Aetiology of dysentery in infants in infection ward of Amir Kabir Hospital, Arak, in 2010-2011.

BACKGROUND: Dysentery is one of the children's common disease for which various infectious and non-infectious reasons have been explained for it. Since determination of the cause especially with age segregation helps the experimental treatment, this study has been executed to establish relative Of frequency of dysentery causes and its comparison below and above the age of six months. METHODS: This descriptive, sectional study has been executed on 50 below-six-month-old patients and 50 above-six-month-old patients both diagnosed with dysentery, held in the infection ward of Amir Kabir Hospital in 2010-2011. Faeces samples were taken for culture of Shigella, Yersinia, Salmonella, and E. coli, and serum samples were also taken for antibody against the Campylobacter, Yersinia, and allergy to cow milk protein; then results were analysed with SPSS. RESULTS: In 60% of patients the cause could not be determined. In 12% of patients, faeces culture was positive, yet the positive faeces culture in two groups had no significant difference (p=0.053) 7% of antibody against Yersinia, and 14% against the Campylobacter was positive which was more significantly differed in above-six-month group than below-six-month group. Ten percent were allergic to the cow milk protein which was more significantly differed in above-six-month group than below-six-month group. CONCLUSION: In more than half of the cases the cause to dysentery could not be identified, but the infectious reasons for above-six-month were double the below-six-month group. Campylobacter, and cow milk allergy was more common in the six-month group, and the frequency of Shigella and other infections in both groups did not have a significant difference.

The metabolic syndrome in hypertensive and normotensive subjects: the Isfahan Healthy Heart Programme.

INTRODUCTION: There are numerous correlations between hypertension and the metabolic syndrome, although this is not always the case. The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its different phenotypes among hypertensive and normotensive subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on a representative sample of adults living in 3 cities in Iran. Among the 12,514 subjects selected by multi-stage random sampling, 1736 (13.9%) were hypertensive. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome [according to the Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III criteria] was significantly higher in hypertensive than normotensive subjects (51.6% versus 12.9%, respectively; OR, 7.15; 95% CI, 6.4 to 7.9). The metabolic syndrome was more prevalent in normotensive and hypertensive subjects living in urban areas than those living in rural areas (14.2% and 53.9% versus 9.5% and 45.6%, respectively, P < 0.05). The mean age of hypertensive subjects, with or without the metabolic syndrome, was not significantly different (55.7 +/- 12 years versus 55.4 +/- 15.5 years, P = 0.6). Hypertension with the metabolic syndrome was more prevalent in women than men (72% versus 28% respectively, P < 0.000), and in subjects living in urban areas than those in rural areas (75.1% versus 24.9%, respectively, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate the need for metabolic screening in all hypertensive patients, and emphasise the importance of promoting primary and secondary prevention of high blood pressure and associated modifiable risk factors in order to counter the upcoming epidemic of non-communicable disease in developing countries.