Oman Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To determine the proportion of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among individuals with diabetes mellitus in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. METHODS: This study was executed in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. Online databases including Scopus, Web of Sciences, PubMed, Index Medicus for the eastern Mediterranean region, Medline, and ProQuest, were utilized to retrieve studies on the prevalence of DR in GCC countries that were conducted from 2003 to 2019...

OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 is an emergent disease with significant global concern, which might have a negative effect on quality of life. This study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life of people (with or without COVID-19) attending primary health centers in A'Seeb Wilayat in Muscat, Oman. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in four randomly selected primary health centers in A'Seeb Wilayat from 17 July 2021 to 31 January 2022...

OBJECTIVES: Increasing dependence on smartphones results in the appearance of psychological problems, especially among young people. This study aims to determine the rates of alexithymia and its relationship with smartphone addiction and psychological distress in university students. METHODS: A total of 2616 students (mean age = 22.5±3.5 years; 73.1% female) from universities in Egypt, Oman, and Pakistan were included in a cross-sectional and comparative study conducted through a web survey during the COVID-19 pandemic from October to December 2021...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: Routine blood donor screening of human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) has been practiced in Oman since 2017. Limited data exists on HTLV seroprevalence among Omanis. This study aims to determine the seroprevalence of HTLV-I/II among blood donors attending a hospital-based blood bank to assess the need for a universal versus targeted screening. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of blood donors' results attending a hospital blood bank between January 2017 and February 2020...

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the incidence of pituitary adenomas (PA) in adult Omani patients and describe its epidemiological, clinical, and radiological characteristics. METHODS: In this longitudinal, descriptive study, we reviewed the records of all PA patients from January 2015 to January 2020 who presented at the endocrinology facilities at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat. RESULTS: The participants comprised of 112 Omani patients with PA...

Colonic leiomyomatous lesions are smooth muscle tumors including both benign leiomyoma and malignant leiomyosarcoma. They usually occur in elderly and middle-aged groups. They are rare, representing 3% of all gastrointestinal leiomyomas. Descending and sigmoid colon are the most commonly affected segments of colon. Patients are usually asymptomatic but occasionally they may present with abdominal pain, hemorrhage, and intestinal obstruction. Radiological findings for these lesions are variable and overlapping with other diagnoses but usually manifest as large lesions with lobulated margins, extra-colic growth, and heterogeneous enhancement...

We report a rare case of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) with multiple cranial nerve palsies involving cranial nerves VI, VII, IX, and X in a 32-year-old female who had no prior comorbidities. Her condition improved rapidly on a ten-day regimen of acetazolamide and tablet topiramate. IIH should be considered in every patient presenting with persistent headache and multiple cranial nerve abnormalities. This paper also includes a literature review of similar cases.

Infantile-onset multisystem neurologic, endocrine, and pancreatic disease (IMNEPD) is a rare autosomal recessive multisystemic disease with a prevalence of < 1/1 000 000. The wide spectrum of symptoms and associated diseases makes the diagnosis of this disease particularly challenging. Here, we report a 12-year-old Bahraini male who presented with the core clinical features of IMNEPD including intellectual disability, global developmental delay, sensorineural hearing loss, endocrine dysfunction, and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency...

Sanjad-Sakati syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder that presents solely in Arabian people. Our case was reported from the Fallujah Teaching Hospital for Women and Children in Fallujah, Iraq. This syndrome is associated with hypoparathyroidism, growth retardation, atypical facial appearance, and a variable degree of mental retardation. It is usually caused by genetic mutations of the tubulin-folding cofactor E (TBCE; 604934), which is located on the 1q42.3 chromosome. This case was confirmed by a genetic study which revealed a pathogenic variant in the homozygous state in the TBCE gene...

Growing evidence in the medical literature has linked the COVID-19 vaccine as a potential trigger for the development or exacerbation of various autoimmune rheumatic diseases. To the best of our knowledge, we report one of the first cases of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed after the messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a slow progressive autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells. This condition tends to manifest during adulthood, often around 35 years of age. While LADA can initially be managed by oral medications, eventually the patient will require insulin. We report a case of a 34-year-old woman who was initially treated for type 2 diabetes mellitus but was later diagnosed with LADA.

Rectal lymphoma is a rare condition, presenting in less than 0.5% of all primary rectal neoplasms. Due to the disease's primary non-specific symptoms, its diagnosis is usually made at advanced stages. Clinically, it is indistinguishable from rectal carcinoma. The optimal approach for managing rectal lymphoma has still not been determined. We report a case of primary rectal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (stage IV) in a 71-year-old Omani woman.

OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is increasingly prevalent in Oman. The aim of this situational analysis of PE among Omani patients was to study its predisposing factors, diagnostic issues, and optimal management. METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional situational analysis, the subjects were Omani patients who were diagnosed with acute PE using computed tomography pulmonary angiogram from 2010-2021. The required data was collected from the hospital database and statistically analyzed...

OBJECTIVES: Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare, life-threatening disease of chronic uncontrolled complement pathway activation that leads to thrombotic-microangiopathy, along with severe organ damage, including end-stage kidney disease. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology, management, and outcome of aHUS in an Omani population. METHODS: This retrospective descriptive cohort study assessed all cases of aHUS diagnosed and followed up at two tertiary care centers in Oman from January 2008 to December 2019, based on clinical features, complement pathway assays, histopathological, and genetic testing...

OBJECTIVES: Exploring the possibility of healthy aging among older persons is crucial for achieving optimal health in the growing older population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, pattern, and determinants of healthy aging among older persons in Terengganu, Malaysia. METHODS: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study involving older persons aged % 60 years. An interviewer-guided questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, and physical assessments were administered to operationalize healthy aging based on a multidimensional concept...

Each year, approximately 10 million children worldwide die before reaching the age of five, yet two-thirds of these deaths could be prevented with effective, low-cost interventions. The Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy was adopted in 1996 by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund to address the holistic well-being of children. The ultimate goals of IMCI are to develop a healthcare system that adheres to best practices and to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of healthcare professionals...