Hospital Practices and Research

Abstract Background: Craniosynostosis is a congenital deformity of the skull that occurs at birth.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the frequency of different types of craniosynostosis in Isfahan, Iran.
Methods: In this retrospective study, the records of all patients referred to the pediatric neurosurgery clinic of Imam Hossein children’s hospital in Isfahan, Iran from 2013 to 2018 were diagnosed with craniosynostosis. Incomplete files were excluded. Demographic information of patients and type of delivery, underlying diseases of their parents, diseases of maternal pregnancy, type of craniosynostosis, syndromic or non-syndromic craniosynostosis were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22.
Results: The diagnosis of craniosynostosis in 63% of cases (n=121) was a single suture and in 37% of cases (n=72) was a complex suture. There was no significant difference in the frequency distribution of craniosynostosis in males and females (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Due to the prevalence of 16 cases per 100,000, we can reduce the complications of this disease by educating doctors and parents.

Abstract Background: Kidney calculi are the most common cause of kidney failure.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of renal colic and its risk factors in the patients referred to two emergency departments during a year.
Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in two hospitals in Kerman city, south-east of Iran, for one year from March 2019 to March 2020. All the archives of the two emergency departments were reviewed, and the required information was recorded in a checklist. The data was analyzed in SPSS 20 software.
Results: A total of 504 patients were included in the study. The prevalence of renal colic was 0.5%. Most of the patients (58.5%) had an age between 19 and 39 years, and the majority (60.1%) were males and had a body mass index (BMI) above 25. A family history of renal colic was reported in 68.7% of the patients, and 63.9% had either hypertension or diabetes. Most of the patients consumed less than 3 liters of water per day. The highest referrals were seen in autumn (31.5%) and summer (27.4%).
Conclusion: Considering the relationship between renal colic and age, sex, BMI, occupation, a family history of the disease, the presence of underlying diseases, the amount and type of drinking water, and the season of referral, it is recommended to control these risk factors to reduce the incidence of the disease.

Abstract Background: In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the trend in the number of patients admitted for maintenance hemodialysis is on the rise. The identification of risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) ensures adequate primary and secondary preventive measures geared at reducing the burden of CKD in low-resource settings. A family history of CKD is an established risk factor for CKD in high-income countries. However, data on family predisposition to CKD is scarce in the literature on SSA.
Objective: The current study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of CKD in family relatives of a Cameroonian population of hemodialysis patients (HDP) followed-up in a major hemodialysis referral center in Cameroon.
Methods: The current cross-sectional study was conducted over four months on a consecutive sample of first-degree family relatives of end-stage renal disease patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis at the hemodialysis unit of the General Hospital of Yaoundé. For each participating family relative, socio-demographic characteristics, clinical data, and biological data including fasting blood glucose, proteinuria, and serum creatinine were collected.
Results: A total of 82 first-degree family relatives of HDP were recruited. The prevalence of CKD among the participants was 15.8%. The main identified risk factors for CKD were age (P=0.0015), female gender (P=0.0357), hypertension (P=0.0004), regular intake of herbal remedies (P=0.0214), and diabetes mellitus (P=0.0019).
Conclusion: Overall, the current findings suggest an urgent need for population education, routine screening of CKD, and the identification of risk factors in first-degree family relatives of HDP in Cameroon.

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