnostic efficacy of RPA assay in comparison to real-time PCR. A comparative sensitivity of both methods was found where real-time PCR and RPA assay showed 96.86% (95% CI: 94.45-98.42) and 88.85% (95% CI: 85.08-91.96) sensitivity respectively in the diagnosis of VL cases. This new isothermal method also exhibited promising diagnostic sensitivity (93.50%) for PKDL cases, when a skin sample was used. Due to variation in the sequence of target amplicons, RPA assay showed comparatively lower sensitivity (55.32%) than that of real-time PCR in Sri Lanka for the diagnosis of CL cases. Except for India, the assay presented absolute specificity in the rest of the sites. Excellent concordance between the two molecular methods towards detection of leishmania DNA in clinical samples substantiates the application of RPA assay incorporated in a suitcase laboratory for point-of-need diagnosis of VL and PKDL in low resource endemic settings. However, further improvisation of the method is necessary for diagnosis of CL.

Mid-term outcome of children with latent rheumatic heart disease in eastern Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: Systematic echocardiographic screening of children in regions with an endemic pattern of rheumatic heart disease allows for the early detection of valvular lesions suggestive of subclinical rheumatic heart disease. The natural course of latent rheumatic heart disease is, however, incompletely understood at this time. METHODS: We performed a prospective cohort study of children detected to have echocardiographic evidence of definite or borderline rheumatic heart disease according to the World Heart Federation Criteria. RESULTS: Among 53 children found to have definite (36) or borderline (17) rheumatic heart disease, 44 (83%) children underwent follow-up at a median of 1.9 years (IQR 1.1-4.5). The median age of the children was 11 years (IQR 9-14) and 34 (64.2%) were girls. Among children with definite rheumatic heart disease, 21 (58.3%) were adherent to secondary antibiotic prophylaxis, 7 (19.4%) were not, information on adherence was missing in 2 (5.6%) children and 6 (16.7%) were lost to follow-up. Regression of disease was observed in 10 children (27.8%), whereas 20 children (55.6%) had stable disease. Among children adherent to secondary prophylaxis, seven (33.3%) showed regression of disease. Among children with borderline disease, seven (41.2%) showed regression of disease, three (17.6%) progression of disease, four (23.5%) remained stable and three (17.6%) were lost to follow-up. On univariate analysis, we identified no predictors of disease regression, and no predictors for lost to follow-up or non-adherence with secondary antibiotic prophylaxis. CONCLUSION: Definite rheumatic heart disease showed regression in one in four children. Borderline disease was spontaneously reversible in less than half of the children and progressed to definite rheumatic heart disease in one in five children. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01550068.

Effectiveness of Systematic Echocardiographic Screening for Rheumatic Heart Disease in Nepalese Schoolchildren: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Echocardiographic screening allows for early detection of subclinical stages of rheumatic heart disease among children in endemic regions. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of systematic echocardiographic screening in combination with secondary antibiotic prophylaxis on the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cluster randomized clinical trial included students 9 to 16 years of age attending public and private schools in urban and rural areas of the Sunsari district in Nepal that had been randomly selected on November 17, 2012. Echocardiographic follow-up was performed between January 7, 2016, and January 3, 2019. Interventions: In the experimental group, children underwent systematic echocardiographic screening followed by secondary antibiotic prophylaxis in case they had echocardiographic evidence of latent rheumatic heart disease. In the control group, children underwent no echocardiographic screening. Main Outcomes and Measures: Prevalence of the composite of definite or borderline rheumatic heart disease according to the World Heart Federation criteria in experimental and control schools as assessed 4 years after intervention. Results: A total of 35 schools were randomized to the experimental group (n = 19) or the control group (n = 16). After a median of 4.3 years (interquartile range [IQR], 4.0-4.5 years), 17 of 19 schools in the experimental group (2648 children; median age at follow-up, 12.1 years; IQR, 10.3-12.5 years; 1308 [49.4%] male) and 15 of 16 schools in the control group (1325 children; median age at follow-up, 10.6 years; IQR, 10.0-12.5 years; 682 [51.5%] male) underwent echocardiographic follow-up. The prevalence of definite or borderline rheumatic heart disease was 10.8 per 1000 children (95% CI, 4.7-24.7) in the control group and 3.8 per 1000 children (95% CI, 1.5-9.8) in the experimental group (odds ratio, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.11-1.07; P = .06). The prevalence in the experimental group at baseline had been 12.9 per 1000 children (95% CI, 9.2-18.1). In the experimental group, the odds ratio of definite or borderline rheumatic heart disease at follow-up vs baseline was 0.29 (95% CI, 0.13-0.65; P = .008). Conclusions and Relevance: School-based echocardiographic screening in combination with secondary antibiotic prophylaxis in children with evidence of latent rheumatic heart disease may be an effective strategy to reduce the prevalence of definite or borderline rheumatic heart disease in endemic regions. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01550068.

Impact of the visceral leishmaniasis elimination initiative on Leishmania donovani transmission in Nepal: a 10-year repeat survey.

BACKGROUND: Nepal launched a visceral leishmaniasis (also known as kala-azar) elimination initiative in 2005. We primarily aimed to assess whether transmission of Leishmania donovani had decreased since the launch of the initiative. We also assessed the validity of the direct agglutination test (DAT) as a marker of infection, in view of future surveillance systems. METHODS: We did a repeat survey in a population aged 2 years and older for whom baseline serological data were available from 2006. Data were from three districts in the eastern region of Nepal. The primary outcome of interest was prevalent infection with L donovani as measured with DAT (cutoff value ≥1:3200). We compared age group-specific and cluster-specific seroprevalences in 2016 with those in 2006, using χ2 tests, with a specific focus on the comparison of seroprevalences in children born between 1996 and 2005, and those born between 2006 and 2015. To estimate the overall adjusted risk ratio for being seropositive in 2016 compared with 2006, we fitted a Poisson model controlling for age, sex, and cluster. FINDINGS: Between Oct 17, 2016, and Dec 26, 2016, we assessed 6609 individuals. DAT prevalence in children younger than 10 years was 4·1% (95% CI 3·2-5·4) in 2006 versus 0·5% (0·1-1·7) in 2016 (p<0·0001). Seroprevalence was lower in 2016 than in 2006 in all age groups and in all repeated clusters. The overall adjusted risk ratio of being seropositive was 0·44 (95% CI 0·37-0·52) for 2016 compared with 2006, and 0·04 (0·01-0·16) in children younger than 10 years. INTERPRETATION: Our findings show that transmission of L donovani in Nepal has decreased significantly between 2006 and 2016, coinciding with the elimination programme. DAT seems useful for monitoring of L donovani transmission. FUNDING: The Directorate-General for Development Cooperation of Belgium.

Correlation of Duplex Ultrasonographic Parameters with Glomerular Filtration Rate in Chronic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease encompasses a spectrum of different pathophysiological processes associated with abnormal renal function and a progressive decline in glomerular filtration rate. Duplex ultrasonography is widely available and important imaging investigation required in the work?up of chronic kidney disease. The objective of the study was to assess correlation of renal duplex ultrasonographic parameters with decreased glomerular filtration rate in patients with chronic kidney disease. METHODS: This was a crosssectional hospital-based study. A total of sixty-two patients with chronic kidney disease referred for ultrasonography were included in the study. Patients were evaluated by duplex ultrasonography. Correlation of renal length, parenchymal thickness, cortical thickness, cortical echogenicity, peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity pulsatility index and resistive index with glomerular filtration rate was evaluated by using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Chronic kidney disease was seen more prevalent in 41-50 years of age group. The major risk factors associated with Chronic kidney disease was Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus. A significant positive correlation of renal length, parenchymal thickness, cortical thickness (p value < 0.01) and end diastolic velocity (p value < 0.05) with eGFR and significant negative correlation of cortical echogenicity, resistive index and pulsatility index (p value < 0.01) with eGFR was derived. CONCLUSIONS: Duplex sonographic findings of renal length, parenchymal thickness, cortical thickness, cortical echogenicity, end diastolic velocity, pulsatility index and resistive index are found to be useful parameters in evaluation of chronic kidney disease.

Utility of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in detecting diastolic dysfunction in asymptomatic hypertensive patients: comparison with echocardiography.

Introduction: Data suggest that brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and NT pro-BNP partially reflect ventricular pressure and could have a role in the early detection of diastolic abnormalities in hypertensive patients with normal systolic function. This study aimed to assess the role of NT pro-BNP for early detection of diastolic dysfunction in patients with hypertension and to correlate its level with echocardiographic parameters of diastolic dysfunction. Methods: This is a comparative cross-sectional study. Hundred cases of asymptomatic hypertensive patients with normal left ventricular (LV) systolic function and 100 healthy subjects were subjected to echocardiography and measurement of serum NT-pro BNP who received care at outpatient department of internal medicine, B.P. Koirala Institute of health sciences, Nepal. Results: Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly higher (≥160 and/or 100 mm Hg) in cases compared to controls (<120/80 mm Hg). Echocardiographic parameters of diastolic dysfunction: E/A ratio, E/E'ratio, deceleration time and isovolumetric relaxation time showed a significant difference between cases and controls. Mean serum NT-proBNP was significantly higher in patients with hypertension (213.19 ±184.3 pg/mL) compared to controls (58.51 ± 11.01 pg/mL) (P=0.008). There was no significant difference in mean serum NT-pro BNP levels between cases with no LV diastolic dysfunction (n=14) and controls (n=100) but it showed a significant difference between cases with LV diastolic dysfunction of all grades (n=86) and controls (n=100) (P=0.00). NT-proBNP levels were higher in both group of patients with E/A ratios <0.9 and 0.9-1.5 (245.72 ± 166.73 pg/mL and 210.69 + 143.53 pg/mL respectively) as compared to controls. Mean serum NT-proBNP levels were significantly higher in patients with IVRT >90 ms (270.43 ± 180.81 pg/mL) as compared to controls (P=0.03) but the difference was not significant between cases with IVRT of 60-90 ms (152.02 ± 100.23 pg/mL) and controls (P=0.09). NT-proBNP levels were significantly higher in all groups of patients with E/E' ratios <8, 8-12, >12 (197 ± 121.25 pg/mL, 263.12 ± 122.52 pg/mL and 180 ± 106.56 pg/mL respectively) compared to controls. Conclusion: Mean serum NT-proBNP was significantly higher in patients with hypertension as compared to controls. There is some correlation between echocardiographic parameters of diastolic dysfunction and serum NT-proBNP. Hence, NT-proBNP may be useful for early detection of LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with hypertension.

Utility of Ischemia Modified Albumin as an Early Marker for Diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome remains challenging, as cardiac troponins and creatine kinase-MB do not detect myocardial ischemia. Ischemia modified albumin is biomarker positive within 6-10 minutes following ischemic onset, where oxygen free radicals leads to reduction in binding capacity of human serum albumin to transitional metal-cobalt. The objective of this study was to compare ischemia modified albumin between acute coronary syndrome patients and healthy controls, and evaluate diagnostic performance of ischemia modified albumin compared to cardiac troponins, creatine kinase-MB and electrocardiogram in acute coronary syndrome patients. METHODS: Fifty ACS patients and 50 healthy controls were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Ischemia modified albumin was measured after addition of known amount of cobalt to human serum albumin, followed by spectrophotometric determination of unbound cobalt fraction at 470 nm using dithiothreitol as coloring agent. Independent student t-test and One-way ANOVA to compare differences of mean between groups; diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of ischemia modified albumin was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve; McNemar-test was used to assess diagnostic performance of entire test parameters, when used alone and in combinations. RESULTS: Ischemia modified albumin was significantly higher in acute coronary syndrome patients compared to controls (0.823±0.191 vs 0.410±0.081)(p<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve derived optimal cut-off of 0.475 Absorbance unit had sensitivity and specificity of 92% and 82% respectively (area under curve- 0.96). However, no significant differences in mean ischemia modified albumin values between three categories of acute coronary syndrome were seen. Sensitivity of ischemia modified albumin assay (92%) was significantly higher compared to electrocardiogram (72%), cardiac troponin I (18%), and creatine kinase-MB(42%). CONCLUSIONS: Ischemia modified albumin is elevated in acute coronary syndrome patients with better diagnostic performance compared to electrocardiogram, cardiac troponin I, and creatine kinase-MB for early diagnosis, however, with limited ability to discriminate between ST-elevation myocardial infarction, non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and unstable angina.

Single locus genotyping to track Leishmania donovani in the Indian subcontinent: Application in Nepal.

BACKGROUND: We designed a straightforward method for discriminating circulating Leishmania populations in the Indian subcontinent (ISC). Research on transmission dynamics of visceral leishmaniasis (VL, or Kala-azar) was recently identified as one of the key research priorities for elimination of the disease in the ISC. VL in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal is caused by genetically homogeneous populations of Leishmania donovani parasites, transmitted by female sandflies. Classical methods to study diversity of these protozoa in other regions of the world, such as microsatellite typing, have proven of little use in the area, as they are not able to discriminate most genotypes. Recently, whole genome sequencing (WGS) so far identified 10 different populations termed ISC001-ISC010. METHODOLOGY / PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: As an alternative to WGS for epidemiological or clinical studies, we designed assays based on PCR amplification followed by dideoxynucleotide sequencing for identification of the non-recombinant genotypes ISC001 up to ISC007. These assays were applied on 106 parasite isolates collected in Nepal between 2011 and 2014. Combined with data from WGS on strains collected in the period 2002-2011, we provide a proof-of-principle for the application of genotyping to study treatment outcome, and differential geographic distribution. CONCLUSIONS / SIGNIFICANCE: Our method can aid in epidemiological follow-up of visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian subcontinent, a necessity in the frame of the Kala-azar elimination initiative in the region.

Prevalence of Subclinical Rheumatic Heart Disease in Eastern Nepal: A School-Based Cross-sectional Study.

IMPORTANCE: Although rheumatic heart disease has been nearly eradicated in high-income countries, 3 in 4 children grow up in parts of the world where it is still endemic. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of clinically silent and manifest rheumatic heart disease as a function of age, sex, and socioeconomic status and to estimate age-specific incidence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this school-based cross-sectional study with cluster sampling, 26 schools in the Sunsari district in Eastern Nepal with 5467 eligible children 5 to 15 years of age were randomly selected from 595 registered schools. After exclusion of 289 children, 5178 children were enrolled in the present study from December 12, 2012, through September 12, 2014. Data analysis was performed from October 1, 2014, to April 15, 2015. EXPOSURES: Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were acquired in a standardized interview by means of a questionnaire customized to the age of the children. A focused medical history was followed by a brief physical examination. Cardiac auscultation and transthoracic echocardiography were performed by 2 independent physicians. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Rheumatic heart disease according to the World Heart Federation criteria. RESULTS: The median age of the 5178 children enrolled in the study was 10 years (interquartile range, 8-13 years), and 2503 (48.3%) were female. The prevalence of borderline or definite rheumatic heart disease was 10.2 (95% CI, 7.5-13.0) per 1000 children and increased with advancing age from 5.5 (95% CI, 3.5-7.5) per 1000 children 5 years of age to 16.0 (95% CI, 14.9-17.0) in children 15 years of age, whereas the mean incidence remained stable at 1.1 per 1000 children per year. Children with rheumatic heart disease were older than children without rheumatic heart disease (median age [interquartile range], 11 [9-14] years vs 10 [8-13] years; P = .03), more commonly female (34 [64.2%] vs 2469 [48.2%]; P = .02), and more frequently went to governmental schools (40 [75.5%] vs 2792 [54.5%]; P = .002). Silent disease (n = 44) was 5 times more common than manifest disease (n = 9). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Rheumatic heart disease affects 1 in 100 schoolchildren in Eastern Nepal, is primarily clinically silent, and may be more common among girls. The overall prevalence and the ratio of manifest to subclinical disease increase with advancing age, whereas the incidence remains stable at 1.1 per 1000 children per year. Early detection of silent disease may help prevent progression to severe valvular damage.

Cardiovascular risk factors among industrial workers: a cross-sectional study from eastern Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the number one cause of death globally, more people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause. An estimated 17.5 million people died from CVD in 2012, representing 46.2 % of all NCD death globally. An accurate characteristic of the cardiovascular risk factors in a specified population group is essential for the implementation of educational campaign. However, there are no reliable CVD risk factors burden, nor of its awareness and treatment status in Nepal industrial settings. We aimed to assess cardiovascular risk factors among men age 20-59 years in one of the largest industrial corridor of Eastern Nepal. METHODS: A total of 494 industrial workers between ages of 20-59 years, from two industries participated in the study. Pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the information. Primary outcome was cardiovascular risk factors based on STEPS survey and study on non-communicable disease in Nepal. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview 494 industrial workers. Lipid profile and serum blood glucose of 406 workers and electrocardiogram of 400 workers was done. RESULTS: The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) was 13.8 %. Those who were >45 years were 2.72 times more likely to develop CVD. Those who smoked more pack year, had family history of hypertension (HTN) and consumed no fruits were 4.32, 1.90.2.47 times more likely to develop CVD. Low density Lipoprotein (LDL) level <130 was found to be protective compared to LDL level above ≥ 130. On adjusted analysis those who did not consume fruits and had high LDL level were 3.32 and 3.03 more likely to develop CVD. CONCLUSION: There is high prevalence of CVD risk factors. Although majority of them are literate there is lack of health education and awareness among young male population in an eastern Nepal industrial setting.

Clinical profile of diabetic ketoacidosis in tertiary care hospital of Eastern Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes ketoacidoisis (DKA) is characterized by hyperketonaemia, metabolic acidosis, and hyperglycemia. AIMS: The aim of this study was to describe the demographic profile, clinical characterstics of patients admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis in BPKIHS, medical ward. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The hospital based descriptive study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We took all the patients admitted with a diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) as defined ADA 2006 consensus statement in medical ward from January 2010 to December 2010. The statistical operations was done through Manufactured by IBM Corp. RESULTS: Only sixteen patients (7 type 1 and 9 type 2DM) were with DKA. When compared to the 16 subjects with type 1 DM, the type 2 were older (56.8 s 25.7 years) and had a significantly higher PH levels (7.11 s 7.28 P = 0.04). The mean body mass index was 20.5±2.44 in both Type 1 and type 2 DM. Four were on diet control and Insulin respectively. Five were on oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA) and three on both (insulin and OHA). Infection was most common precipitating factor (56.25%) followed by poor drug compliance (37.5%) and first presentation (6.25%). CONCLUSIONS: We found majority of patients were type 2 DM. Metabolic acidosis has significant association in both type of diabetic. We found infection was the most common precipitating factor for DKA.

Alcoholic liver disease in Nepal: identifying homemade alcohol as a culprit.

BACKGROUND: Though the type of alcohol consumed is not thought to be associated with alcoholic liver disease (ALD), some studies have shown a beverage-specific effect. In the present study, we aim to study the effects of locally brewed alcoholic beverages on the development of liver disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the internal medicine department of a university hospital in Nepal. All patients classified as having either alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition were evaluated for the presence of ALD. RESULTS: A total of 1,500 patients were screened, of which, 447 patients had ALD. Chronic liver disease (CLD) was detected in 144 patients (9.6%). Most of the patients consumed homemade locally brewed alcohol. On multivariate analysis, the following variables were found to be significantly associated with CLD: male sex (odds ratio [OR]: 1.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-2.94; P=0.02): rakshi consumption ≥30 units (OR: 2.53; 95% CI: 1.07-6.01; P=0.04); and tongba consumption (OR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.22-7.50; P=0.02). CONCLUSION: There was a significant increase in the risk of developing ALD with the consumption of rakshi and tongba after adjusting for total units consumed. The absence of striking differences between our patients with CLD and non-CLD patients with regards to the amount of alcohol consumed demonstrates that, although alcohol consumption is a prerequisite for the development of ALD, other factors like type of alcoholic beverage consumed may be involved.

Hypothyroidism in diabetes mellitus patients in Eastern Nepal.

CONTEXT: The coexistence of diabetes mellitus (DM) with hypothyroidism is a known clinical observation. AIMS: To estimate prevalence and co-relate that of hypothyroidism in patients with DM in relation to the age and sex, the lipid profile, body mass index visiting diabetes clinic and inpatients in B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The hospital-based descriptive study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and seventy-one known or newly detected cases of DM aged more than 15 years were selected randomly from September 2012 to September 2013 and subjected to evaluation for thyroid function - clinically and biochemically and other relevant investigations were done. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: For descriptive statistics mean, standard deviation, percentage, proportion were calculated. For inferential statistics following test were carried out at the level of significant 0.05 where confidence interval is 95%. The statistical operations were done through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 10. RESULTS: Of 271 subjects, the prevalence of hypothyroidism (clinical and subclinical) in diabetics was, 4.05% (11/271) with females preponderance, of which 7 (30.4%) were clinically hypothyroid and 4 (17.4%) were subclinical hypothyroid. One (4.3%) patient had subclinical hyperthyroidism. The mean age at diagnosis of type 2 DM was 51-60 years. 8.69% of diabetics with primary hypothyroids were having morbid obesity. High-density lipoprotein among different thyroid status were statistically significant (P = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Hypothyroidism is not uncommon in diabetes, and we found body mass index, mean triglyceride and cholesterol levels were more in those diabetic patients having coexisting hypothyroidism.

Comparison of complications in diabetic outpatients with or without mental illness.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and psychiatric illness are related in many ways by prevalence, burden, course, and outcome. Co-morbid mental illness may play a role in determining the complication in diabetic patients. This study was conducted in 2010 among consecutive diabetic out-patients diagnosed as per American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines 2009, of age above 14 years, to compare the complications in diabetic patients with or without mental illness. Diabetic neuropathies, cardiovascular complications, and morbid obesity were among the complications significantly more among diabetic patients with mental illness (GHQ-12 ≥ 2) than without mental illness (GHQ-12 ≤ 2).

Increasing failure of miltefosine in the treatment of Kala-azar in Nepal and the potential role of parasite drug resistance, reinfection, or noncompliance.

BACKGROUND: Miltefosine (MIL), the only oral drug for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), is currently the first-line therapy in the VL elimination program of the Indian subcontinent. Given the paucity of anti-VL drugs and the looming threat of resistance, there is an obvious need for close monitoring of clinical efficacy of MIL. METHODS: In a cohort study of 120 VL patients treated with MIL in Nepal, we monitored the clinical outcomes up to 12 months after completion of therapy and explored the potential role of drug compliance, parasite drug resistance, and reinfection. RESULTS: The initial cure rate was 95.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 92.2-99.4) and the relapse rate at 6 and 12 months was 10.8% (95% CI, 5.2-16.4) and 20.0% (95% CI, 12.8-27.2) , respectively. No significant clinical risk factors of relapse apart from age <12 years were found. Parasite fingerprints of pretreatment and relapse bone marrow isolates within 8 patients were similar, suggesting that clinical relapses were not due to reinfection with a new strain. The mean promastigote MIL susceptibility (50% inhibitory concentration) of isolates from definite cures was similar to that of relapses. Although more tolerant strains were observed, parasite resistance, as currently measured, is thus not likely involved in MIL treatment failure. Moreover, MIL blood levels at the end of treatment were similar in cured and relapsed patients. CONCLUSIONS: Relapse in one-fifth of the MIL-treated patients observed in our study is an alarming signal for the VL elimination campaign, urging for further review and cohort monitoring.