Chronic Diseases Journal
Volume:3 Issue: 1, Winter-Spring 2015

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are one of the major causative factors of morbidity and mortality in the world which can be easily prevented through lifestyle changes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of chain training methods on increasing household awareness on and attitude toward healthy nutrition in order to prevent CVD. This study was performed as a community trial. For the purpose of this study, 4 areas were selected and 4 educational methods were conducted in these areas. The participants were told to share their information with their neighbors and relatives in that area (chain training). Primary knowledge of the residents of these areas before and after the intervention were evaluated in a randomly selected sample (n = 400). Data were analyzed using independent t-test, chi-square, and Fisher’s exact test. Pre-intervention and post-intervention mean of knowledge were 16.42 (± 3.5) and 16.4 (± 3.6), respectively (P = 0.025). Pre-intervention and post-intervention mean of knowledge did not differ in area 1, 2, and 4. A statistically significant increase in knowledge was only observed in area 3 (P < 0.001). The use of chain training method by non-governmental organization (NGOs) may not be effective in increasing awareness on healthy lifestyle. Therefore, training through public classes and direct education by health personnel is recommended.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an important and common problem in children (4-12%) which affects their daily activities and quality of life. About 1-2% of children suffer from sleep apnea with a common symptom of snoring which might cause behavioral disorders due to the lower quality of sleep. In the present study, we aim to determine the association between snoring and ADHD. In this case control study, we enrolled 100 children of 2-12 years who snored as the case group and 100 healthy peers as the control group. Snoring and behavioral problems were assessed by the standard questionnaires of the Berlin Questionnaire and Behavioral Disorder Questionnaire [DSM-IV], respectively. The mean age, height, and weight of children were 6.81 years, 116.11 cm, and 25.39 Kg, respectively. In addition, 53.5% of participants of both groups were boys. A significant relationship was found between snoring and ADHD and its subtypes (P < 0.001). Increasing the information of parents and colleagues.

Air pollutants can have harmful effects on human health. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is represented by the number of patients who visited specialist pulmonary hospital with symptoms of respiratory disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between air pollution exposure and COPD in Ahvaz, Iran. The present epidemiological study was performed in Ahvaz city. Data were obtained from the Ahvaz Department of Environment (ADoE). Sampling was performed for 24 hours in 4 stations. Raw data processing was performed using Microsoft Excel software, and after the impact of meteorological parameters, they were converted as input file to the model. Data analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows. The results of this study showed that the annual average PM10 concentration during 2012 was 727 μg/m3. According to the research findings, the two stations of Bureau of Meteorology and the city center had the highest and the lowest PM10 concentrations during 2012, respectively. The results showed a strong correlation between visits to a hospital due to COPD and PM10 emission in Ahvaz city. Approximately, 6.2% of hospital admissions for COPD occurred when the PM10 concentration was higher than 30 μg/m3. The findings of the present study showed that the total mean of particle matter was higher than the standard concentration. The higher percentage of hospital admission could be the result of the dust storm, higher average PM10, and sustained high concentration days in Ahvaz.

Family functioning is one of the most important aspects of psychiatric treatment. The purpose of this study was the comparison of family functioning in family members of schizophrenic patients and patients with mood disorders in Shahrekord, Iran. This analytical descriptive study was conducted on family members of 186 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and mood disorders. The data were collected through interviews using the family assessment device. Data were analyzed using chi-square, Student’s t-test, Pearson correlation, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The mean total score of the questionnaire in the family members of patients with mood disorders (2.34 ± 0.26) was significantly (P < 0.001) higher than that in schizophrenic patients'' family members (2.55 ± 0.31). The present study highlighted that family functioning among family members of patients with schizophrenia had problems in all domains.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is an uncommon, benign, autoimmune condition characterized by lymphadenopathy, fever, and neutropenia. It is a self-contained condition of unidentified etiology. A 38-year-old female of Iranian Kurdish origin referred to us with multiple neck swellings, fever, and generalized arthropathy. There was no weight loss and no history of tuberculosis, medication intake, or allergy. Clinical examination revealed bilateral large, mobile, and tendercervical lymphadenopathy. Cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological examination was normal. The patient had leucopenia and thrombocytopenia.Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease must be considered in the differential diagnosis of a female patient with fever and cervical lymphadenopathy.

Development of chronic tophaceous arthritis with marked joint impairment may follow repeated acute attacks. We present a 60 year-old man with huge urate deposits and severe gouty arthropathy with underlying hypothyroidism. During the past years, he had undergone several surgeries with different degrees of amputation to remove the tophus. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of foot finger revealed high peak of lactate, suggesting that high lactate levels is linked with chronic gout and frequent attacks. The patient was treated with levothyroxine along with gout medication, and his thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and urate levels were soon normal, suggesting that the underlying hypothyroidism had aggravated his gout condition.

Hypercholesterolemia is one of the main risk factors for many non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Many deaths caused by hypercholesterolemia usually occur in low and middle income countries. The aim of the present study was to determine the socioeconomic inequality in the distribution of risk factors of hypercholesterolemia in the Kurdistan Province, Iran, in 2005. The data used in this study were obtained from the results of the Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance Survey (NCDSS) conducted in 2005 in Kurdistan Province. In this study, the socioeconomic status (SES) of participants was determined based on their assets and residential location and using the principal component analysis (PCA) statistical method. The levels of inequality in 5 different socioeconomic groups were determined by calculating the concentration index, comparing OR, and through using logistic regression method. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia in the studied subjects was 38.5% [95% CI: 36, 41]. The concentration index of hypercholesterolemia was -0.031 [95% CI: -0.070, 0.009]. Moreover, the OR of hypercholesterolemia in the richest group, compared with the poorest, was 0.82 (0.59 to -1.13). In this study, the relationship between socioeconomic status and risk of hypercholesterolemia was not statistically significant; however, usually, SES is associated with the risk factors of this disease. In the comparison of different countries, distribution of hypercholesterolemia in different SES levels depends on the level of development, gross national product (GNP) per capita, and level of income in each country. Inequalities in the distribution of risk factors for hypercholesterolemia can be reduced through increasing disadvantaged groups’ access to health care services and planning special programs for inequality reduction.