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INTRODUCTION: Patients with cirrhosis suffer from fluid and electrolyte imbalance. The usually reported electrolyte disorders include hyperkalemia, hyponatremia, and hypokalemia. The regional data about the prevalence and risk factors associated with hyperkalemia in cirrhotic patients are not sufficient enough. The purpose of this study is to determine various risk factors associated with hyperkalemia, which will assist in the early detection of cirrhotic patients at risk of hyperkalemia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the internal medicine and gastroenterology departments of a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan from March 2021 to June 2021. Sonographically documented liver cirrhosis patients (n=500), of either gender and between the ages of 18 and 70 years, were enrolled in the study. After enrollment, patients' demographics were noted in a self-structured questionnaire. Participant's Child-Pugh score was also noted in the questionnaire. After a detailed history, 5 mL of venous blood was drawn in two vials via phlebotomy and send to the laboratory to measure serum potassium, creatinine, albumin, and bilirubin levels. RESULT: Out of the total 500 participants, 101 (20.2%) participants had hyperkalemia. It was significantly more prevalent in participants with Child-Pugh C class and in those with a serum creatinine of more than 1.3 mg/dL. Similarly, it was more prevalent in participants with albumin levels less than 2.5 mg/dL. CONCLUSION: Hyperkalemia is associated with Child-Pugh class C. It has a direct relationship with serum creatinine levels which is an indicator of renal function, and an inverse relationship with serum albumin levels, an indicator of hepatic synthetic function.
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Introduction The constellation of the physical and psychological symptoms that appear several days before menstrual period is regarded as the premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The current study evaluated the symptoms associated with PMS and their impact on the day-to-day activities of women. Methodology An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at a squatter settlement in Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2019 to February 2020. Amenorrheic, pregnant women, and women who were on birth control at the time of data collection were excluded from the study. The demographics, symptoms of PMS experienced by the participants, and the impact of PMS symptoms on the daily lives of women were recorded. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences v.25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used for data analysis. Results The mean age ± standard deviation of 23.93 years ± 9.41 years was recorded. As many as 213 (63%) women reported dysmenorrhea, followed by fatigue in 108 (32%), bloating in 64 (18.9%), and back pain in 45 (13.3%) women. Irritability and anxiety were experienced by 134 (39.6%) and 117 (34.6%) women, respectively. When asked about their attitude and perception towards menstruation, more than four-fifth respondents confessed that they feel impure when they are experiencing their monthly period. About 38 women (11.2%) believed that menstruation is God's way of punishing the womankind. For the question, "Do you feel that your normal routine is significantly disturbed during your period?", 40% responded in affirmation. Conclusion The findings of the current study reflected a generally negative attitude towards menstruation, which significantly affected the routine lives of women in our setting. The study further concluded that dysmenorrhea, fatigue, irritability, and anxiety were the most common symptoms of PMS experienced by women.
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BACKGROUND: The global incidence of pre-obesity and obesity is rising noticeably. Where medical students should be advocating healthy lifestyles, they are actually indulging in unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyle. This is resulting in an increased incidence of obesity in this population. METHODS: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from September 2018 till January 2019 in four medical colleges of Karachi. Sociodemographic profile, body mass index (BMI), food habits, and exercise routine of the students were recorded. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). RESULTS: The mean BMI of the study population was 21.717 ± 4.33 kg/m2 (range: 16.24-38.19). The mean age was 21.345 ± 1.4709 years with a minimum of 17 years and maximum of 25 years. The combined frequency of pre-obese and obese students was 33.2%. Among these, there were more women (60.6%) than men (39.3%). Among these pre-obese and obese students, 55% had breakfast rarely to sometimes, 47.9% took four or more meals per day, 39.3% consumed fast food thrice weekly or more, and 58.1% consumed soft-drinks/juices alternate to every day. Among the students who indulged into binge eating when stressed, 56.9% were pre-obese to obese. The nutritional status of the study sample was significantly associated with female gender, living status with parents, irregular breakfast, infrequent daily meals, increased consumption of fast food and beverages, decreased consumption of red meat, sedentary lifestyle, and altered eating habits when stressed. CONCLUSION: The incidence of pre-obesity and obesity is noticeably escalating among young adults. If this trend continues, obesity-related complications will form the major chunk of medical illnesses in the near future. Strategies are needed to nip this dilemma in the bud by indulging in healthy and clean eating habits and performing regular physical activity.
