Background: The median nerve in paraplegic patients, who must rely on increased hand activities including transfer and wheel-chair propulsion, may be subjected to increased pressure, so that the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may be higher than that in the normal population.
Objectives: To study the prevalence and the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome in Iraqi paraplegic patients and to identify the effect of duration of the injury as a possible factor related to its occurrence to avoid any chronic problems which interfere with the hand functions since these patients are greatly dependent on their hands for their daily activities.
Patients and Methods: Fifty paraplegic patients (100 hands), whose level of spinal cord injury was below D2, and fifty normal control subjects were included in this study. All patients studied in this work had complete spinal cord injury and were stabled medically and neurologically.
Clinical examination for the signs and symptoms of CTS as well as nerve conduction studies were carried out in both median and ulnar nerves for their sensory and motor components eliciting values for distal latencies for all patients and the control groups.
Results: Thirty percent of the paraplegic patients (15 patients) had signs and symptoms consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and all of them had electrodiagnostic confirmation of this injury.
Seventy percent of these paraplegic patients (35 patients) had no signs and symptoms suggestive of CTS, and only nearly about forty eight percent (17 patients) of them had only electrodiagnostic confirmation of CTS. Overall, 64% of the 50 paraplegic patients had CTS (32 patients). Nine paraplegic patients (18%) exhibiting bilateral CTS. Eight paraplegic patients (16%) had abnormal electrophysiological findings involving the ulnar nerve at the wrist and all of them had electrophysiological findings of CTS.
There was a sharp increase in incidence of occurrence of CTS from 6.3% in the group 1 to 5 years from injury to 13.7% in the group 6 to 10 years, and to 25% in the group 11 to 15 years, and again a very big increase to 50% in the group 16 years and over from injury.
Conclusion: Early testing of the median and ulnar nerve function, even in asymptomatic patients within the first 5 years of the injury, is recommended so for early detection, preventive and/or curative measures to be undertaken considering the fact that these patients are greatly dependent on their hands for their daily activities.
Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease. It is one of the major causes of disability in developed and developing countries. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) as part of immune system has a role in the disease process.Objectives: To investigate whether there is an association between HLA class II-DRB and OA.Methods: A case control study with 26 patients with osteoarthritis and 22 apparently healthy obese control persons matching in ethnicity were enrolled in this study during the period between October 2012 till March 2013. Direct interview was done with each patient and HLA typing was done by molecular method using Sequence Specific Primer (PCR-SSP) method using One Lambda Kit-USA. Results: The results showed that fem
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Background: Fibromyalgia has been associated with physical and emotional trauma including invasive medical procedures. Both Fibromyalgia and ischemic heart disease have been linked with depression. The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of fibromyalgia syndrome in patients with ischemic heart disease.Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was done in the Iraqi Center for Heart Disease. One hundred patients, angiographically proved to have ischemic heart disease, were subjected to rheumatologic examination by another physician, and compared to hundred healthy individuals as a control group. Diagnosis of fibromyalgia was based on 1990 American College of Rheumatology Classification criteria for the diagnosis of
... Show MoreFifty celiac disease (CD) patients (21 males and 29 females) with an age range of 2-35 years and 25 apparently healthy controls were investigated for 10 autoantibodies (anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA antibody; ATA, anti-tissue transglutaminase IgG antibody; ATG, anti-gliadine IgA antibody; AGA, anti-gliadine IgG antibody; AGG, anti-nuclear antibody; ANA, anti-double strand DNA antibody; AdsDNA, anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody; ATP, anti-phospholipid antibody; APP, anti-myeloperoxidase antibody; AMP and anti-proteinase 3 antibody; AP3) in their sera. Six autoantibodies (ATA, ATG, AGA, AGG, AMP and AP3) showed significant variations between CD patients and controls. The first four antibodies were not detected in sera of controls, while
... Show MoreInfection of the gastric mucosa with Helicobacter pylori is strongly associated with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. Helicobacter pylori virulence factors include a variety of proteins that are involved in its pathogenesis, such as VacA and CagA. Another group of virulence factors is clearly important for colonization of H.pylori in the gastric mucosa. These include urease, motility factors (flagellin), and Superoxide dismutase (SOD). Because of this organism's microaerophilic nature and the increased levels of reactive oxygen in the infected host, we expect that other factors involved in the response to oxidative stress are likely to be required for virulence. Superoxide dismutase is a near
... Show MoreObjective- the study aim to determine the cardiac patient knowledge about anticoagulant medications using and its relationship with demographic data(age. gender. level of education. occupational). Methodology- A descriptive study(quasi-experimental)design was carried out to determine cardiac patient knowledge consider to using anticoagulant medications . Starting from(1th Jun 2017 to5th October 2018).To achieve the objectives of the study, a non-probability sample (a purposive sample) consisted of random sample comprised of (30) patients were taken anticoagulant medications ..The measurement of patient knowledge were collected through the use of questionnaire which is related to patient knowledge toward using the anticoagulant medication
... Show MorePolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent condition in women of reproductive age. It is characterized by androgen excess and chronic anovulation. Some trace elements, macroelements, and heavy metals have been linked to pathophysiological mechanisms of PCOS .
To study the alterations in the serum levels of the trace element manganese (Mn), some macroelements, magnesium(Mg) and calcium (Ca), and the heavy metals cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), in obese and non-obese PCOS patients; and the association of these alterations with some of the hormonal changes occurring in PCOS.
The study was carried out at Kamal Al-Samarrai Hospital (Center for Infertility treatment and in vitro Fertilization "IVF") Baghdad- Iraq. Eig
... Show MoreBackground: Patients with chronic renal failure undergoing longterm hemodialysis (HD) are prone to atherosclerosis and at increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Objective: The objective of this study is to compare atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) on regular hemodialysis, when associated with other chronic diseases.
Patients and methods: A total of forty male patients with CRF on hemodialysis, matched in, age, body mass index BMI, and duration of hemodialysis were enrolled. They were grouped as group 1 (G1) includes eleven subjects with CRF without (hypertension and / or diabetes) groups 2 (G2) fourteen CRF subjects wi
Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age with primary manifestations of infertility, menstrual dysfunction and clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism (hirsutism, acne and elevated androgen). Adiponectin is the most abundant adipokine. It has insulin-sensitizing, anti-atherogenic, and antiinflammatory actions.
Objective: Low adiponectin levels in women with PCOS have been largely attributed to obesity which is common among these patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure adiponectin levels in normal weight women with PCOS and its contribution to development of disease.
Subjects and Methods: Fifty two (52) women were include