Exploring Myocardial Infarction Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Among Mogadishu's Somali Residents.

Introduction: Myocardial infarction and cardiovascular disease are significant global health issues, particularly in Somalia. The Somali population faces challenges due to armed conflict, limited education, and underdeveloped healthcare infrastructure. Cardiovascular risk factors like diabetes, hypertension, and obesity are prevalent, and Somali people face increased susceptibility. Methods: This study examined Somalia residents' perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors towards myocardial infarction using a cross-sectional paper-based questionnaire. The sample consisted of 313 urban residents in Mogadishu, aged 20 and above. The questionnaire was written in Somali and was designed for the demographic. Knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were categorized into two groups, with associations between knowledge, attitude, and practice with sociodemographic and health characteristics assessed using Logistic Regression. Results: This study analyzed data from A random sample of participants who arrived at the hospital for various reasons regarding their perceptions, attitudes, and responses towards myocardial infarction. The mean age was 42 ±19 years, with 54% being male and 46% female. Hypertension was the most common comorbidity, followed by dyslipidemia and diabetes. Over half of the respondents had no formal education, and only 3.8% had a smoking history. About 5.7% had a previous history of myocardial infarction. The mean knowledge score was 11.07 ± 0.697, with 53.35% of respondents not knowing enough about myocardial infarction. The majority of the patients showed a favorable attitude, but only a slight majority could recognize symptoms of myocardial infarction. The majority of the patients had inadequate practice and behavior, with 53.6% not practicing regularly or engaging in sports. Conclusion: The research highlights gaps in Mogadishu's Somali community's knowledge and practices regarding myocardial infarction. It emphasizes the need for health education, primary care, and community involvement to improve cardiovascular health awareness and reduce MI incidence.

A Rare Case of Apixaban-Induced Subdural Hematoma in Elderly Heart Failure Patient.

New oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have become more popular in the last few decades. Although apixaban has been proven to be safer than warfarin and causes less hemorrhage in comparison to other NOACs, it still poses a risk of spontaneous bleeding. We present here an 81-year-old male known case of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) associated with an apical thrombus of 0.93×1.29 cm who presents with cognitive decline, slurred speech, and right side weakness following apixaban use for his apical thrombus. On further evaluation of non-contrast brain computerized tomography (CT), there was a large extra-axial subacute subdural hematoma with thick septations in the left parietal region, measuring 2.6 cm in thickness, causing an a mass effect, and an a midline shift of 1 mm. Following neurosurgery, cardiology, and anesthesiology discussions, the surgery was deferred due to his age and coexisting conditions with regular follow-ups. The patient has now gained full consciousness and is currently undergoing physiotherapy. This case highlights an elderly patient with apixaban-induced subdural hemorrhage, which is a rare entity in the medical literature. Although apixaban is safer than other NOACs, it may cause subdural hemorrhage.

A multivessel spontaneous coronary artery dissection presented with an acute coronary syndrome that was conservatively managed. A case report.

A spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a tear that forms in a blood vessel in the heart without any obvious underlying etiology. It could be a single vessel or multiple vessels. We present a 48-year-old male known to be a heavy smoker without any chronic diseases or family history of heart disease who presents to the cardiology outpatient clinic with shortness of breath and chest pain on exertion. Electrocardiography demonstrated ST depression with T wave inversion of anterior leads, while echocardiography of the patient showed left ventricular systolic dysfunction with severe mitral regurgitation and mildly dilated left chambers. Based on his risks for coronary artery disease, his electrocardiography, and echocardiography, the patient was referred for elective coronary angiography to exclude the possibility of coronary artery disease. The angiography was done with the result of multivessel spontaneous coronary artery dissections involving the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and circumflex artery (CX) with a normal dominant right coronary artery (RCA). Due to the multi-vessel involvement of the dissection and the high risk of extension of the dissection, we preferred conservative management, including smoking cessation and heart failure management. The patient is doing well with regular heart failure treatment in cardiology follow-up.

A 28-year-old male with spontaneous coronary artery dissection complicated by apical thrombus and acute ischemic stroke: An interesting case.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is described as the intramural bleeding that separates the layers of an epicardial coronary artery wall, either with or without an intimal tear. Atherosclerosis, iatrogenic damage, or trauma are not linked to this syndrome. Here we present a 28-year-old male with 1 month history stroke but no any chronic disease as well family history of heart disease who presented with 2 days' duration of typical cardiac chest pain. Based on an emergency electrocardiogram that showed biphasic T-wave inversion with ST-elevation myocardial infarction, the patient was taken to the a  catheterization laboratory(cath-lab), with the result of spontaneous coronary artery dissection of the left anterior dissenting artery with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow grade 0 and normal of other vessels. Then we successfully did angioplasty, and the patient was discharged with aspirin 100 mg 1 × 1, clopidogrel 75 mg 1 × 1, and rivaroxaban 20 mg 1 × 1.

Prevalence of Thyroid Dysfunction Among Patients with Heart Failure at a Tertiary Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Introduction: Thyroid disease is an independent predictor of heart failure in patients. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among patients with heart failure in Mogadishu, Somalia. Methods: From January 2019 to January 2021, a total of 250 patients diagnosed with heart failure admitted to the cardiology outpatient and emergency departments were evaluated retrospectively. The demographic characteristics, the cause of heart failure, and the kind of heart failure were recorded. Patients were categorized into subclinical hypothyroidism, hypothyroidism, low T3 syndrome, subclinical hyperthyroidism, and hyperthyroidism. Results: A total of 250 heart failure patients. The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among heart failure patients was 35.6%. The mean age of the patients was 59.8±14 years. Males outnumbered females by 159 (63.2%). The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction was 35.6%. Out of the 250 patients that were examined, most of the patients 30(33.3%) had subclinical hypothyroidism. 23 (25.6%) had overt hypothyroidism, 15 (16.7%) had overt hyperthyroidism, 20 (22.2%) had low T3 syndrome, and two cases had subclinical hyperthyroidism. Regarding the gender status of the thyroid dysfunction, 43(48.3%) were male, and 46(51.7%) were female. Regarding heart failure types among thyroid dysfunction patients, most patients were HFrEF (n=64, 71.9%), and 25(28.1%) were HFpEF. Patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) were more likely to have thyroid dysfunction than those with preserved ejection fraction (p = 0.012). Regarding comorbidities among heart failure patients with thyroid dysfunction, approximately half of the patients had hypertension (40.4%). Conclusion: Thyroid problems are one of the most prevalent endocrine abnormalities in our practice. Subclinical hypothyroidism was the most common type of thyroid dysfunction among this population. We suggest that thyroid function be evaluated with cardiac function in patients with heart failure and followed up and treated together with heart failure.

Pulmonary hypertension among maintenance hemodialysis patients in Somalia: a hospital-based observational study.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine the prevalence and related factors of pulmonary hypertension (PHT) in patients on hemodialysis (HD) at the only referral institution in Somalia. A total of one hundred and forty-three patients  who had received regular HD therapy for at least three months and underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were included in the study. Patients with a systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) value > 35 mmHg at rest on TTE were considered having PHT. The relationship of TTE parameters, demographic, and clinic characteristics of participants with PHT were evaluated. RESULTS: The number of patients with PHT was 73 (51%). The mean age was 54.2 ± 18.4 years. The majority of patients were 65 years of age or older. (n: 46, 32.2%) and 65 (45.5%) were male. Median sPAP was found to be 35 mmHg. Systolic pulmonary artery pressure was positively correlated with right atrium (RA) diameter (r: 0.6, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (r: - 0.4, p < 0.001). In addition, LVEF, RA diameter, presence of pericardial effusion (PE) were found to be independent predictors of PHT. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary hypertension has a relatively high prevalence in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on regular HD. Besides, the presence of PE and certain right and left heart parameters were independently associated with PHT.

An unusual combination of persistent silent truncus arteriosus Type-II with ascending aortic aneurysm.

Truncus arteriosus (TA) is a relatively uncommon cyanotic congenital cardiac anomaly accounting for 1.3% of all congenital cardiac malformations. TA associated with an ascending aortic aneurysm is an extremely rare congenital cardiovascular abnormality. A 15-year-old male presented with shortness of breath and cough for 2 weeks. Radiological examinations showed that the ascending aorta and main pulmonary arteries originate from a single truncus with ascending aortic aneurysm. TA has a poor prognosis if remain unrepaired and surgical intervention is necessary to avoid severe pulmonary vascular occlusive disease.