■ AbstractOBJECTIVES: Traditionally, the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) questionnaire is a screening tool to estimate risk of type 2 diabetes. In this study, we evaluated the ability of FINDRISC to predict the development of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in an Iranian population without diabetes and MetS. METHODS: A total of 1,010 first-degree relatives of consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes, 30-70 years old (274 men and 736 women), without diabetes and MetS, were examined and followed up over 8.0 ± 1.6 years (mean ± SD) for MetS incidence. The incidence of MetS was examined across quartiles of FINDRISC, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to assess the discrimination. At baseline and through follow-ups, participants underwent a standard 75 g 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Data for determining FINDRISC were available from each participant. RESULTS: During 8,089 person-years of follow-up, 69 men and 209 women without MetS and diabetes at baseline subsequently developed MetS. The incidence of MetS was 31.4 per 1000 person-years in men and 35.5 in women. The FINDRSC at baseline was significantly associated with MetS evolution. Participants in the top quartile of FINDRISC were 4.4 times more likely to develop MetS than those in the bottom quartile (rate ratio 4.4; 95% CI 2.7-7.0). The area under the ROC curve was 65.0% (95% CI 61.3-68.7). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that FINDRISC can be applied to detect MetS in a high-risk population.

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OBJECTIVESThalassemia is a common genetic disease in Iran, especially in the north and south of Iran. The present study sought to determine the survival rate of patients with thalassemia in highly endemic regions of Iran and its variation in patients born before and after 1971.METHODSThe present historical cohort study extracted data from the health records of patients with beta-thalassemia major, beta-thalassemia intermedia, and sickle beta-thalassemia who had presented to thalassemia treatment centers in the past years. The collected data were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier test, the log-rank test, and the chi-square test.RESULTSOf the total of 5,491 medical records (2,647 men and 2,634 women; mean age, 23.81±11.32 years), 3,936 belonged to patients with beta-thalassemia major, and 999 and 89 to patients with beta-thalassemia intermedia and sickle beta-thalassemia, respectively. In 467 cases, the type of thalassemia was not clear. The cumulative survival rate was calculated as 0.92, 0.83, 0.74, and 0.51 by ages 25, 35, 45, and 55, respectively. The hazard ratio of death was 4.22 (p<0.05) for beta-thalassemia major and 0.77 for beta-thalassemia intermedia (p=0.70). It was calculated as 1.45 for men patients and as 3.82 for single patients.CONCLUSIONSThe present study showed relatively high survival rates in patients with thalassemia. The survival of patients was unfavorable in poorer regions (Zahedan and Iranshahr). Factors including women gender, a higher level of education, being married, and living in metropolises decreased the risk of death at younger ages and improved survival.