Health-related quality of life in adults with hematological cancer: a 2023 cross-sectional survey from Qatar.

Background: Hematological cancers impose a complex burden on individuals, affecting their physical health and mental and emotional well-being. This study evaluated the health-related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and its determinants among adults with hematological cancers in Qatar in 2023. Methods: A cross-sectional study used a validated structured questionnaire conducted among adult patients diagnosed with hematological cancers. All adult patients who attended The National Centre for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR) in Qatar during the Data collection period (January to March 2023) and agreed to participate were included in the study. Results: A total of 257 participants were enrolled in the study. The highest median (IQR) score of the HRQOL domain was observed in the functionating score of 90.6 (13.8), followed by the global health score of 83.3(25. 0). The median (IQR) of the symptoms burden score was 07.4(12.3). Gender significantly affects HRQOL, with males reporting better functioning and lower symptom burden than females. Employment status is positively associated with functioning scores. Regular exercise correlates with higher global health and functioning scores and lower symptom burden, while depressive symptoms are linked to poorer HRQOL outcomes. Patients experiencing cancer recurrence or active disease report lower global health and functioning scores and higher symptom burden. Treatment modalities such as chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant (BMT) timing also influence HRQOL, with recent treatment recipients showing lower global health and higher symptom burden scores. Depressive symptoms were the primary factor, lowering the global health score by 15.2%. Regarding the low functioning score predictors, female gender, depressive symptoms, and cancer recurrence emerged as significant predictors of the low functioning score. Furthermore, Regular exercise increased the functioning score by 03.4 units (p-value=0.018). Finally, Multiple linear regression analysis reinforced the significance of depressive symptoms, active disease status, and recurrence within the past five years as substantial predictors of higher symptom scores. Conclusions: The study emphasizes the profound impact of depressive symptoms on all aspects of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), mainly affecting global health. It highlights the positive role of regular exercise in enhancing global health, functioning, and symptom burden scores.

The role of preoperative transfusion in sickle cell disease, a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide guidance on preoperative blood transfusion strategies for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). We included all randomized controlled and observational studies exploring the clinical outcomes of preoperative blood transfusion among patients with SCD compared to the conservative transfusion strategy until 14/09/2022. Sixteen studies involving 3486 participants were analysed. The findings revealed a significantly higher bleeding rate in patients who received preoperative transfusion than those who followed a conservative strategy (RR = 4.32, 95% CI 1.75-10.68, P = 0.002, I2 = 0%). However, the two strategies had no significant differences in other clinical outcomes, such as acute chest syndrome, painful crisis, fever, neurological complications, thrombosis, ICU admission, and mortality. It is important to note that all the included studies had a moderate risk of bias. Preoperative transfusion in SCD was associated with a higher bleeding risk but a similar risk in other outcomes compared to conservative strategies. Notably, the increased bleeding risk observed seldom had clinical significance. We recommend individualizing management strategies, considering the overall positive impact of transfusions in reducing complications. Further high-quality studies are needed to refine recommendations.

Sleep Quality Among People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus During COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Qatar's National Diabetes Center.

Purpose: Sleep disturbance is suspected to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, and people with type 2 DM are known to have a higher risk of sleep disturbance. We aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants of sleep disturbance through Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and Methods: We randomly selected two hundred eighty-eight people with T2DM from the outpatient clinics of the National Diabetes Centre in Qatar. We used Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Spearman, and Point Biserial correlation tests to examine the association between sleep quality and the independent variables. Finally, we conducted multiple logistics regression to identify the predictors of poor sleep quality and set the alpha level at 0.05. Results: In our sample, the mean age (±SD) was 51.4 (± 9.5) years, and 64.3% of the study participants were males. The median (IQR) duration of diabetes was 10 (11) years. Additionally, 6.3% of the participants were on insulin. The median HbA1c was 7.6% (2.4). Three in ten patients reported poor sleep quality (PSQI>5); (n=103; 35.8%). Poor sleep quality was statistically associated with young age, previous history of sleep disturbance, prior diagnosis of sleep disorders, high depression score, and high perceived stress score. After adjusting for confounders, only high depressive symptoms score and previous history of sleep disorder were significant predictors of poor sleep quality (p < 0.001), with adjusted odd ratios of (aOR = 1.421; 95% CI: 1.242-1.625) and (aOR = 3.208; 95% CI: 1.574-6.537), respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of poor sleep quality among people with T2DM during the COVID-19 pandemic is high. Physicians must screen for depression, stress, and previous history of sleep disorder to tackle poor sleep among T2DM.

Perception of consanguineous marriage among the qatari population.

Background: Hereditary blood diseases are widespread among the Arab population due to the high rates of consanguineous marriages; research regarding the perception of consanguineous marriage in some countries, such as Qatar, is extremely scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of consanguineous marriage and assess the perception of consanguineous marriage among the Qatari population. Methods: A cross-sectional study used a self-administered questionnaire among 395 Qatari adults aged 18-35 who attended primary healthcare institutions in Qatar. A convenience sampling technique was used to select the study participants. An independent t-test was used to compare the significance of the mean between the two groups with positive and negative perceptions of consanguineous marriage. Categorical data were analyzed for association using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test. Finally, a multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the significant predictors of the positive perception of consanguineous marriage. A significant level was set at p < 0.05. Results: Approximately 45% of the participants had a positive perception toward consanguineous marriage, and the most common reason stated by those participants was "habit and traditions." The prevalence of consanguineous marriage among married couples was 62.6%, and among those with consanguineous marriage, most were married to first cousins (81.7%). Moreover, compared to the participants with negative perceptions of consanguineous marriage, those with positive ones were significantly older, married, with lower educational levels and higher monthly income levels, did not hear about glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, did not know what kinds of diseases are being screened in the premarital test, and were married to a relative. Conclusion: The prevalence of consanguineous marriage is high among the Qatari population, and this requires an immediate need for community-based campaigns to raise public awareness about the problem and its potential impact.

Telephone versus face-to-face consultation on smoking cessation at primary health care centers in Qatar during COVID-19 pandemic.

Smoking cessation leads to a reduction in risks of smoking-related morbidity and mortality. During the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, smoking cessation services were interrupted. Providing smoking cessation counseling by telephone could be a convenient and safe alternative to traditional face-to-face service. However, the effectiveness of telephone smoking cessation counseling has not yet been thoroughly investigated. This study evaluated telephone smoking cessation counseling compared to face-to-face consultations during the COVID-19 era. In addition, it investigated the association between sociodemographic and health-related factors and cessation rates. A retrospective cohort design was used. Participants were randomly selected from two lists: (1) telephone counseling and (2) face-to-face counseling in smoking cessation clinics in five primary health care centers in Qatar between March 2020 and March 2021. Cessation rates were compared between the two groups at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the significant associations with smoking cessation. Smokers who underwent telephone consultations had significantly lower quit rates at all follow-ups compared to those who attended face-to-face visits. At the 12-week follow-up, the adjusted odd ratio for quitting through face-to-face consultations was 1.96 (95% CI [1.15-3.35]) times higher than that achieved through telephone consultations. In addition to receiving face-to-face counseling, higher self-efficacy to cease smoking was an independent predictor of successful cessation. Providing smoking cessation counseling by telephone could be a safer but less effective mode of delivery versus traditional face-to-face encounters during the pandemic.

The effect of intermittent fasting on the clinical and hematological parameters of patients with sickle cell disease: A preliminary study.

Introduction: Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder that frequently presents with vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). Most patients with sickle cell disease in Qatar are Muslims; hence, they practice intermittent fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. However, there is a paucity of literature describing the effect of intermittent fasting on the occurrence of severe VOC. As a result, there is a lack of guidelines or standardized protocols that can help physicians advise patients with sickle cell disease who wish to practice intermittent fasting. Therefore, this study's aim was to investigate the effect of intermittent fasting on the clinical and hematological parameters of individuals with sickle cell disease. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study for 52 Muslim patients with sickle cell disease in Qatar aged ≥18 years who were confirmed to be fasting during the holy month of Ramadan during any of the years 2019-2021. The difference in the occurrence of severe VOC, hemolytic crisis, and other clinical, hematological, and metabolic parameters were studied one month before, during, and one month after the intermittent fasting of Ramadan using the patient's medical records. Mean (sd), median (IQR), and frequency (%) described the data. One-way with repeated measures ANOVA with a Greenhouse-Geisser correction and Friedman tests (*) were used at alpha level 0.05. Results: The study participants' (mean±sd) age was (31.1±9.2) years, 51.9% were males, and 48.1% were females. Roughly seventy percent of the participants were of Arab ethnicity, while the rest were either African or Asian. Most of the patients were homozygotes (SS) (90.4%). The median number of severe VOC (P = 0.7) and hemolytic crisis (P = 0.5) was not found to be significantly different before, during, or after Ramadan. Significant differences, however, were found in platelet count (P = 0.003), reticulocyte count (P < 0.001), and creatinine level (P = 0.038) with intermittent fasting. Discussion: In this preliminary study, intermittent fasting does not seem to influence the rate of occurrence of severe vaso-occlusive crisis or hemolytic crisis in patients with sickle cell disease; however, it was found to be associated with differences in platelet count, reticulocytes count, and creatinine level. The statistical and clinical significance of these findings needs to be confirmed in studies with a larger sample size.