Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Wealth And Cardiovascular Health: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Wealth-Related Inequalities In The Awareness, Treatment And Control Of Hypertension In High-, Middle- And Low-Income Countries., Benjamin Palafox, Martin Mckee, Dina Balabanova, Khalid F. Khalid, Alvaro Jr Avezum, Ahmad Bahonar, Noorhassim Noorhassim, Jephat Chifamba, Clara K. Chow, Daniel J. Corsi, Gilles R. Dagenais, Rafael Diaz, Rajeev Gupta, Romaina Iqbal, Manmeet Kaur, Rasha Khatib, Annamarie Kruger, Iolanthe Marike Kruger, Fernando Lanas, Patricio Lopez-Jaramillo, Fu Minfan, Viswanathan Mohan, Prem K. Mony, Aytekin Oguz, Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva, Pablo Perel, Paul Poirier, Sumathy Rangarajan, Lei Rensheng, Annika Rosengren, Biju Soman, David Stuckler, S. V. Subramania, Koon Teo, Lungiswa P. Tsolekile, Andreas Wielgosz, Peng Yaguang, Karen Yeates, Mo Yongzhen, Khalid Yusoff, Rita Yusuf, Afzalhussein Yusufali, Katarzyna Zatońska, Salim Yusuf

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

Effective policies to control hypertension require an understanding of its distribution in the population and the barriers people face along the pathway from detection through to treatment and control. One key factor is household wealth, which may enable or limit a household's ability to access health care services and adequately control such a chronic condition. This study aims to describe the scale and patterns of wealth-related inequalities in the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in 21 countries using baseline data from the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study.

METHODS:

A cross-section of 163,397 adults aged 35 to 70 …

Effectiveness Of An Interventional Program For The Management Of Hypertension Through Strengthening Of The Health Care Delivery System : A Pilot Study, Waris Qidwai, Khawar Kazmi, Kashmira Nanji, Sana Anees

Department of Family Medicine

Background: The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of an interventional program to improve hypertension management through strengthening of the health care delivery system.
Methods: A pilot study was conducted from February to December 2014 in two off-site Family Medicine clinics of the Aga Khan Hospital Karachi, Pakistan. Patients aged > 40 years, with known hypertension were included. At the intervention site, Family Physicians were trained; individual and group education sessions were conducted for catchment population, while usual care was provided at the control site. Referral system between primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care was …

Interrupted Aortic Arch Complicated With Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Mimicking Aortic Dissection, Farhala Mari Baloch, Javed Majid Tai, Aamir Hameed, Abdul Baqi

Section of Cardiology

A 50-year-old man presented to the emergency department with interscapular pain, diaphoresis and restlessness. Initial examination raised the possibility of aortic dissection; however, the CT scan did not concur with the diagnosis. An ECG showed ST segment elevation in leads V1-V6 and echocardiography showed severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Coronary angiography through the right femoral artery was attempted but the diagnostic catheter could not be advanced to the ascending aorta. Radiocontrast injection showed complete obstruction of the descending aorta. Coronary angiography through right radial approach showed mild left anterior descending disease. The aortogram showed complete interruption of the ascending aorta …

Carotid Intima Media Thickness Evaluation By Ultrasound Comparison Amongst Healthy, Diabetic And Hypertensive Pakistani Patients, Waseem Mirza, Vaqar Bari, Mirza Kazim, Kainat Fatima, Zafar Sajjad, Aziz Jiwani, Nadeem Ahmad, Mubashir Arain, Arif Ali

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To compare carotid Intima media thickness and atherosclerosis burden amongst healthy, diabetic and hypertensive Pakistani patients.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Department of radiology and family medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi from April 2014 to July 2015. Bilateral carotid ultrasound was done in 133 healthy adults, 65 hypertensive, 31 type-2 diabetic and 37 hypertensive with type-2 diabetes patients. Normal adults were matched for age and gender. Mean intimal media thickness was measured for common and internal carotid arteries. Presence or absence of atherosclerotic plaque was also identified. Height, weight, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other …