Association of cigarette and water-pipe smoking with increased visceral adiposity, glycemic intolerance and hematological derangement in Iraqi healthy smokers

Abstract The present study aims to investigate the impacts of cigarette smoking (CS) and water-pipe smoking (WPS) on the visceral adiposity index (VAI), hematological characteristics, and glycemic tolerance in Iraqi healthy smokers. A total of 528 healthy males from different locations of Baghdad city were allocated to three groups; nonsmokers (176), cigarette smokers (178), and WP smokers (174). Baseline characteristics, anthropometric and hematological markers and were reported. Glycemic control was evaluated using the glucose tolerance test. The evidence of elevated VAI, disrupted hematological markers, and impaired glucose tolerance was significantly (P<0.001) different compared with non-smokers and related to the duration of smoking. The impacts of WPS seem to be significantly greater than CS in certain parameters (hemoglobin, hematocrit, methemoglobin, and 2-hour glucose tolerance values). In conclusion, CS and WPS negatively impacted body fat distribution, glucose tolerance, and hematological markers. There is a positive association between the rate of smoking and obesity, glycemic intolerance in both groups

Healthcare personnel's experience of reporting adverse drug reactions in Baghdad city: cross-sectional study.

Background Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are undesirable effects to drugs at doses normally used in the clinical setting for diagnosis, treatment or prophylaxis of diseases. Spontaneous ADR reporting is currently considered as a critical part of ADRs detection. Objective The study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare providers towards adverse drug reaction reporting in public and private settings within the Baghdad area. Method We follow a quantitative cross-sectional study design, using a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from the healthcare providers regarding their reporting practice. Main outcome The outcome measures include the experiences of reporting of adverse drug reactions and the available systems, in addition to the expected benefits to clinical practice. Results Among 485 respondents, 114 were able to differentiate ADRs from side effects. About half of them (47.6%) recognized the availability of reporting systems and 43.3% knew how to report adverse drug reactions. 43.7% of the respondents mentioned that ADRs should be reported only when they are life-threatening. Among the 188 respondents who encountered ADRs, 145 reported the events to the accessible local authority. Conclusion The healthcare providers working in Baghdad healthcare institutions have a good attitude toward ADR reporting. There is a relatively below-standard reporting culture of the encountered adverse reactions. The inadequate knowledge about adverse reactions and the unavailability of reporting forms played a major role in discouraging healthcare professionals to detect and report ADRs.