Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consumption patterns of psychotropic drugs and predictors of limited access to medication.

Background: Despite the efforts of the health system to improve access to medications during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, such as online consultations, encouraging generic prescriptions, and other measures to limit the storage of medication, psychotropic patients faced significant challenges in accessing their medications. Objectives: This study aimed (1) to compare the consumption of psychotropics before and during the pandemic, (2) to assess the association between having difficulties finding the medications and the general characteristics of the patients, and (3) to assess the predictors of these difficulties. Design: A case-control study was performed in which 128 patients (cases) were recruited during the pandemic (July-October 2021), and 256 patients (controls) using psychotropics before the pandemic were matched for age and sex. Methods: Data were collected using a uniform survey given to patients using psychotropics and filled out at their time and place preferences. Results: More patients used antipsychotics and anti-anxiety medications before the pandemic, while antidepressants were used more during the pandemic. Almost half of the patients reported facing difficulties finding their medications in both time frames. Before the pandemic, these difficulties were noted per increase in age and being employed and were less faced if patients had medical assistance or lived in the north of Lebanon. However, more patients reported having difficulties accessing their medication during the pandemic, with no significant differences. Conclusion: The consumption of psychotropic drugs was higher among cases. All patients faced challenges in accessing their medication throughout the pandemic, while older and employed patients had more limitations before the pandemic. Further investigations exploring viable solutions are recommended in order to maintain sustainable access to treatment.

Lebanese Hospital-Based Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry: Characteristics of Patients and Comparison with Other Populations.

Objectives: The aim of the Lebanese hospital-based Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) registry, initiated in 2011, is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of biologic agents among patients seeking care at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). We aimed to characterize the demographic and clinical profile of RA patients included in the Lebanese registry. We compared our results with those issued from Middle Eastern and non-Middle Eastern registries. Methods: 195 Patients enrolled in the RA registry from 2011 to 2018 were considered in this study. Patients enrolled in the registry were eligible to be treated with biologics, but 56 patients remained biologics naïve. Patients were reassessed every six months. Results: The highest proportion of patients were female (81%). The mean age was 55.53±15 years, and the disease duration was 11.38±7.7 years. RA was diagnosed at a mean age of 44.13±16 years. Almost one-third of RA patients were smokers (29.2%) and 15% consumed alcohol. Comorbidities included cardiac diseases (30.8%), hypertension (24.6%), hyperlipidemia (11.8%), diabetes mellitus (9.2%), and Hypothyroidism (6.2%). Three cases of cancer and seven cases of tuberculosis were reported. The mean of the Disease Activity Score (DAS28) was 3.75 ± 2.28 with no difference according to gender; the mean of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score showed a significant difference between females and males (1.02 ± 0.84 and 0.61 ± 0.7 respectively). Methotrexate was the most commonly used medication. There was non-significant difference in taking biologics according to gender. Conclusion: Our findings are similar to other studies in terms of gender distribution. The higher mean age at diagnosis compared to other populations could indicate a delay in seeking appropriate care. The Lebanese RA registry provides valuable data on pharmacological interventions used and an opportunity to follow up to examine the effectiveness of different therapeutics and to monitor their side effects.

Public awareness of environmental risk factors of cancer and attitude towards its prevention among the Lebanese general population.

INTRODUCTION: Since the majority of cancers occur as a result of modifiable risk factors, cancer is being seen more as a preventable disease. The primary objective of our study was to assess the level of awareness of environmental risk factors of cancer among the Lebanese general population. The secondary objective focused on identifying the predictors of the preventability of the disease. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study between June and July 2020. An online questionnaire was used to collect data pertaining to the knowledge of environmental risk factors of cancer, source of information and personal practice of the participants. Bivariate and multivariate analyzes were performed. RESULTS: About 387 respondents agreed to participate in the study. The study showed low awareness regarding infectious agents, lifestyle, diet and many work exposures. The predictors of the attitude of respondents regarding the preventability of cancer were: believing that cancer has an environmental cause (p=.014), not having a healthy lifestyle (p = 0.004), not smoking waterpipe (p = 0.023), being single (p = 0.013), and having a university degree (p = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: Efforts should be made to improve awareness of the cancer risk factors regarding infectious agents, lifestyle, diet and many work exposures. This can also be followed by further studies assessing the impact of these community and governmental cancer prevention initiatives on cancer risk factors level of awareness.

Appraisal of Schoolchildren's Feelings and Attitudes towards Dentists and Their Potential Impact on Oral Health.

AIM: To assess schoolchildren's feelings and attitudes towards dentists and their potential impact on oral health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 7902 schoolchildren (12 and 15 years old) attending public and private schools completed a questionnaire that assessed their feeling and attitude toward dentists. DMFT and CPI indices were used to assess dental caries and periodontal diseases respectively according to the World Health Organization method and criteria. RESULTS: 79.7% of all schoolchildren who participated in this study had been to the dentist. 24.7% reported that they are afraid of dental visits, pain being the main reason for this disturbing feeling (88, 2%). Of the children, 81.4% preferred a female dentist; 82.3% preferred a dentist with a colored coat and 80.3% favored a renovated dental facility. 91.1% of the children are irritated by the noises in the dental clinic. The mean DMFT and CPI scores were significantly higher in patients with dental fear, and in patients who never had a dental visit. CONCLUSION: Meeting patient's perceptions and preferences regarding their dentist may help to reduce the potential dental anxiety and thus ensure the delivery of a high-quality dental treatment leading to better oral health status. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Patient perception about dentists is affected by a series of factors related to the dentist, the patient, and the dental clinic. Patients who experience the worst perceptions of dental professional tend not to seek dental care, which leads to a bad oral health status, hence the importance of further studies in this area to improve such perceptions, and promote attitudinal changes toward positive health-seeking behavior.

Prevalence and Etiological Factors of Dental Trauma among 12- and 15-Year-Old Schoolchildren of Lebanon: A National Study.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic dental injuries represent nearly 5% of children and adolescents' injuries leading to serious medical and psychological issues. This current study aims to evaluate the prevalence of dental trauma and its potential association with different predisposing factors among 12-and 15-year-old schoolchildren in Lebanon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 7902 schoolchildren, 3806 male and 4096 female aged 12 years (n = 3985) and 15 years (n = 3917), were recruited by a stratified multistaged randomized cluster sampling method from public and private schools and were clinically examined in a national cross-sectional study. WHO criteria were used to assess anterior permanent teeth; the nature of trauma, the tooth involved, the size of the incisal overjet, and the type of the lip coverage were furthermore assessed. Data regarding age, sex, and causes of TDI were recorded through a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental trauma to anterior teeth was 10.9%. Maxillary central incisors (83.7%) were commonly affected. The most common type of injury was enamel fracture (68.3%), falls being the main reason (52.5%). Increased overjet (OR = 2.32, p = 0.034), deficient lip coverage (OR = 5.73, p = 0.019), and gender (OR = 5.36, p ≤ 0.001) were significant predisposing factors for dental trauma. CONCLUSION: This research highlighted many predisposing factors for dental trauma that affect commonly the anterior teeth. Based on these results, the implementation of strategic preventive measurements targeting especially the identified risk groups remains crucial.

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet decreases the risk of stroke in the Lebanese population: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MeD) and the risk of stroke in the Lebanese population. METHODS: A hospital based case-control study was conducted in Lebanon between January 1st, 2015 and December 31st, 2016. Data were collected prospectively using a standardized questionnaire. Adherence to the MeD was assessed based on the total number of points a patient can have on the MeD scale. Data were analysed using SPSS version 24. The strength of association between the risk of stroke and adherence to MeD was expressed in odds ratio (OR) through 95% confidence interval. P-value <0.05 determined statistical significance. RESULTS: Around 205 stroke cases and 445 hospitalized stroke-free patients were included in this study. In the total study sample, the MeD had a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 11 points with a median of 7 points. Stroke patients had a lower MeD median compared to controls (6 vs 8 points). Around 29.5% of the total sample had a MeD score within the first quartile (52.3% of them had a stroke) and 24% of all included subjects scored within the last quartile (7% of them hospitalized for stroke) (p<0.001). The higher the adherence to MeD the lower the risk of stroke. High adherence to MeD was associated with a decreased risk of stroke, OR 0.1 (95%CI, 0.04-0.24; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Higher adherence to MeD significantly decreases the risk of stroke in the Lebanese population. Good lifestyle choices are encouraged in order to prevent many vascular diseases including stroke.

Potentially inappropriate medications in elderly patients with heart failure: Beers Criteria-based study.

OBJECTIVES: Primary objectives were to evaluate the use of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in elderly heart failure (HF) patients and the factors associated with the number of PIMs. Secondary objectives were to test for the correlation between PIMs and quality of life (QOL) and depression. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 125 elderly Lebanese HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction <50%. Data on socio-demographics, clinical data and medications were collected. Patients were interviewed with Minnesota living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Medication profile per patient was evaluated for PIMs using Beers Criteria. The correlations between the number of PIMs and the MLHFQ, PHQ-9 and the number of medications were tested using Pearson's correlation. Linear regression was done to predict the factors associated with the number of PIMs. KEY FINDINGS: Patients were taking a total of 1035 medications with a mean of 8.28 ± 3.14 medications. In total, 80.0% of patients were taking at least one PIM. Diuretics (55.2%) and proton pump inhibitors (41.6%) were most commonly prescribed PIMs. The number of PIMs was moderately correlated with the number of medications and the MLHFQ score. Linear regression showed that the number of medications, age ≥85 years, chronic kidney disease and HF with New York Heart Association III were associated with more PIMs. CONCLUSIONS: A high percentage of PIMs was found among a sample of elderly Lebanese HF patients. HF multidisciplinary team is needed to control the prescription of PIMs in this vulnerable population.

Evaluation of risk factors and drug adherence in the occurrence of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) patients are at high risk of developing a stroke and anticoagulant medications are generally prescribed to prevent stroke in AF population. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate stroke risk factors among hospitalized patients with AF and to assess the level of adherence to medications in AF patients and their relation with stroke. METHODS: This is a case-control study conducted between June 1st, 2018 and December 31th, 2018 among AF patients admitted to seven tertiary Lebanese hospitals. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Adherence to medications was assessed using the Lebanese Medication Adherence Scale-14. Odds ratios (OR) expressed the strength of association between the independent variables and the dependent variable and were estimated using unconditional logistic regression adjusted for confounding factors. P<0.05 determined statistical significance. RESULTS: In total, 174 cases of AF patients were included with 87 cases and 87 controls. The risk of stroke among AF significantly increased with the presence of a history of hypertension, aOR 16.04 (95%CI, 2.27-113.37; p=0.005), history of coronary heart disease/myocardial infarction, and history of obesity. Anticoagulant medication significantly decreased the risk of stroke among AF patients, aOR 0.27 (95%CI, 0.07-0.98; P=0.047). High adherence to medications was significantly associated with a reduced risk of stroke, aOR 0.04 (95%CI, 0.01-0.23; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Having a history of hypertension is one of the strongest risk factors for stroke among AF patients in Lebanon. While anticoagulant medication use was associated with a reduced risk for stroke, high adherence to medications is critical for stroke prevention. Public health interventions are needed to tackle low-adherence to medication and prevent stroke among AF patients.

Validation of the Arabic Version of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) is commonly used to measure quality of life (QOL) in patients with heart failure (HF). We examined the psychometric properties and cultural validity of an Arabic version of the MLHFQ. METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted with 210 adult HF outpatients. Patients were interviewed with the Arabic MLHFQ and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Cronbach's alpha coefficient and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted. Patients with different NYHA classes and HF-hospitalization histories were compared on QOL to test known-group validity. RESULTS: The confirmatory factor analysis yielded 3 factors: physical, emotional, and social. Three items (4, 8, and 15) had low loadings. The overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.92. There were significant differences in MLHFQ by PHQ-9 categories, NYHA class, and HF-hospitalization history. CONCLUSIONS: This Arabic version of MLHFQ is valid and reliable and can be used in Arabic-speaking Lebanese HF populations.

Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Lebanese Adults: Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disabling disease with significant impact on the Quality of Life (QOL) of patients. Information on the effects of RA on Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is lacking in the Lebanese population. The objective of this study was to evaluate QOL of RA patients compared with non-RA subjects and to suggest possible predictors of their QOL in Lebanon. We conducted a case-control observational study among individuals visiting the external clinics at three hospitals and different private clinics; the QOL was measured using the SF-36 questionnaire administered face to face to the study population, applied to RA (N = 90) and non-RA (N = 180) groups. RA presented lower Physical Component Scores (PCS) and Mental Component Scores (MCS) as well as overall QOL scores. Among RA patients, MCS and QOL were significantly decreased with morning stiffness duration (ß = -9.211, p = 0.013 and ß = -9.190, p = 0.009, respectively). The frequency of practicing sport per week increases PCS and QOL (ß = 6.692, p = 0.002 and ß = 6.148, p = 0.003, respectively). Workability has a positive effect on PCS (ß = 5.546, p = 0.022) and time between blood transfusion and the onset of the disease has a positive impact on MCS (ß = 8.415, p = 0.007). To improve QOL of patients with RA, health professionals have to take these results into consideration while treating their patients.

Validation of diabetes medication adherence scale in the Lebanese population.

AIM: To validate the Diabetes Medication Adherence Scale (DMAS-7), determine its concordance with another validated scales and to assess factors affecting medication adherence. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of Lebanese patients with diabetes using a questionnaire. The level of adherence was measured using the DMAS-7 and the Lebanese Medication Adherence Scale (LMAS-14). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted, and the scale was validated in terms of reliability, predictive ability, and construct validity using SPSS version 19. RESULTS: Out of 300 eligible patients, the rate of adherence was 33.7%. Measures of validity showed good reliability (Cronbach alpha = 0.627), and good construct validity with LMAS-14 (Spearman's rho = 0.846; Cohen's kappa = 0.711). DMAS-7 was found to be both correlated with LMAS-14 (ICC average measure = 0.675; p-value <0.001) in addition to possessing a better predictive value. Thus, DMAS-7 showed to have good concordance and increased validity compared to LMAS-14. Having an optimal glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) (OR = 0.779; p = 0.001) and performing regular physical activity (OR 2.328; p = 0.002) increased medication adherence. CONCLUSION: The DMAS-7 showed to be reliable and valid instrument superior to LMAS-14 in predicting adherence levels to oral anti-diabetic medications, and thus can be used to achieve better glycemic outcomes.

Evaluation of antidiabetic medication adherence in the Lebanese population: development of the Lebanese Diabetes Medication Adherence Scale.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate factors affecting adherence to oral antidiabetic treatment in the Lebanese population and to develop the Diabetes Medication Adherence Scale (DMAS) based on these factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of Lebanese diabetic patients. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The level of adherence was measured using the Lebanese Medication Adherence Scale (LMAS-14). Bivariate analyses and multivariable analysis was done using SPSS. Psychometric evaluation of DMAS included an assessment of internal consistency, factor analysis, evaluation of sensitivity and specificity. Criterion-related validity was assessed by comparison with LMAS-14 measure of adherence. KEY FINDINGS: A total of 500 patients were recruited. 39.2% were adherent to treatment. Long working hours, increased number of oral antidiabetic medication per day, drug discontinuation when travelling, longer duration of diabetes and treatment burden were among factors that decreased adherence. While understanding the treatment regimen, following up physician recommendations and following up the recommended diet contributed to good medication adherence. The final 7-item scale (DMAS) had a good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.612) and a good correlation and agreement with LMAS-14 (Spearman's rho = 0.699, Cohen's kappa = 0.566). Patients with high DMAS scores were significantly more likely to have controlled glycaemia (P < 0.05). Sensitivity and specificity reached 70.39% and 51.47%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Adherence to oral antidiabetic treatment is suboptimal in Lebanon. The DMAS is a reliable instrument for assessing adherence and predicting poor glycaemic control in clinical practice, but requires further validation in other populations.

Adherence to levothyroxine among patients with hypothyroidism in Lebanon.

BACKGROUND: Non-adherence to medication schedules by patients with chronic illnesses can have serious consequences, including poor clinical outcomes, higher hospitalization rates, and increased healthcare costs. Hypothyroidism is a chronic illness with simple treatment, yet non-compliance is common. AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate treatment adherence to levothyroxine therapy in Lebanese population by estimating the proportion of adherent hypothyroidism patients and assess factors affecting the adherence to treatment. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey between May and July 2015 included 337 patients. Patients were approached by a community pharmacist during their visit to buy their levothyroxine drug and were asked to fill the questionnaire. RESULTS: Among these patients, 14.5% showed high adherence, 30.6% medium adherence, and 54.9% low adherence to medication. The mean adherence score was 5.53 ± 1.86 points. The results of a logistic regression showed that age (ORa=1.036), visiting the endocrinologist once every month (ORa=27.77), and the fact that the physician gave the patient information about the disease (ORa=2.898) would significantly increase the adherence to the medication. In addition, having one (ORa=0.365) or two comorbidities (ORa=0.232) in addition to hypothyroidism, postponing/cancelling medical appointments at the last minute (ORa=0.358), the number of waterpipe smoked per week (ORa=0.621) and the number of alcohol glasses drunk per week (ORa=0.631) would significantly decrease the adherence score. CONCLUSION: Educational programmes should be implemented, doctor-patient and pharmacist-patient relationship could be improved and new treatment regimens be considered in order to enhance patient adherence.

Cigarette and Waterpipe Smoking are Associated with the Risk of Stroke in Lebanon.

Cigarette and waterpipe (shisha and hookah) smoking are main public health concerns in Lebanon. We aim to assess the relationship between smoking and stroke, mainly waterpipe smoking, to better apply preventive and therapeutic interventions. A case-control study was conducted at five tertiary private and governmental hospitals in Lebanon between January 1st, 2015 and December 31st, 2016, using a standardized questionnaire. A stepwise ascending logistic regression was conducted. Odds ratio through 95% confidence interval (CI) expressed the degree of association among variables. In total, 650 patients were involved in the study with 205 stroke cases and 445 stroke-free normal individuals considered as controls. The risk of stroke was found to increase significantly among current cigarette smokers; total stroke Odds ratio (OR) = 2.79 (95% CI, 1.72-4.54), ischemic stroke OR = 2.59 (95% CI, 1.46-4.59), and hemorrhagic stroke OR = 4.25 (95% CI, 1.33-13.59). The risk of total and ischemic stroke was also found to increase significantly among current waterpipe smokers; OR 4.99 (95% CI, 2.07-11.99) and 6.25 (95% CI, 2.26-17.39), respectively. Moreover, waterpipe smoking was observed to have a stronger association with stroke in current cigarette smokers than non-smokers. Waterpipe smoking was found to be associated with stroke in this study. Moreover, this association is stronger among cigarette smokers, demonstrating a quantitative interaction between waterpipe and cigarette smoking.

Evaluation of medication adherence among Lebanese diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes type 2 is considered one of the main public health concerns. Lack of adherence to treatment leads to poor therapeutic outcome, poor glycemic control, and high risk for developing diabetes complications. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate adherence to oral antidiabetic medication in Diabetes type 2 Lebanese patients, and to evaluate factors leading to low adherence. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in outpatients endocrinology clinics of two hospitals and four private clinics located in Beirut-Lebanon. Data was collected using a well-structured questionnaire by trained pharmacists. Adherence level was measured by the Lebanese Medication Adherence Scale (LMAS-14). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: Overall, 245 patients were included in the study with the majority being females (54.3%) and obese (47.8%). Only 29% of the participants had controlled glycemia (HbA1c <7%) with 31.8% of subjects had high adherence to their medication compared to 68.2% with low adherence. Increased working hours/day was associated with a decrease in adherence to oral antidiabetic medication (OR=0.31; 95% CI 0.11:0.88; p=0.029). Other factors significantly associated with decreased adherence to treatment were forgetfulness, high drug costs, complex treatment regimens, experiencing side effects, and perception of treatment inefficacy. Postponing physician office visits also decreased the probability of being adherent to oral antidiabetic medication (OR=0.36; 95% CI 0.15:0.86; p=0.022). Skipping or doubling the dose in case of hypo/hyperglycemia and the sensation of treatment burden also decreased medication adherence (OR=0.09; 95% CI 0.02:0.34; p=0.001, and OR=0.04; 95% CI 0.01:0.13; p<0.001 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to oral antidiabetic medication is low for Lebanese patients, which leads to a poor glycemic control and increases the diabetes complications. Intervention programs including patient education strategies are essential to improve medication adherence.

Middle Iron-Enriched Fructose Diet on Gestational Diabetes Risk and on Oxidative Stress in Offspring Rats.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with increased insulin resistance and a heightened level of oxidative stress (OS). Additionally, high iron consumption could also increase insulin resistance and OS, which could aggravate GDM risk. The aim of this study is to evaluate a high fructose diet (F) as an alternative experimental model of GDM on rats. We also have evaluated the worst effect of a fructose iron-enriched diet (FI) on glucose tolerance and OS status during pregnancy. Anthropometric parameters, plasma glucose levels, insulin, and lipid profile were assessed after delivery in rats fed an F diet. The effects observed in mothers (hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia) and on pups (macrosomia and hypoglycemia) are similar to those observed in women with GDM. Therefore, the fructose diet could be proposed as an experimental model of GDM. In this way, we can compare the effect of an iron-enriched diet on the metabolic and redox status of mother rats and their pups. The mothers' glycemic was similar in the F and FI groups, whereas the glycemic was significantly different in the newborn. In rat pups born to mothers fed on an FI diet, the activities of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase in livers and GPx in brains were altered and the gender analysis showed significant differences. Thus, alterations in the glycemic and redox status in newborns suggest that fetuses are more sensitive than their mothers to the effect of an iron-enriched diet in the case of GDM pregnancy. This study proposed a novel experimental model for GDM and provided insights on the effect of a moderate iron intake in adding to the risk of glucose disorder and oxidative damage on newborns.

Association between iron level, glucose impairment and increased DNA damage during pregnancy.

Elevated circulating ferritin has been reported to increase the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). When high ferritin translates into high iron stores, iron excess is also a condition leading to free radical damage. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between oxidative stress (OS) induced by iron status and GDM risk in non iron-supplemented pregnant women. METHODS: This was a pilot observational study conducted on 93 non-anemic pregnant women. Iron status was assessed at the first trimester of gestation. Blood sampling was done at 24-28 weeks' gestation for oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), insulin and biological markers of oxidative damage tests. RESULTS: A significant increase in DNA damage was found in patients who developed GDM. Women with elevated DNA damage had a six-fold increased risk of developing GDM (Exp (B)=6.851, P=0.038; 95% CI [1.108-42.375]). The serum ferritin levels at first trimester were significantly correlated to lipid peroxidation (rho=0.24, p=0.012). The stratified analysis suggests that ferritin is a modifying factor for the correlation of oxidative stress (OS) and glucose intolerance. CONCLUSION: Moderate ferritin levels due to iron intake without iron-supplement, at early pregnancy is a modifying factor for the correlation of oxidative damage and glucose intolerance in pregnant women. Larger studies to evaluate the risk of food iron intake induced increased oxidative damage in offspring are warranted to propose nutrition advice regarding iron intake in women with a high risk of GDM.

Risk factors and quality of life of dyslipidemic patients in Lebanon: A cross-sectional study.

The main objective of this study was to identify the risk factors of dyslipidemia and measure its impact on patients' quality of life (QOL). Secondary objectives were to determine the percentage of dyslipidemia and assess the predictive factors affecting patients' QOL. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of Lebanese population. A standardized questionnaire was developed to assess the QOL using the Short form-36 (SF-36) score. A total of 452 individuals were interviewed, of which 59.5% were females. The mean age was 43.3±15.6years, and 24.8% had dyslipidemia. The results show a lower overall QOL score among dyslipidemic patients compared with controls (57.9% and 76.5%, respectively; p<0.001). Waterpipe smoking [adjusted odds ratio (ORa)=4.113, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.696-9.971, p=0.002], hypertension (ORa=3.597, 95% CI: 1.818-7.116, p<0.001), diabetes (ORa=3.441, 95% CI: 1.587-7.462, p=0.002), cigarette smoking (ORa=2.966, 95% CI: 1.516-5.804, p=0.001), and passive smoking (ORa=2.716, 95% CI: 1.376-5.358, p=0.004) were significantly associated with dyslipidemia in individuals older than 30years. A higher overall QOL score (p=0.013) was observed in patients treated with statins in comparison with other lipid-lowering medications. In addition to clinical and economical consequences, dyslipidemia may have a significant impact on patients' QOL. Further research is needed to confirm the impact of treatment on dyslipidemic patients' QOL in order to maximize the overall benefits of therapy.

Evaluation of medication adherence in Lebanese hypertensive patients.

Controlling hypertension is essential in cardiovascular diseases. Poor medication adherence is associated with poor disease outcomes, waste of healthcare resources, and contributes to reduced blood pressure control. This study evaluates treatment adherence to antihypertensive therapy in Lebanese hypertensive patients by estimating the proportion of adherent hypertensive patients using a validated tool and investigates what factors predict this behavior. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a random sample of 210 hypertensive outpatients selected from clinics located in tertiary-care hospitals and from private cardiology clinics located in Beirut. Adherence level was measured using a validated 8-item Modified Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMMAS). Among 210 patients, 50.5% showed high adherence, 27.1% medium adherence, and 22.4% low adherence to medication. Mean MMMAS score was 6.59±2.0. In bivariate analyses, having controlled blood pressure (p=0.003) and taking a combination drug (p=0.023) were predictors of high adherence. Forgetfulness (p<0.01), complicated drug regimen (p=0.001), and side effects (p=0.006) were predictors of low adherence after multiple liner regression. Logistic regression results showed that calcium channel blockers (p=0.030) were associated with increased adherence levels. In conclusion, developing multidisciplinary intervention programs to address the factors identified, in addition to educational strategies targeting healthcare providers, are necessary to enhance patient adherence.

The epidemiology of stroke in the Middle East.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize data from different countries in the Middle East on stroke and its potential risk factors. METHOD: A systematic review of all published stroke articles in the Middle East between 1980 and May 2015 was conducted. FINDINGS: Sixty-four papers were included in the review. The incidence rate for all strokes ranged between 22.7 and 250 per 100,000 population per year. The prevalence rate for stroke ranged between 508 and 777 per 100,000 population. Among studies reporting gender differences, 75% reported a high male-to-female ratio among stroke patients. The mean age of stroke was within the sixth and the seventh decade. Ischemic stroke was the most reported type followed by intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Hypertension was the most reported risk factor followed by diabetes. The overall case-fatality rate within one month was 12-32%. DISCUSSION: During the last decades, there was an increase in stroke incidence and mortality rates in the Middle East. The Middle East faces low rates of self-awareness and control of noncommunicable diseases and also lacks knowledge for stroke risk factors, awareness, causes, and symptoms. CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need to develop more efficient and accurate methods to measure stroke in the Middle East. There is also a significant call to increase public awareness and implement interventions on stroke and its risk factors and symptoms to help people understand the negative impact of stroke on quality of life and potentially prevent this disease.