A case-control study on health-related quality of life of systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic rheumatic autoimmune condition that can cause a wide range of symptoms and problems that may affect the health-related quality of life. The main objective of the study was to assess the SLE burden by exploring the effect of the disease on health-related quality of life. The study consisted of 29 female SLE patients and 27 healthy female controls; they were matched for age and parity. A 36-item Short Form health survey questionnaire (SF-36) was used to collect data from participants through face-to-face interviews and to assess their health-related quality of life. SF-36 summary scores for the physical and mental components were decreased in the studied patients compared with controls; PCS was 28.81 ± 16.63, 77.25 ± 15.75 for cases and controls, respectively; and MCS was 32.75 ± 18.69, and 78.75 ± 10.63 for cases and controls, respectively (p < 0.05). The high correlation between the two dimensions characterizes this decrease. SLE negatively affected the quality of life of the patients. Measures such as lifestyle modifications, physical activity, and a healthy diet should be taken to improve the health-related quality of life in SLE patients. In addition, raising the patient's awareness about the disease and its consequences could help to cope with the illness and engage in social and physical activities.

Environmental risk factors of systemic lupus erythematosus: a case-control study.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complicated chronic autoimmune disorder. Several genetic and environmental factors were suggested to be implicated in its pathogenesis. The main objective of this study was to examine how exposure to selected environmental factors was associated with SLE risk to support the development of disease preventive strategies. A case-control study was conducted at the Rheumatology outpatient clinic of Alexandria Main University Hospital, in Alexandria, Egypt. The study sample consisted of 29 female SLE patients, and 27 healthy female controls, who matched the cases on age and parity. Data were collected by a structured interviewing questionnaire. Blood levels of lead, cadmium, and zinc of all participants were assessed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The multivariate stepwise logistic regression model revealed that five factors showed significant association with SLE, namely living near agricultural areas, passive smoking, blood lead levels ≥ 0.075 mg/L, and exposure to sunlight (odds ratio (OR) 58.556, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.897-1807.759, OR 24.116, 95% CI 1.763-329.799, OR 18.981, 95% CI 1.228-293.364, OR 9.549, 95% CI 1.299-70.224, respectively). Whereas walking or doing exercise were significantly protective factors (P = 0.006). The findings of this study add to the evidence that SLE can be environmentally induced. Preventive measures should be taken to address the environmental risk factors of SLE.

Association between sleeping hours and cardiometabolic risk factors for metabolic syndrome in a Saudi Arabian population.

OBJECTIVES: Epidemiological and molecular studies have shown that sleep duration is associated with metabolic syndrome (MtS), a disease that is on the rise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We aim to investigate the association between sleep duration and selected cardiometabolic risk factors of MtS in a Saudi Arabian population. SETTING: Secondary care was given to the participants. There were 2 participating centres, shopping malls in North and South Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. PARTICIPANTS: We recruited 2686 participants over a 1-year study period. Participants were selected based on their willingness. The only criterion for exclusion was living in the area (North or South Jeddah) for less than 15 years. PLANNED AND PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were measured for blood sugar levels, blood pressure and body mass index. All participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire. RESULTS: There was a positive association between longer sleep duration and obesity, hypertension and hyperglycaemia. The adjusted ORs for obesity, hypertension and hyperglycaemia were 1.54 (95% CI 1.20 to 1.98), 1.89 (95% CI 1.45 to 2.48) and 1.59 (95% CI 1.19 to 2.13), respectively, in participants sleeping >8 h/night, as compared with those sleeping 7 h. The positive associations between longer sleep duration, defined as sleeping >7 h, and the disease status, did not differ from other risk factors such as physical activity and nutrition. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first epidemiological study reporting on the association between sleep duration and cardiometabolic risk factors of MtS in a Saudi Arabian population. Sleep durations of 8 h or greater were found to be associated with all 3 cardiometabolic risk factors: obesity, hypertension and hyperglycaemia, and this relationship was not confounded by quality of nutrition or physical activity levels.

Health impacts on workers in wastewater treatment plants in jeddah city, saudi arabia.

Wastewater workers are exposed to various job-related hazards. This work was carried out in the period from November, 2004 to January, 2005. All workers (one hundred and ninety two workers) in the Jeddah Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (MWTP) were interviewed. They were asked to answer a precoded questionnaire that included personal data and complete medical (present, past, and family) history. They were also asked about history of previous medical examinations in details. Psychological problems were the most common health problems as they formed 84.4% followed by mucous membranes' irritation which constituted 42.2%. The percentage of workers following the safety precautions: wearing anti-slide shoes; the use of personal protective tools for the protection of the skin and eyes; the use of safety precautions in mixing chemicals; the safe storage, transfer, and circulation of chemicals; and ensuring the safety of electrical appliances were 14.6%, 75%, 13.5%, 91.7%, and 95.8%, respectively. The T-test was carried out between those having mucous membrane irritation and those who didn't have mucous membrane irritation as regards the duration of work and it was found to be statistically significant (p=0.000). Those who suffered from mucous membrane irritation have mean work duration of 5.04 years whereas those without irritation have a mean of 6.75 years. Finally, t-test was carried out between those having psychological problems and those who didn't have psychological problems and it was found to be significant (p=0.007). The mean work duration for those suffering from psychological problems was 6.2 years whereas those who didn't suffer from psychological problems had a mean work duration of 5.1 years.

Health impacts on workers in landfill in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia.

All workers (twenty nine workers) in the Jeddah landfill were interviewed. They were asked to answer a precoded questionnaire. Jeddah landfill lies in Breman region on the east of the highway. It was constructed on the year 1982. Its total area is about 1.5 square kilometers. The daily solid waste weight disposed off in the landfill is from three to four thousands tons. There is a network of pipes and wells to collect gases which are burnt. There is no network for the disposal of the leachate. The personnel are 29 they work in shifts. The majority (62.1%) are from Bangladesh. This can be explained by the fact that they are poor, ignorant and work in any job regardless the hazards that my result from such work. It was found that 17.9% had accidents. Errors in dealing with instruments and falls each constitutes 20% of accidents' causes. Other causes represent 60%. The major four health problems are respiratory infections and/or allergy, eye infections, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) infections, and musculoskeletal injuries representing 65.5%, 48.3%, 20.7%, and 17.2%, respectively. It is recommended for landfill workers to wear protective clothes and equipment, have work-related training courses, and be medically supervised.

Study of the environmental health aspects of swimming pools in Alexandria City.

There has been a rapid increase in the number of public as well as private swimming pools in recent years. This is because the general public is now much more health and fitness-oriented, and swimming is thought by many to be the perfect form of exercise. Assessment of the environmental and health aspects of some of Alexandria swimming pools was carried out through the present study. All the recorded temperatures during the present study agreed with the Infectious Diseases Regulations. As regards turbidity, although the annual mean values of most pools had shown compliance with the allowable limit of the decree, there were many violations of the limit values in some individual results recorded during the different months. Most of the residual chlorine results recorded at the different pools during the different months showed that the operators were adding the Cl2 in a haphazard way. The low pH values could be attributed to the addition of slug doses of Cl2 which hydrolyze, producing high concentrations of hydrochloric and hydrochlorous acids. The high incidence of recorded itching and redness of the eyes followed by ear infections was attributed to the exposure to excess chlorine, and to the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. As regards the awareness and practice to pool hygienic instructions, the low percentage of swimmers using head caps during swimming (30.1%) was mainly comprised of females. It could be concluded that the majority of the users followed some of the hygienic instructions, like showering, washing the feet before entering the pool, and wearing bathing suites instead of private clothes. The frequencies of health problems observed among users were related to many factors, like age, marital status, occupation, frequency, and duration of use of the swimming pool.

Biological monitoring of environmental exposure to mutagens among high school students in Jeddah.

Mutagenic and/or carcinogenic substances, which are present in the environment, are numerous. They include electrophilic compounds, polycyclic aromatic compounds such as benzo(a)pyrene which is a polyaromatic hydrocarbon. It is well known to be mutagenic and carcinogenic. Biological monitoring that depends on estimating a substance or one of its metabolites or one of its effective components in biological fluids such as urine and blood was carried out. Thioether concentration in urine indicates absorption of mutagenic and/or carcinogenic substances. Thiocyanates' concentration in urine was used as an indicator of absorption of mutagenic and/or carcinogenic haloacetonitriles. Urinary cotinine was used to estimate the extent of exposure to tobacco smoke, the heaviness of smoking, and whether the subject is smoker or not. Three hundreds and thirty two male students were randomly selected from eight secondary schools in Jeddah city. Their ages were more than 15 years and they were apparently free from illness. Every student filled a questionnaire. Random urine samples were obtained from all students. Thioether, thiocyanate, cotinine, and creatinine were measured in urine samples. There was a direct relation between urinary thioether and each of smoking index, food index, urinary thiocyanate, and cotinine. Urinary thioether shows an inverse relation with BMI. Urinary thiocyanate and cotinine showed direct relation with smoking index and with each of them and the other factor. This indicates interference between these indices and smoking is still one of the most misleading factors in researches that deal with the mutagenic and/or carcinogenic effects in the environment.