Sheikh Mohammed Shariful Islam

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in developing countries: a symposium report.

In recent years, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have globally shown increasing impact on health status in populations with disproportionately higher rates in developing countries. NCDs are the leading cause of mortality worldwide and a serious public health threat to developing countries. Recognizing the importance and urgency of the issue, a one-day symposium was organized on NCDs in Developing Countries by the CIHLMU Center for International Health, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich on 22nd March 2014. The objective of the symposium was to understand the current situation of different NCDs public health programs and the current trends in NCDs research and policy, promote exchange of ideas, encourage scientific debate and foster networking, partnerships and opportunities among experts from different clinical, research, and policy fields. The symposium was attended by more than seventy participants representing scientists, physicians, academics and students from several institutes in Germany and abroad. Seven key note presentations were made at the symposium by experts from Germany, UK, France, Bangladesh and Vietnam. This paper highlights the presentations and discussions during the symposium on different aspects of NCDs in developing countries. The symposium elucidated the dynamics of NCDs in developing countries and invited the participants to learn about evidence-based practices and policies for prevention and management of major NCDs and to debate the way forward.

Effects of Mobile Phone SMS to Improve Glycemic Control Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in Bangladesh: A Prospective, Parallel-Group, Randomized Controlled Trial

Mobile phone technologies have emerged as an essential tool for strengthening health systems and improving disease outcomes in many countries (1). In recent years, the government of Bangladesh and the World Health Organization have adopted information technologies for health in their strategic plans. However, data to support a successful model of mobile phone short message service (SMS) in diabetes management are scarce. In this trial, we assessed whether the addition of an automated SMS service to standard diabetes care would improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. A total of 236 adult patients with type 2 diabetes (diagnosed within the previous 5 years) on oral medication therapy with access to SMS and attending the outpatient department of the Bangladesh Institute of Health Sciences in Dhaka, Bangladesh, were recruited (September 2013–August 2014) and randomly assigned 1:1 to SMS intervention and standard care groups. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with a structured questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, and blood tests for …

Mobile phone intervention for increasing adherence to treatment for type 2 diabetes in an urban area of Bangladesh: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundMobile phone technologies including SMS (short message service) have been used to improve the delivery of health services in many countries. However, data on the effects of mobile health technology on patient outcomes in resource-limited settings are limited. The aim of this study therefore is to measure the impact of a mobile phone SMS service on treatment success of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes in an urban area of Bangladesh.Methods/designThis is a single-centred randomized controlled intervention trial (prospective) comparing standard-of-care with standard-of-care plus a mobile phone-based SMS intervention for 6 months. A total of 216 participants with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes will be recruited. Data will be collected at the outpatient department of Bangladesh Institute of Health Science (BIHS) hospital at baseline and after 6 months. The primary outcome measure will be change in HbA1c between baseline and 6 months. The secondary outcome measures are self-reported medication adherence, clinic attendance, self-reported adoption of healthy behaviours, diabetes knowledge, quality of life and cost effectiveness of the SMS intervention. The inclusion criteria will be as follows: diagnosed as patients with type 2 diabetes by the BIHS physician, using oral medication therapy, living in Dhaka city, registered with the BIHS hospital, using a mobile phone, willing to return for follow up after 6 months and providing written informed consent. Participants will be allocated to control and intervention arms after recruitment using a randomization software. Data will be collected on socio-demographic and economic information, mobile phone use and habits, knowledge of prevention, management and complications of diabetes, self-perceived quality of life assessment, self-reported diseases, medical history, family history of diseases, medication history, medication adherence, health seeking behaviour, tobacco use, physical activity, diet, mental health status, life events and disability, anthropometric measurements of weight, height, blood pressure and blood tests for HbA1c.DiscussionMobile phone SMS services have the potential to communicate with diabetes patients and to build awareness about the disease, improve self-management and avoid complications also in resource-limited setting. If this intervention proves to be efficient and cost-effective in the current trial, large-scale implementation could be undertaken.Trial registrationDRKS00005188.

Clinical characteristics and complications of patients with type 2 diabetes attending an urban hospital in Bangladesh

AIMS To investigate the clinical features of patients with type 2 diabetes on oral medication and determine the complications and risk factors in these patients. METHODS A cross-sectional was conducted among 515 patients with type 2 diabetes at the outpatient clinics of Bangladesh Institute of Health Science (BIHS) hospital from September to December 2013. We collected data on socio-economic characteristics, clinical status, risk factors, complications, anthropometric measurements and blood tests. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors associated with diabetes complications. RESULTS The mean(±SD) age of the participants was 50.0(±10.1) years and 15.3% were less than 40 years. The mean HbA1c was 8.3(±2.1). Only 28.7% of the participants achieved targets for HbA1c. The overall prevalence of hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia was 57.5%, 62.6% and 72.7%, respectively. Eye problems were the most common complication (68.9%) followed by chronic kidney diseases (21.3%) and cardiovascular diseases (11.8%). There were significant associations between the complications and age, duration of diabetes and duration of hypertension. In the multivariate analysis adjusting for other confounding variables, only systolic blood pressure was found to be significantly associated with complications [OR 0.809, 95% CI 0.666-0.981 (p-value 0.031)]. CONCLUSION Results of the study confirm that even under best clinical settings a great majority Bangladeshi adults with type 2 diabetes have uncontrolled diabetes and a high prevalence of risk factors that might contribute to early development of complications. Early screening of high risk groups and proper management of diabetes is recommended to avoid early complications.

Influence of religiosity and spiritual coping on health-related quality of life in Saudi haemodialysis patients.

Introduction: Patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) are frequently troubled by psychiatric disorders and coping problems, which can pose a serious threat to their physical and mental well‐being. Using religious and spiritual interventions as a means of coping with physical and mental challenges is widely recognized. Although this topic has been well studied, in the Middle East regions, where Islam is the dominant religion, studies are limited. Thus, this study was performed to explore the influence of religiosity and spiritual coping (SC) on the health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) of Saudi patients receiving HD. Methods: A total of 168 HD patients from three hospitals in Saudi Arabia formed a convenient sample for this descriptive, cross‐sectional hospital‐based study. Data collection was done via questionnaire‐guided interviews using the Muslim Religious Index as well as the Arabic Versions of the Spiritual Coping Strategies scale and Quality of Life Index Dialysis. Regression analysis enabled identification of the factors influencing HRQoL. Findings: Older patients were found to reveal higher levels of religiosity, whereas the younger ones expressed a lesser degree of religious and nonreligious coping. Unemployed patients reported greater involvement in religious practices (RP) and more frequently used religious coping than those employed. The latter showed lower intrinsic religiosity and nonreligious coping usage than the unemployed. The respondents reported the greatest satisfaction scores on their psychological/spiritual dimension and the least scores on the social and economic dimension. Therefore, the factors that could influence the HRQoL of the respondents were identified as involvement in RP, intrinsic religious beliefs, religious coping usage and age. Discussion: This study revealed significant findings regarding the importance of religiosity and SC on the HRQoL of the Saudi HD patients. Therefore, it has been highly recommended to integrate religiosity into the health‐care process for such patients to facilitate the achievement of overall optimum health levels.

Social and economic impact of diabetics in Bangladesh: protocol for a case-control study

BackgroundDiabetes affects both individuals and their families and has an impact on economic and social development of a country. Information on the availability, cost, and quality of medical care for diabetes is mostly not available for many low- and middle-income countries including Bangladesh. Complications from diabetes, which can be devastating, could largely be prevented by wider use of several inexpensive generic medicines, simple tests and monitoring and can be a cost saving intervention. This study will provide an in-depth and comprehensive picture of social and economic impacts of diabetes in Bangladesh and propose clear recommendations for improving prevention and management of diabetes. The objectives of the study are:1) To study the association between diabetes and other health problems and its social impacts2) To estimate the economic impact of diabetes including total direct and indirect costs3) To measure the impact of diabetes on quality of life among diabetes patients in Bangladesh4) To study the impact of diabetes on the health care systemMethodsThis is a case–control study comparing cases with type 2 diabetes to controls without diabetes matched on age, sex and place of residence. 564 cases and 564 controls will be selected from the outpatient department of a tertiary hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Data on socioeconomic status, health utility index, direct and indirect costs for diabetes, medication adherence, quality of life, treatment satisfaction, diet, physical activity, mental state examination, weight, height, hip and waist circumference, blood pressure, pulse, medication history, laboratory data and physical examination will be conducted.Outcome measures: The primary outcome measures will be association between diabetes and other health problems, cost of diabetes, impact of diabetes on quality of life and secondary outcome measures are impact of diabetes on healthcare systems in Bangladesh.DiscussionThis study will provide an in-depth and comprehensive picture of social and economic impacts of diabetics in Bangladesh and propose clear recommendations for improving prevention and management of diabetics. It will help to develop programs and policies for better management of Diabetics and cost effective strategies in Bangladesh context.

Immediate versus deferred stenting for patients undergoing primary or emergent percutaneous coronary intervention: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Primary or emergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stenting is the standard treatment for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non-STEMI acute coronary syndromes (ACS) at high risk. The value of delayed stenting following balloon-facilitated reperfusion in these patients is largely unknown. Methods and analysis: This systematic review aims to assess whether delayed stenting (vs immediate stenting) improves angiographic and cardiovascular clinical outcomes for patients with STEMI or non-STEMI ACS undergoing primary or emergent PCI. The primary endpoint is adverse angiographic outcomes (no or slow coronary flow after final PCI), the main secondary endpoint includes a composite of long-term (≥6 months) all-cause mortality, recurrent ACS (recurrent myocardial infarction, unplanned revascularization of the target vessel, etc.), hospital admission for heart failure or any other cardiovascular cause. Relevant studies will be searched in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and other electronic databases. Two authors will independently screen studies for inclusion, consulting with a third author where necessary to resolve discrepancies. The risk of bias of included studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool, and quality of evidence using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Results will be presented using risk ratios with 95% confidence interval (CI) for dichotomous outcomes and standardized mean differences with 95% CI for continuous outcomes. Ethics and dissemination: This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol will not require ethical approval. We will disseminate the findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis via publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Prevalence of depression and its associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional study in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Depression is a common feature in patients with type 2 diabetes and often remains undetected and untreated, causing increased morbidity and mortality. We explored the prevalence of co-morbid depression and its associated factors, including major life-events among patients with type 2 diabetes in Bangladesh. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 515 patients with type 2 diabetes between September 2013 and July 2014 in a tertiary hospital in Dhaka city. We assessed depression using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) with predefined cut-off scores of 5, 10, 15 and 20 to indicate minimal, mild, moderate, moderately-severe, and severe depression. Associations between depression and its associated factors were explored using univariate and multivariate regression. Overall, 61.9% participants had depressive symptoms, and the prevalence was higher among females (70.9%) compared to males (50.6%). One-third (35.7%) of participants had mild depression and 36.2% had moderate to severe depression. In the multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with depression were: age≤60 years (OR: 2.1, 95% CI=1.2-3.6; p≤0.006), female gender (OR=1.9, 95% CI=1.3-3.0; p≤0.002), those having 1-3 complications (OR=2.3, 95% CI=1.2-4.3; p=0.010), experienced loss of business or crop failure (OR=2.1, 95% CI=1.2-3.6; p=0.006), major family conflicts (OR=2.2, 95% CI=1.4-3.5; p≤0.001), separation or deaths of family members or divorce (OR=2.2, 95% CI=1.4-3.5; p≤0.001), and those who experienced unavailability of food or medicines (OR=2.2, 95% CI=1.0-4.5; p=0.038). Patients with diabetes, especially females, those having other complications, and major life-events should routinely be screened for symptoms of depression with adequate management of these conditions.

Serum lipid profile and its association with hypertension in Bangladesh.

Background Hypertension and dyslipidemia are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, accounting for the highest morbidity and mortality among the Bangladeshi population. The objective of this study was to determine the association between serum lipid profiles in hypertensive patients with normotensive control subjects in Bangladesh. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among 234 participants including 159 hypertensive patients and 75 normotensive controls from January to December 2012 in the National Centre for Control of Rheumatic Fever and Heart Disease in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Data were collected on sociodemographic factors, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, and lipid profile including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high density lipoprotein (HDL). Results The mean (± standard deviation) systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure of the participants were 137.94±9.58 and 94.42±8.81, respectively, which were higher in the hypertensive patients (P<0.001). The serum levels of TC, TG, and LDL were higher while HDL levels were lower in hypertensive subjects compared to normotensives, which was statistically significant (P<0.001). Age, waist circumference, and body mass index showed significant association with hypertensive patients (P<0.001) but not with normotensives. The logistic regression analysis showed that hypertensive patients had 1.1 times higher TC and TG, 1.2 times higher LDL, and 1.1 times lower HDL than normotensives, which was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Hypertensive patients in Bangladesh have a close association with dyslipidemia and need measurement of blood pressure and lipid profile at regular intervals to prevent cardiovascular disease, stroke, and other comorbidities.

Mobile phone use and willingness to pay for SMS for diabetes in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND Mobile phone SMS is increasingly used as a means of communication between patients and their healthcare providers in many countries of the world. We investigated mobile phone use and factors associated with willingness-to-pay (WTP) for diabetes SMS among patients with type 2 diabetes in Bangladesh. METHODS As part of a randomized controlled study, in 515 patients with type 2 diabetes, socioeconomic status, mobile phone use, WTP for diabetes SMS, anthropometry and HbA1c were measured. Multivariate regression was used to identify factors associated with WTP. RESULTS The median (interquartile range [IQR]) of WTP for diabetes SMS was 20 (45) Bangladesh Taka (BDT) (1 BDT = 0.013 US