MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving bereaved individuals in Palliative Care Unit Hospital Selayang. Participants (n=175) were recruited through telephone, and a validated tool Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale (PG-13) was asked to identify PGD. Further data collected were concomitant stressors in life and support system in the bereaved individual.
RESULTS: Prevalence of PGD was 2.9% (n=5), and subthreshold PGD was 4% (n=7). A model of multiple logistic regression calculated most of the traditional risk factors were not significant except having an increased responsibility as a single parent after passing of a spouse or loved one, had 10 times increased odds of PGD (Odds Ratios: 10.93; 95% Confidence Interval: 2.937, 40.661). Otherwise, immediate family support (80%), religion (60%) and community (40%) support were the top three coping mechanisms of our PGD cohort, although they were not significant in a multiple logistic regression model.
CONCLUSION: Our PGD percentage may not be as high as those of other countries, but nonetheless they exist and their needs are just as important. The authors hope that this paper may create an awareness among the healthcare clinicians about PGD in our society, for a greater access of service to understand them and better public awareness.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a community-based nationwide cross-sectional study in Malaysia. The data collection period is from July 2023 until September 2023, with a planned sample size of 1296 participants. We use a two-stage proportionate stratified random sampling method to ensure national representativeness. The definition of MetS follows the Harmonised Joint Interim Statement in 2009. A diagnosis of MAFLD is made if a participant has fatty liver, defined as having a Fatty Liver Index ≥60 and has type 2 diabetes, a body mass index ≥23 kg/m2, or ≥2 metabolic risk abnormalities. Complex sample analysis will be conducted, and the disease prevalence will be reported with 95% CIs, unweighted counts and estimated populations.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol has been approved by the Medical Research and Ethics Committee of the Ministry of Health Malaysia (NMRR ID-22-02845-GUT). The findings will be disseminated through a formal report, policy brief, scientific publications, conference presentations, social media, print media and stakeholder engagement activities.
METHODS: This was a single-center cross-sectional study. We recruited 159 participants diagnosed with epilepsy on antiseizure medications (ASMs). We included those aged 18 years and above, excluding patients with long-term medical conditions that would affect vitamin D metabolism. Sociodemographic data and details of epilepsy were collated. Venous sampling was performed to analyze the levels of albumin-corrected calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D]. Serum 25(OH)D level is defined as deficient (<20 ng/ml), insufficient (20-29 ng/ml), and sufficient (≥30 ng/ml).
RESULTS: The study reported that 73 (45.9%) participants had vitamin D deficiency, 38 (23.9%) had vitamin D insufficiency, and 48 (30.2%) patients had sufficient vitamin D levels. The predictors identified were PWE aged 18 to 44 years old (p = 0.001), female gender (OR 3.396, p = 0.002), and ethnicity (p
METHODS: CBCT images were scanned retrospectively and the ones including bilateral M1Ms were included in the study. The evaluation was performed by 1 researcher in each country, trained with CBCT technology. A written and video instruction program explaining the protocol to be followed step-by-step was provided to all observers to calibrate them. The CBCT imaging screening procedure consisted of evaluating axial sections from coronal to apical. The presence of DLC and RE in M1Ms (yes/no) was identified and recorded.
RESULTS: Six thousand three hundred four CBCTs, representing 12,608 M1Ms, were evaluated. A significant difference was found between countries regarding the prevalence of both RE and DLC (P .05).
CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of RE and DLC in M1Ms was 3% and 22%. Additionally, both RE and DLC showed substantial bilaterally. These variations should be considered by endodontic clinicians during endodontic procedures in order to avoid potential complications.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and prevalence of GPP in the Malaysian population and characterize its flares and trigger factors.
METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study using the Teleprimary Care database between January 2010 and December 2020. We identified 230 dermatologist-confirmed GPP cases using International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, diagnostic codes. Annual prevalence and incidence rates were stratified by age, sex and ethnicity. We compared data regarding flares and trigger factors for patients with GPP who had associated psoriasis vulgaris (PV) with those who did not have associated PV.
RESULTS: The prevalence of GPP was 198 per million (267 women, 127 men) and incidence was 27.2 per million person-years [95% confidence interval (CI) 22.8-31.6]; 35.3 (28.4-42.2) per million person-years for women and 18.3 (13.1-23.5) per million person-years for men. Rates were higher in Chinese individuals [prevalence 271 per million; incidence 41.6 per million person-years (28.9-54.3)] than in the Malay population [prevalence 186; incidence 24.6 (19.4-29.7)] or the Indian ethnic group [prevalence 179; incidence 25.0 (13.8-36.3)]. Annual prevalence was consistently higher in women than in men and highest among the Chinese population, followed by the Indian and Malay populations. Overall, 67% of patients with GPP had associated PV. The prevalence and incidence of GPP without PV were lower than GPP with PV at 66 vs. 132 per million and 19.3 (95% CI 15.6-23.0) vs. 8.0 (95% CI 5.6-10.3) per million person-years, respectively. The mean age at GPP onset was 42.7 years (SD 18.4). A bimodal trend in the age of GPP onset was observed, with first and second peaks at age 20-29 years and age 50-59 years, respectively. Disease onset was significantly earlier in patients with GPP without PV than in those with PV [mean age 37.5 years (SD 20.7) vs. 44.9 years (SD 17.0), P = 0.026]. Flares occurred more frequently in patients without PV than in those with PV [mean number of flares per patient per year was 1.35 (SD 0.77) vs. 1.25 (SD 0.58), P = 0.039]. Common triggers of flares in patients with GPP who did not have PV were infections, pregnancy, menstruation and stress, whereas withdrawal of therapy, particularly systemic corticosteroids, was a more frequent trigger in patients with GPP who also had PV.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings contribute to the global mapping of GPP, which will help inform the management of this rare condition.
METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar databases to identify studies reporting Strongyloides prevalence data in the 11 Southeast Asian countries up to December 2022. A random effects model was employed to estimate the pooled prevalence of S. stercoralis at both regional and country levels.
RESULTS: Out of 3722 articles identified, 224 met our inclusion criteria. For S. stercoralis specifically, we found 187 articles, of which 52.4% were from Thailand. All Southeast Asian countries, except Brunei, had at least one study on Strongyloides prevalence. The estimated pooled prevalence of S. stercoralis regionally was 12.7% (95% CI 10.70-14.80%), ranging from 0.4 to 24.9% at the country level. Cambodia had the highest pooled prevalence (24.9%, 95% CI 15.65-35.38%), followed by Lao PDR (16.5%, 95% CI 9.50-24.95%). Moreover, we obtained a pooled prevalence of 10% (95% CI 7.06-13.52%) in a group comprising immigrants, workers, and veterans from Southeast Asian countries. S. stercoralis infects various host types, including nonhuman primates, domestic dogs and cats, rodents, and transport carriers such as cockroaches and vegetables.
CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of strongyloidiasis in Southeast Asia was revealed, highlighting the importance of the region's ongoing research, surveillance, and control efforts. Factors contributing to the strongyloidiasis transmission include the role of animal hosts, the impact of global connectivity, and the significance of the co-endemicity of other Strongyloides species. Based on these findings, a multi-pronged One-Health approach is essential for sustainable intervention and control.
METHODS: We estimated population-level distributions of haemoglobin concentration by age and sex for each location from 1990 to 2021. We then calculated anaemia burden by severity and associated years lived with disability (YLDs). With data on prevalence of the causes of anaemia and associated cause-specific shifts in haemoglobin concentrations, we modelled the proportion of anaemia attributed to 37 underlying causes for all locations, years, and demographics in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.
FINDINGS: In 2021, the global prevalence of anaemia across all ages was 24·3% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 23·9-24·7), corresponding to 1·92 billion (1·89-1·95) prevalent cases, compared with a prevalence of 28·2% (27·8-28·5) and 1·50 billion (1·48-1·52) prevalent cases in 1990. Large variations were observed in anaemia burden by age, sex, and geography, with children younger than 5 years, women, and countries in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia being particularly affected. Anaemia caused 52·0 million (35·1-75·1) YLDs in 2021, and the YLD rate due to anaemia declined with increasing Socio-demographic Index. The most common causes of anaemia YLDs in 2021 were dietary iron deficiency (cause-specific anaemia YLD rate per 100 000 population: 422·4 [95% UI 286·1-612·9]), haemoglobinopathies and haemolytic anaemias (89·0 [58·2-123·7]), and other neglected tropical diseases (36·3 [24·4-52·8]), collectively accounting for 84·7% (84·1-85·2) of anaemia YLDs.
INTERPRETATION: Anaemia remains a substantial global health challenge, with persistent disparities according to age, sex, and geography. Estimates of cause-specific anaemia burden can be used to design locally relevant health interventions aimed at improving anaemia management and prevention.
FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search of observational studies conducted in ASEAN countries between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2020 was performed in the Medline, PubMed and Google Scholar databases. The quality of studies was evaluated based on The Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist. The analysis was performed with Review Manager software version 5.4. Metaanalysis of the estimates from primary studies was conducted by adjusting for possible publication bias and heterogeneity.
RESULTS: Twenty-five studies including 19924 postnatal mothers were included in this review. The pooled prevalence of PPD is 22.32% (95% CI: 18.48, 26.17). Thailand has the highest prevalence of PPD with a pooled prevalence of 74.1% (95% CI: 64.79, 83.41). The prevalence of PPD was highest when the assessment for PPD was conducted up to 6 weeks postpartum with a pooled prevalence of 25.24% (95% CI: 14.08, 36.41). The identified determinants of PPD were unplanned pregnancy, term pregnancy, lack of family support and physical violence. There were limited studies done and high heterogeneity in terms of quality, methodology, culture, screening method and time of PPD measurement.
CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one in five postpartum women in ASEAN countries had PPD. The risk factor that lowers the risk of PPD is unplanned and term pregnancies, while women with a lack of family support and experienced physical violence increase the risk of PPD. Robust prevalence studies are needed to assess the magnitude of this problem in ASEAN countries.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done in Kuching, Sarawak, involving 173 randomly selected respondents among manufacturing factory workers. Data collected were respondents' workplace monitoring data and their audiometry records obtained from the factory record, and the otoscopy examinations performed. In addition, respondents were required to fill up an interviewer-guided questionnaire.
RESULTS: The prevalence of NIHL was high (49.7%). The factors which were found to have a significant association with NIHL in bivariate analysis were age (p < 0.05, 95% CI), male gender (p < 0.05; OR - 7.60; CI 3.34 -18.38), duration of employment (p <0.05), knowledge of noise level (p < 0.05; OR - 4.11; CI 1.10 - 15.28), working at polishing department (p < 0.05; OR - 4.23; CI 2.13 - 8.43), and smoking (p < 0.05; OR - 39.6; CI 16.5 - 94.8). Pack-years of smoking were also found to have a significant association with p < 0.05. However, only smoking was statistically significant in multivariate analysis, where the risk of developing NIHL was 27.55 (p < 0.005; CI 10.74 - 70.64) among smokers.
CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of NIHL despite the existing Hearing Conservation Program (HCP) may indicate that there may be some elements in HCP that require close monitoring by the factory management, and the importance of smoking cessation among the workers exposed to noise at the workplace should be highlighted.
METHOD: We searched MEDLINE and Embase for studies reporting the prevalence or incidence of one or more chronic conditions among adults with CP. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full-text articles. Two independent reviewers extracted data relating to prevalence and incidence and appraised study quality. We performed random-effects meta-analyses to pool prevalence and incidence.
RESULTS: We identified 69 studies; 65 reported the prevalence of 53 conditions and 13 reported the incidence of 21 conditions. At least 20% of adults had the following conditions: depression (21%); anxiety (21%); mood affective disorders (23%); asthma (24%); hypertension (26%); epilepsy (28%); urinary incontinence (32%); malnutrition (38%); and scoliosis (46%). Adults with CP were more likely to have type 2 diabetes, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, cerebrovascular disease, asthma, liver disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, underweight, and chronic kidney disease than adults without CP.
INTERPRETATION: These data from 18 countries, which provide an international perspective, may be used to promote awareness, identify targets for intervention, and inform the development of appropriate supports for adults with CP.
METHODS: A single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted over a 12-month period at the Dermatology Clinic, Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia involving all consecutive psoriasis patients. CASPAR (ClASsification of Psoriatic ARthritis) criteria were used to diagnose psoriatic arthritis.
RESULTS: A total of 360 patients with psoriasis were recruited, of whom 107 (29.7%) had psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis patients had equal gender distribution and the mean age of arthritis onset was 40.7 ± 12.8 years. Psoriasis preceded arthritis in 81.3% of patients (n = 87) with a mean latency interval of 10.5 years. Polyarthropathy was the predominant subtype affecting 46.8% (n = 50) of patients, followed by oligoarthropathy (22.4%, n = 24), axial joint disease (5.6%, n = 6), predominant distal interphalangeal joint disease (2.8%, n = 3), and mixed subtype (22.4%, n = 24). Enthesitis and dactylitis occurred in 12.1% (n = 13) and 20.6% (n = 22) of arthritis patients, respectively, and deformity was present in 37.4% (n = 40). Psoriatic arthritis was significantly associated with being an ever smoker (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.18-0.91, p = .029), genital psoriasis (aOR 2.25; 95% CI 1.17-4.33, p = .015), and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (aOR 1.02; 95% CI 1.01-1.04, p = .005) and C-reactive protein [CRP] (aOR 1.04; 95% CI 1.00-1.08, p = .040).
CONCLUSION: Our study showed a high prevalence of psoriatic arthritis among the psoriasis cohort. Genital involvement, and increased ESR and CRP were associated with psoriatic arthritis among patients with psoriasis.
METHODS: Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019, we assessed the age-standardized prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of both asthma and AD from 1990 to 2019, stratified by geographic region, age, sex, and socio-demographic index (SDI). DALYs were calculated as the sum of years lived with disability and years of life lost to premature mortality. Additionally, the disease burden of asthma attributable to high body mass index, occupational asthmagens, and smoking was described.
RESULTS: In 2019, there were a total of 262 million [95% uncertainty interval (UI): 224-309 million] cases of asthma and 171 million [95% UI: 165-178 million] total cases of AD globally; age-standardized prevalence rates were 3416 [95% UI: 2899-4066] and 2277 [95% UI: 2192-2369] per 100,000 population for asthma and AD, respectively, a 24.1% [95% UI: -27.2 to -20.8] decrease for asthma and a 4.3% [95% UI: 3.8-4.8] decrease for AD compared to baseline in 1990. Both asthma and AD had similar trends according to age, with age-specific prevalence rates peaking at age 5-9 years and rising again in adulthood. The prevalence and incidence of asthma and AD were both higher for individuals with higher SDI; however, mortality and DALYs rates of individuals with asthma had a reverse trend, with higher mortality and DALYs rates in those in the lower SDI quintiles. Of the three risk factors, high body mass index contributed to the highest DALYs and deaths due to asthma, accounting for a total of 3.65 million [95% UI: 2.14-5.60 million] asthma DALYs and 75,377 [95% UI: 40,615-122,841] asthma deaths.
CONCLUSIONS: Asthma and AD continue to cause significant morbidity worldwide, having increased in total prevalence and incidence cases worldwide, but having decreased in age-standardized prevalence rates from 1990 to 2019. Although both are more frequent at younger ages and more prevalent in high-SDI countries, each condition has distinct temporal and regional characteristics. Understanding the temporospatial trends in the disease burden of asthma and AD could guide future policies and interventions to better manage these diseases worldwide and achieve equity in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.