Cardiovascular health among adults in Syria: a model from developing countries. (25/108)

PURPOSE: Despite the considerable mortality and morbidity associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), many developing countries lack reliable surveillance of these ailments and their risk factors to guide intervention. This study aims to provide the first population-based estimates of CVD morbidity and mortality among adults in Aleppo, Syria and the distribution of their risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of adults 18 to 65 years old residing in Aleppo, Syria was carried out in 2004, involving 2038 household representatives (45.2% men; mean age, 35.3 years; response rate, 86%). Main outcomes of interest were physician-diagnosed CVD (infarction, angina, failure, stroke) among survey participants, and past 5-year mortality due to CVD among their household members older than 20 years of age (N = 6252, 49.5% men). Measurement of blood pressure (BP), height and weight, and smoking history were obtained as well. RESULTS: Prevalence of CVD was 4.8% for heart disease and 1.0% for stroke. CVD was responsible for 45.0% of overall mortality reported in the past 5 years, whereby 49% of CVD deaths occurred before the age of 65 years. Mean age of death was 62.6 years (63.6 years for heart disease and 61.4 years for stroke). Annual crude death rate due to CVD was 314 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 215-414); of these, 179 were due to heart disease, and 135 due to stroke. More men than women died from heart disease, whereas the opposite was true for stroke. Hypertension was detected in 40.6% (47.7% men, 34.9%women), obesity in 38.2% (28.8% men, 46.4% women), and smoking (cigarettes or waterpipe) in 38.7% (63.6% men, 19.2% women) of participants. Of those surveyed, 39.3% had one CVD risk factor, 27.4% had two risk factors, and 8.3% had 3 risk factors. Main predictors of clustering of risk factors were older age, male gender, and low education. CONCLUSIONS: Syria is currently undergoing a stage in which morbidity and mortality from CVD are high but likely to increase based on the population's risk profile. CVD risk distribution in Syrian society highlights the non-generalizability of CVD models from developed societies, and calls for local studies to inform effective interventions and policies.  (+info)

Self-rated health and its determinants among adults in Syria: a model from the Middle East. (26/108)

BACKGROUND: Self-rated health (SRH) has been widely used to research health inequalities in developed western societies, but few such studies are available in developing countries. Similar to many Arab societies, little research has been conducted in Syria on the health status of its citizens, particularly in regards to SRH. This Study aims to investigate and compare determinants of SRH in adult men and women in Aleppo, Syria. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of adults 18 to 65 years old residing in Aleppo (2,500,000 inhabitants), Syria was carried out in 2004, involving 2038 household representatives (45.2% men, age range 18-65 years, response rate 86%). SRH was categorized as excellent, normal, and poor. Odds ratios for poor and normal SRH, compared to excellent, were calculated separately for men and women using logistic regression. RESULTS: Women were more likely than men to describe their health as poor. Men and women were more likely to report poor SRH if they were older, reported two or more chronic health problems, or had high self perceived functional disability. Important gender-specific determinants of poor SRH included being married, low socioeconomic status, and not having social support for women, and smoking, low physical activity for men. CONCLUSION: Women were more likely than men to describe their health as poor. The link with age and pre-existing chronic conditions seems universal and likely reflects natural aging process. Determinants of SRH differed between men and women, possibly highlighting underlying cultural norms and gender roles in the society. Understanding the local context of SRH and its determinants within the prevailing culture will be important to tailor intervention programs aimed at improving health of the Syrian and similar Arab societies.  (+info)

Early urban development in the Near East. (27/108)

It has been thought that the first cities in the Near East were spatially extensive and grew outward from a core nucleated village while maintaining a more or less constant density in terms of persons or households per unit of area. The general applicability outside of the Near East of this southern Mesopotamian.derived model has been questioned recently, and variations from it are increasingly recognized. We can now demonstrate that such variation was present at the beginnings of urbanism in the Near East as well.  (+info)

Lower genito-urinary fistulae. (28/108)

A retrospective review of 120 patients diagnosed to have lower genito-urinary fistulae, over a period of 42 years, was performed. The patients were seen at the University Maternity Hospital or the Zahrawi Maternity Hospital, Damascus, Syria. The majority of the patients, particularly in the early part of this period, had obstetrical causes (90.5%), mainly due to obstructed labour, difficult and traumatic forceps deliveries, ruptured uterus and bladder and/or lower segment caesarean section (LSCS). Less frequently encountered gynecological causes, in the same early period, were due to total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), Wertheim radical hysterectomy (WRH), anterior vaginal repair, sling operation and other causes (9.5%). However, in the later part of this study, the main causes became gynecological (57%) with obstetric causes contributing in only 43% of the cases. Urinary fistulae still represent a major problem in Syria and reflect a sub-optimal level of training of undergraduate and post-graduate students and poor socio-economic conditions. The overall cure rate was 77%. It is hoped that with better hospital care, improvement in the quality of medical practice and the socio-economic status in the country, the incidence of genito-urinary fistulae will be reduced.  (+info)

A pleasure among friends: how narghile (waterpipe) smoking differs from cigarette smoking in Syria. (29/108)

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Polymorphism in the ITS region of ribosomal DNA of Cochliobolus sativus isolates differing in xylanase production. (30/108)

The restriction of PCR-amplified internal transcribed spacers (ITS) ofribosomal DNA was used to confirm the genetic variation among 22 isolates of Cochliobolus sativus differing in their xylanase production. Results show a high level of diversity of ITS-RFLP markers among the isolates. The molecular parameter used showed that C. sativus isolates reside in three phylogenetic groups. There was observed the resolution between clustering of isolates and their xylanase production level.  (+info)

High-risk human papillomavirus infections in breast cancer in Syrian women and their association with Id-1 expression: a tissue microarray study. (31/108)

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Cigarettes and waterpipe smoking among medical students in Syria: a cross-sectional study. (32/108)

OBJECTIVES: To investigate tobacco use, beliefs and attitudes among medical students in Syria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of a random sample of 570 medical students (first and fifth year) registered at the Damascus University Faculty of Medicine in 2006-2007. We used a self-administered questionnaire for demo-graphic information, smoking behaviour (cigarette, waterpipe), family and peer smoking, attitudes and beliefs about smoking and future role in advising patients to quit smoking. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of tobacco use was 10.9% for cigarettes (15.8% men, 3.3% women), 23.5% for waterpipe (30.3% men, 13.4% women) and 7.3% for both (10.1% men, 3.1% women). Both smoking methods were more popular among the fifth year students (15.4% and 27%) compared to their younger counterparts (6.6% and 19.7%). Regular smoking patterns predominated for cigarettes (62%), while occasional use patterns predominated for waterpipes (83%). More than two thirds of students (69%) thought they might not address or would have difficulty addressing smoking in their future patients. CONCLUSION: The level of tobacco use among Syrian medical students is alarming and highlights the rapidly changing patterns of waterpipe use, especially among female students. Medical schools should work harder to tackle this phenomenon and address it more efficiently in their curricula.  (+info)