Qatar Medical Journal - Volume 2022, Issue 3

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, several infected patients have suffered from unusual and severe complications. Among these rare complications, pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum have attracted clinical attention. Such complications might be challenging to diagnose immediately because of the atypical presentation in some cases. Accurate diagnosis is essential to ensure effective treatment. Here, we pres Read More

Background: An extremely rare manifestation of perigraft seroma (PGS), in which a dense, semisolid jelly-like mass had formed around the shunt instead of the standard fluid-like form of the usual seroma, leading to misdiagnosis with other entities, such as tumors around the synthetic arterio-venous shunt (AVS) was presented. Case Report: A 64-year-old male with multiple myeloma post autologous bone marrow transplant with a renal impairme Read More

Varicella-zoster (VZ) meningitis is uncommon in patients with immunocompetence and usually presents with typical rash and fever. However, VZ meningitis can rarely present with symptoms of intracranial hypertension without the classic manifestations. Herein, we describe a 17-year-old female teen who presented with intractable headache and vomiting and diagnosed with VZ meningitis. Her symptoms remarkably improved after a l Read More

Background: Rituximab is used as second-line therapy in patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) who do not respond to first-line management. The response rate for Rituximab is variable in different populations ranging from 30% to 90%. The adverse effects of rituximab in patients with ITP range from infusion site reactions to the reactivation of hepatitis B virus and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and interpo Read More

Background: In March 2020, Qatar started reporting increased numbers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). National preventive measures were implemented, and a testing plan was developed to respond to the pandemic with the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) as the central element. PHCC is the main public primary healthcare provider in Qatar and it Read More

Background: It remains unclear whether patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) are at a higher risk of poor outcomes from a SARS-CoV-2 infection. We evaluated whether patients with an ARDs infected with SARS-CoV-2 were at a higher risk of a poorer outcome than those without an ARDs. Methods: Patients with an ARDs infected with SARS-CoV-2 were matched to control patients without a known ARDs. Matching was performed Read More

Background: Treatment options for patients with critical Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are limited. This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes associated with remdesivir therapy in patients with COVID-19 who require non-invasive (NIV) ventilation or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Methods: Data were retrospectively extracted for adults with COVID-19 confirmed using polymerase chain reac Read More

Background: Intellectual disability (ID) is a common condition that consists of a heterogeneous group of clinical conditions with different etiologies, including genetic conditions. Identifying those with a genetic cause results in better clinical management. Aim: To identify the genetic etiology of ID in adult patients with unknown etiology presenting to a specialist learning disability service in Qatar. Methods: Retrospective review of chart not Read More

Introduction: Ceftriaxone, a third-generation cephalosporin, is frequently used for the treatment of various bacterial infections as a broad-spectrum antibiotic for many decades. Although ceftriaxone is a well-tolerated drug in most cases, it can lead to serious liver injury, which can be a real challenge to the treating physician. Given the potentially serious adverse effects that can vary from mild biochemical abnormalities to complete liver fai Read More

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can present with various neuropsychiatric manifestations. This study reports on patients with COVID-19 who were referred to the consultation–liaison (CL) psychiatry services in Qatar and compares the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of those diagnosed with delirium versus other psychiatric diagnoses. Methods: This is a retrospective review of the first 100 consecutive patients Read More

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune astrocytopathy against foot processes of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channels. Patients with NMOSD tend to have other coexisting autoimmune/connective tissue diseases. However, AQP-4-antibody-positive NMOSD coexisting with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is rare. AS is an immune-mediated disorder, a subset of axial spondyloarthropathies, which commonly manifests a Read More

Background: Pregnancy affects a woman's susceptibility to and severity of certain infectious diseases. Central neuraxial block for analgesia during labor is superior to nonneuraxial methods in efficacy, safety, and maternal satisfaction. Although Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can be vertically transmitted from mother to fetus, little is known about the effects of COVID-19 on pregnant women or about anesthesia management and the risk of adv Read More

Background: Elite professional sports events involving mass gatherings carry a high risk of viral transmission during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We describe the potential impact of resuming professional football leagues involving international participants adhering to a strict Bio-secure bubble protocol and investigate the consequences of spectators/fan attendance at such mass events during the ongoing COVID-1 Read More

Background: Dyslipidaemia is frequently associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and it is the major contributor to cardiovascular diseases among type 2 diabetic patients. Despite the fact that several researches have proven the association between glycemic control and dylipidemia in type 2 diabetic patients, the results are rather varied. Objectives: The aim of the study is to investigate the clinical relevance of lipid profile as predictive bioc Read More

Thrombolysis is an established therapeutic modality for patients with high-risk (and some selected intermediate-risk) pulmonary embolism (PE) with hemodynamic instability. Physicians sometimes experience cases where both a high-risk PE and thrombocytopenia coexist. Although thrombocytopenia of <  100 × 103/mm3 is considered a contraindication in patients with ischemic stroke, the safety and outcomes of thrombolysis in patients w Read More

Background: The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic in December 2019. COVID-19 can affect most organs of the body but predominantly affects the lungs. Chest infection is associated with hyponatremia primarily due to inappropriate ectopic secretion of antidiuretic hormone. We conducted a six-month retrospective observational study to evaluate the relationship between chest X- Read More

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide public health concern, which can lead to severe diseases, such as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Most studies have compared equimolar unit-to-unit doses of vitamin D2 and D3. Objectives: The current study aimed to answer the research question: “How effective is vitamin D2 (600,000 U/1.5 ml) compared to vitamin D3 (300,000 U/1 ml) parenteral supplementation for raising se Read More

Introduction: Healthcare research contributes to the well-being of a population; hence, it is important to use the right system to ensure that junior researchers develop the required skills. Current research-strengthening and capacity development programs might lack a research process-based common framework or model leading to variable and suboptimal outcomes. This study aimed to describe the development and evaluation of Read More

Background: Autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) are characterized by immune dysfunction and associated with an increased risk of infections, which were of significant concern during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Variable rates of COVID-19 incidence have been reported in patients with ARDs; however, the true effect of this infection on this patient population is still unclear. We, therefore, aimed to evaluate the Read More

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant worldwide impact since its emergence in 2019. End-stage kidney disease patients have been among the most vulnerable population affected and have a higher risk of acquiring infection and developing more severe disease. We have encountered three major COVID-19 waves in Qatar and they have required different strategies to overcome. The most recent wave was due Read More