Ammar Alkhazna

Severity of obstructive sleep apnea between black and white patients.

Abstract Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a relatively common problem with potentially serious health consequences. The purpose of this study was to identify whether race has any effect on the severity of OSA. Our hypothesis was that OSA, when present, is more severe in black patients than white patients. This cross-sectional study was performed at Truman Medical Centers, a teaching hospital affiliated with University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine (Kansas City, MO). Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to establish if race was predictive of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) score when controlling for age, sex, and body mass index. The analysis included 280 patients with complete data for each of the variables in the model. Race (the primary predictor of interest) did not significantly predict AHI score (P = 0.172), and neither did age (P = 0.783). Men had higher AHI scores than women (P < 0.001), and higher body mass index was associated with higher AHI score (P < 0.001). There were more black women in the sample population than white women (P = 0.043). Black patients were also more likely to have hypertension (P = 0.037). This study suggests that race is not a predictor of OSA severity after controlling for age, sex, and body mass index. There is a need for more studies to examine the prevalence of OSA in different races.

An adult patient with respiratory failure and splenomegaly

White blood cell count 5.5 × 109/L 4.0–11.0 Red blood cell count 3.48 × 106/L 4.31–5.84 Hemoglobin 9.9 g/dL 13.0–17.0 Hematocrit 31% 40–50 Platelet count 212 × 109/L 140–400 Albumin 1.3 g/dl 3.5–5.0 Total bilirubin 0.5 mg/dl 0.3–1.4 Direct bilirubin 0.1 mg/dl 0.1–0.5 Alkaline phosphatase 83 IU/L 42–128 Alanine aminotransferase 94 IU/L 14–63 Aspartate aminotransferase 47 IU/L 15–41 Total serum protein 5.7 g/dl 6.0–8.0 Amylase 1004 IU/L 36–128 Lipase 372 IU/L 18–51 ESR 122 mm/hr 0–12 Total hemolytic complements 120 U/ml 142–279 C4 7 mg/dl 14–40 IgM Rheumatoid Factor (RF) 465 IU/ml Total IgM 352 mg/dl 50–300 ymphoma

Racial differences in the prevalence of restless legs syndrome in a primary care setting.

Abstract Study Objective: To assess the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in a primary care clinic and in African American (AA) and non—African American (NAA) racial groups. Methods: We examined the prevalence of RLS using 1-on-1 interviews in general medicine clinics. Subjects were interviewed using John Hopkins Telephone Diagnostic Interview. All interviews were conducted by trained physicians. Results: A total of 190 patients were interviewed: 103 AA (58.3% were female) and 87 NAA (59.8% were female). The overall prevalence of definite RLS was 22.6%. The average age was 53 years (standard deviation, 15) in AA and 50 years (standard deviation, 13) in NAA. Among AA, the diagnosis of RLS was definite in 11.65%, probable in 3.88%, negative in 83.5%, and unknown in 0.97%. Among NAA, patients were either identified as definite RLS (35.63%) or not RLS (64.37%); no patients were diagnosed as probable RLS or unknown. Logistic regression analysis was done to determine whether age, race, and sex were statistically significant predictors of an RLS diagnosis. When accounting for the other variables, the association between NAA and RLS prevalence was statistically significant (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Restless legs syndrome is common among primary care clinic patients. Its prevalence in the NAA population is approximately 3 times higher than in the AA group. We found the association between NAA race and RLS prevalence to be statistically significant. Larger studies are needed to further examine the relation between race and RLS prevalence.