Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan

Tariq, Moneeb; Iqbal, Kashif; Rehman, Munib ur; Zaheer, Waqas

doi:10.21649/akemu.v27i4.4889

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

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“…Our ndings differed from previous outpatient studies in tertiary care in Sri Lanka, where musculo-skeletal symptoms were the most common (9,21). However, dermatological symptoms have been common in tertiary care OPDs in other regional studies (31,32).…”

Section: Morbidity Pro Lecontrasting

confidence: 98%

Morbidity profile and pharmaceutical management of adult outpatients between primary and tertiary care levels in Sri Lanka: A dual-centre, comparative study

Alwis,

Rajapaksha,

Jayasanka

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background Outpatient care is central to both primary and tertiary levels in a health system. However, evidence is limited on outpatient differences between these levels, especially in South Asia. This study aimed to describe and compare the morbidity profile (presenting morbidities, comorbidities, multimorbidity) and pharmaceutical management (patterns, indicators) of adult outpatients between a primary and tertiary care outpatient department (OPD) in Sri Lanka. Methods A comparative study was conducted by recruiting 737 adult outpatients visiting Divisional Hospital Katugastota (primary care) and National Hospital Kandy (tertiary care). A self-administered questionnaire and a data sheet were used to collect outpatient and prescription data. Following standard categorisations, Chi-square tests and Mann‒Whitney U tests were used for comparisons. Results Outpatient cohorts were predominated by females and middle-aged individuals. The median duration of presenting symptoms was higher in tertiary care OPD (10 days, interquartile range: 52) than in primary care (3 days, interquartile range: 12). The most common systemic complaint in primary care OPD was respiratory symptoms (32.4%), whereas it was dermatological symptoms (30.2%) in tertiary care. The self-reported prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) was 37.9% (95% CI: 33.2–42.8) in tertiary care OPD and 33.2% (95% CI: 28.5–38.3) in primary care; individual differences were significant only for diabetes (19.7% vs. 12.8%). The multimorbidity in tertiary care OPD was 19.0% (95% CI: 15.3–23.1), while it was 15.9% (95% CI: 12.4–20.0) in primary care. The average number of medicines per encounter at primary care OPD (3.86, 95% CI: 3.73–3.99) was higher than that at tertiary care (3.47, 95% CI: 3.31–3.63). Prescribing corticosteroids (62.7%), vitamin supplements (45.8%), antiallergic (55.3%) and antiasthmatic (31.3%) drugs was higher in the primary care OPD, and the two former drugs did not match the morbidity profile. The proportion of antibiotics encountered did not differ significantly between OPDs. Conclusions The morbidities between primary and tertiary care OPDs differed in duration and type but not in terms of multimorbidity or most comorbidities. Pharmaceutical management also varied in terms of medicines per encounter and prescribed categories. This evidence supports planning in health and provides directions for future research in primary care.

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Section: Morbidity Pro Lecontrasting

confidence: 98%

Morbidity profile and pharmaceutical management of adult outpatients between primary and tertiary care levels in Sri Lanka: A dual-centre, comparative study

Alwis,

Rajapaksha,

Jayasanka

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Age-Related Macular Degeneration Understanding and Awareness in Pakistan: A Realistic Epidemiological Survey

Khan,

Mahmood,

Saeed

et al. 2023

Preprint

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BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been a preeminent cause of blindness and a matter of community health concern due to its high prevalence in older populations above 40 years of age. Literature regarding AMD awareness among the urban Pakistani population is very limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive survey on the urban population of Karachi, Pakistan, to evaluate their knowledge and preventive practices (KAP) regarding AMD. Another objective was to see the influence of demographic factors on knowledge level in participants and to assess the main source of information regarding the disease among the participants. METHODS: The study was conducted on 385 participants over a period of six months between September 2022 and February 2023. To predict the KAP level regarding AMD among participants, the knowledge section of the questionnaire was divided into 17 pointers that included 1 correct definition of the disease, 12 right/wrong risk factors, and 4 right/wrong symptoms of the disease. Participants who were able to answer ≥ 9 pointers, i.e., > 50% correctly, were considered to have “above average” knowledge. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24.0. Descriptive statistics of participants’ sociodemographic factors, knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices were analyzed. Chi-square tests were used to compare sociodemographic factors with the knowledge catalog. RESULTS: Only 161 (41.8%) participants knew about AMD, while 224 (58.2%) did not know about it. The definition of the disease was correctly selected by 86 (53.4%) participants. The correct risk factors (obesity, age, and family history of AMD, smoking, lack of multivitamins, alcohol and unprotected exposure to light) were identified by 11.2%, 23.9%, 17.1%, 11.9%, 9.6%, 8.3% and 9.4%, respectively. The correct symptoms of AMD, such as blurring of vision, were answered by 109 (28.3%) participants, and visual hallucinations and flashes of light were answered correctly by 29 (7.5%) participants. “Above average” knowledge about AMD was found to be statistically significant with the level of education (p < 0.01) and monthly income (p < 0.02) of participants. Social media/newspaper/TV (23.40%) was the most common source of information among participants. CONCLUSION: These figures demand an immense need for eye health education campaigns, either general or targeted toward AMD, to increase the level of awareness and preventive and health-seeking behaviors among the population. Initiatives for public health might be launched to explicitly address these gaps.

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Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan

Cited by 2 publications

References 8 publications

Morbidity profile and pharmaceutical management of adult outpatients between primary and tertiary care levels in Sri Lanka: A dual-centre, comparative study

Morbidity profile and pharmaceutical management of adult outpatients between primary and tertiary care levels in Sri Lanka: A dual-centre, comparative study

Age-Related Macular Degeneration Understanding and Awareness in Pakistan: A Realistic Epidemiological Survey

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