Background Since December 2019, (COVID‐19) has had a significant impact on global health systems. Because little is known about the clinical characteristics and risk factors connected with COVID‐19 severity in Sudanese patients, it is vital to summarize the clinical characteristics of COVID‐19 patients and to investigate the risk factors linked to COVID‐19 severity. Objectives We aimed to assess the clinical characteristics of COVID‐19 patients and look into risk factors associated with COVID‐19 severity. Methods This is a retrospective cross‐sectional study that took place in two Isolation Centers in Wad Medani, Gezira State, Sudan. Four hundred and eighteen patients were included between May 2020 and May 2021. All COVID‐19 patients over the age of 18 who were proven COVID‐19 positive by nucleic acid testing or had characteristics suggestive of COVID‐19 on a chest CT scan and had a complete medical record in the study period were included. Results The participants in this study were 418 confirmed COVID‐19 cases with a median age of 66.313 years. There were 279 men (66.7%) among the patients. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension (n = 195; 46.7%) and diabetes (n = 187; 44.7%). Fever (n = 303; 72.5%), cough (n = 278; 66.5%), and dyspnea (n = 256; 61.2%) were the most prevalent symptoms at the onset of COVID‐19. The overall mortality rate (n = 148) was 35.4%. Patients with severe illness had a mortality rate of 42.3% (n = 118). Older age, anemia, neutrophilia, and lymphocytopenia, as well as higher glucose, HbA1c, and creatinine levels, were all linked to severe COVID‐19, according to the chi‐square test and analysis of variance analysis. Conclusion Sixteen variables were found to be associated with COVID‐19 severity. These patients are more prone to go through a serious infection and as a result have a greater death rate than those who do not have these characteristics.

Aim: A reliable diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is important in clinical practice and research. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of Giemsa stain with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Toluidine blue, Gimenez and Warthin-Starry stain in detection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in gastric biopsy and also with immunohistochemistry (IHC) stain in detection of H. pylori organism in gastric biopsy. Method: A retrospective cross-sectional included 200 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) gastric biopsies of age between 25 to 80 years in histopathology Laboratory at Alzaytouna Specialist Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan. The samples were sectioned and stained with H&E, Giemsa, Toluidine blue, Gimenez, Warthin-Starry silver, and IHC stains. Result: Our study showed IHC yielded (40%) positive cases while (60%) were negative. all stains had 100% sensitivity in detection H. pylori. The specificities were 100% for toluidine blue and Gimenez stains, 92.3% for Warthin-Starry stain, 85.7% for Giemsa stain, and 82.8% for H&E stain. Conclusion: Toluidine blue and Gimenez stain are more specific in detecting H. pylori organism than Giemsa, H&E and Warthin-Starry but are less sensitive than the later.

Background: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in December of 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China. In addition to respiratory symptoms, reports are emerging of neurological manifestations of SARS‐CoV‐2 Objective: To assess the neurological manifestations in COVID-19 positive patients. Methods: A cross sectional, prospective, descriptive, hospital based study included 106 COVID-19 patients in Gezira COVID-19 Centre during the period from June to September 2020. Data regarding demographics, clinical history, presentations, laboratory investigations, neuroimaging and outcomes were collected. Results: 106 COVID-19 patients were included in this study, 67(63.2%) were males and 39(36.8%) were females, their mean age was 68±4.3 years and most of them 58(54.7%) aged above 60 years. The main respiratory symptoms of COVID 19 were dyspnea in 66(62.3%), fever in 59(55.7%), cough in 50(47.2%) patients. The non specific neurological symptoms of COVID-19 were headache in 29(27.4%), dizziness in 9(8.5%) and syncope in one (0.9%) patient. Symptoms of COVID-19 related to cranial nerves such as change in smell (n= 87; 82.1%) and dyskinesia (n=80; 75.4%) were the most common neurological manifestations encountered. Focal neurological deficits were TIA in 2(1.9%), intracranial hemorrhage in one (0.9%) and transverse myelitis in one (0.9%) patient. Conclusion: The study showed that neurological manifestations of COVID-19 were common and mostly olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions among Sudanese subjects. Also, COVID-19 could be a risk factor for stroke and transverse myelitis. The study suggest that objective olfactory and gustatory may be needed to determine their clinical significance.

Background : (COVID-19) had a great impact on the world’s health systems since December 2019. A little is known about the clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with COVID-19 severity in Sudanese Patients; therefor it is necessary to summarize the clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 and to explore the risk factors associated with COVID-19 severity. Methods : A one-year retrospective cohort study (May 2020- May2021) was done at three isolation centers in Wad Medani. Sample contained all COVID-19 patients who are over 18 years old and were confirmed to be COVID-19 by nucleic acid testing or features Suggestive of Covid19 on Chest CT scan. Results : This study included 418 patients confirmed COVID-19 cases with a median age of 66.3±13years. 179 (64.2%) patients were men. Hypertension (n=195; 46.7%) and diabetes (n=187; 44.7%) were the most common comorbidities. The most common symptoms at COVID-19 onset were fever (n=303; 72.5%), cough (n=278; 66.5%) and dyspnea (n= 256; 61.2%). the overall mortality rate was 35.4% (n=148). The morality rate was 42.3% (n=118) among patients with severe disease. The Chi-square test and ANOVA analysis revealed that older age, anemia, neutrophilia and lymphcytopenia, higher glucose levels, HbA1c levels and creatinine levels were variables associated with severe COVID-19. In inflammatory markers, the levels of CRP and d-dimer were elevated in severe infection more than moderate and mild infections. Conclusion : Patients with these factors are more likely to deteriorate into severe infection and have higher mortality rate than those without these factors.

Background and Aims Corona virus disease‐19 (COVID‐19) is a recently discovered infection that transmitted briskly worldwide. In this disease (COVID‐19), it was discovered that several disorders, such diabetes, increased the severity and fatality rate. Until now, studies investigating the correlation between diabetes and COVID‐19 in Sudan have not yet been conducted. Thus we aimed to evaluated the characteristics and outcomes of COVID‐19 among diabetic patients Methods A prospective study included 70 diabetic patients with COVID‐19 in Wad‐Medani Isolation Center from September to December 2020. Data concerning demographics and clinical characteristics, as well as outcomes were collected. Results Out of 70 patients, 46 (66%) were men and 24 (34%) were women; the average age was 63 ± 12 years. In diabetes mellitus (DM) types, 69 (98.6%) patient were T2DM. The average of DM duration was 10 ± 6.2 years. Insulin was the major DM medication used by more one‐half of study patients ( n = 37; 52.9%). Newly discovered DM after COVD‐19 infection was encountered in 5 (7.1%) patients. Most of the study subjects ( n = 44; 63%) had moderately severe form of disease. Hypertension was the commonest comorbid in 29 (41.4%) patients. The intensive care unit admission rate among our study group was 10% ( n = 7). The mortality rate among our study patients was found to be 11.4% ( n = 8). Dead patients were significantly had high HbA1c levels (11.6 ± 7% vs. 8.8 ± 5%; p = 0.001). Additionally, all individuals with a severe COVID‐19 illness ( n = 6; 100%) were dead comparing to no patient died with mild covid illness and 4.5% patients with moderately severe infection ( p < 0.001). Conclusion The majority of COVID‐19 diabetic patients were males and older in age. Most of the patients presented with moderate severity and moderately uncontrolled DM. Hypertension was the major comorbidity. The mortality rate was as high as 11.4% and associated with high HbA1c levels and severe form of COVID‐19 as well.

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