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F A Shaheen

Publications and source records attributed to F A Shaheen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

The relationship between HLA typing and HCV infection and outcome of renal transplantation in HCV positive patients.

The role of Human Leukocytic Antigen (HLA) antigens in susceptibility to Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is still being debated. We analyzed HLA phenotype frequencies in two major ethnic groups, namely Egyptian and Saudi nationals. The Egyptian group included 110 patients of whom 55 were HCV positive and the other 55 HCV negative (control group). The Saudi group included 146 HCV positive patients and 122 HCV negative individuals (control group). The results for the Egyptian population revealed increased frequencies of some HLA phenotypes and decreased frequencies of others but without any statistically significant difference. In contrast, in the Saudi population, the HLA-A19 phenotype was significantly increased in HCV positive patients when compared with the control group while significantly decreased frequencies were found for HLA-B8, HLA-DRI and HLA DR3. Our data suggest that there was no significant association between HLA phenotypes and susceptibility to HCV infection among the Egyptian population while the overall data of the Saudi population seem to indicate that the expression of particular HLA alleles could be associated with susceptibility or resistance to the HCV infection. Further studies on larger numbers of patients are needed to support the role of the HLA system in HCV infection. A total of 108 HCV positive patients underwent renal transplantation at the Jeddah Kidney Center and the results were compared with 100 age and sex-matched controls. Graft survival at 36 months was 82% and 86% for HCV positive and control subjects respectively while patient survival was respectively 90% and 91%. Our data suggest that the outcome, at least in the Short-time, of renal transplantation in HCV positive patients is very good.

Egypt↗
PubMed2001

Hypercholesterolemia in renal transplantation.

OBJECTIVES: We conducted this study to evaluate the prevalence, and risk factors of hypercholesterolemia (HC) in renal transplant population. METHODS: We reviewed the records of the active renal transplant patients at two large transplant centers in Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia transplanted between 1979 and November 1998. The patients were grouped according to the measurement of serum cholesterol level; group I (normal): below or equal 5.2 mmol/L, group II (mild HC): from 5.3-6.0 mmol/L, group III (moderate HC): from 6.1-8.0 mmol/L group IV (severe HC): above 8.0 mmol/L. RESULTS: There were 1096 patients' records included in the study. According to the level of measured serum cholesterol, there were 421 (38.4%) patients is group I, 256 (23.3%) patients in group II, 363 (33.1%) patients in group III and 57 (5.2%) patients group IV. We found no significant difference between the study groups in terms of gender (60% males, 40% females), mean duration of transplantation (66.9 months), between those transplanted before 1990 and those transplanted after 1990, donor type, prevalence of hypertension (85%), history of hypertension on dialysis, original kidney disease, frequency of rejections in the first year (28%), mean serum creatinine (220 mumol/L), cyclosporine mean dose (3.2 mg/kg/day) mean prednisone dose (0.15 mg/kg/day), number of patients on azathioprine (65%), the mean proteinuria (0.6 G/L) or number of antihypertensives. In comparison with the group with normal serum cholesterol level, the group with severe hypercholesterolemia had significantly higher mean age (40.6 versus 37.4 years), higher mean weight (72 versus 65.8 kg), rate of retransplantation (8.8% versus 3.1%), higher frequency of diabetics (35% versus 20%) and higher frequency of abnormal electrocardiogram (18.2% versus 5.2%). CONCLUSION: That hypercholesterolemia is a significant problem in the renal transplant population in Saudi Arabia. Risk factors for the development of hypercholesterolemia are mainly related to weight, age, diabetes and retransplantation.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Effect of Ramadan fasting on Moslem kidney transplant recipients.

This study was carried out to find out whether Ramadan fasting would affect the renal function in kidney transplant recipients with normal or impaired graft function. Twenty-three transplant recipients, 17 with a normal function and 6 with an impaired but stable function with plasma creatinine levels not exceeding 300 mmol/l, were included in this study. The mean posttransplant period was 2.0 (range 0.6-6.3) years. Urinary and serum biochemical parameters, ciclosporin A level, and hematocrit were checked weekly, during Ramadan as well as 1 week before and after. Statistical analysis showed no significant changes in all parameters before, during, and after Ramadan. In conclusion, our findings indicate that fasting during the month of Ramadan does not seem to be associated with any significant adverse effects in kidney transplant recipients with normal or impaired graft function and suggest that it is safe for those patients to fast during Ramadan after 1 year of renal transplantation.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Reversible uremic deafness: is it correlated with the degree of anemia?

Hearing loss is a common finding in patients with end-stage renal failure. Uremic toxins, ototoxins, and axonal uremic neuropathy appear to be likely pathogenic factors. We analyzed whether an improvement in hearing capacity can be achieved with an improvement of anemia by erythropoietin (EPO) administration. Fifty patients on long-term hemodialysis in a single center were examined audiologically by otoscopy, tympanometry, pure tone audiometry, and the short increment sensitivity index. Twenty-five patients were treated with EPO in a dose of 120 U/kg per week over a period of 5 to 8 months, and the remaining 25 patients were not treated with EPO (controls). Both groups were reexamined audiologically after the study period, and the results were compared. In the group treated with EPO, the hemoglobin level increased from 7 +/- 0.9 to 11 +/- 0.8 g/dL, as against the control group, whose hemoglobin increased from 7.1 +/- 0.9 to 8 +/- g/dL. The audiologic tests were repeated at the end of the study period, and a significant improvement of hearing was found in the patients treated with EPO as compared with the control group (p < .001). Our study suggests that improvement of anemia in patients on long-term hemodialysis by administration of EPO is associated with an improvement in hearing capacity in a significant number of patients. Thus, anemia seems to be an important factor responsible for hearing disorders in patients with end-stage renal failure. Studies with larger numbers of patients are required to confirm this observation.

Anemia↗
PubMed1997

Prevalence and clinical expression of HCV-genotypes in haemodialysis-patients of two geographically remote countries: Belgium and Saudi-Arabia.

Hepatitis C virus is the leading cause of acute and chronic liver disease in hemodialysis patients. There are at least six major HCV-genotypes, with a well documented geographical distribution in the general population. Moreover, HCV-genotype is one of the major determinants of the therapeutic response to Interferon Alpha in affected patients. Since the therapeutic outcome in HCV-positive hemodialysis patients, especially with regard to the different HCV-genotypes, is of interest, a multicentre epidemiologic study was performed in HCV-antibody positive hemodialysis patients of two geographically remote countries, i.e. in Flanders (Belgium) and in Saudi-Arabia. 184 chronic hemodialysis patients, with a positive second or third generation Elisa assay for HCV, were tested for HCV-viremia and HCV-genotype, using a 5' untranslated region (UR) nested PCR for the detection of HCV-RNA and subsequently type-specific probes to hybridize with HCV-RNA (Inno-Lipa). Additionally, clinical data were collected by means of a standardized questionnaire, thoroughly completed by the nephrologist in charge of each respective patient. Viremia was present in 79% of the patients (146 out of 184). The prevalence of HCV-genotypes differed significantly between Belgian and Saudi-Arabian dialysis-patients. In Belgian dialysis patients HCV-genotype 1b was most prevalent (i.e. 62%), while in Saudi-Arabian patients HCV-genotypes 4, 1b, and la were present in respectively 36,4%, 31,7%, and 25,8% of the HCV-PCR positive patients. Although there were significant differences between Belgian and Saudi-Arabian dialysis patients, no clinical data showed any significant correlation with the HCV-genotype. Transaminases, determined over a six months period, showed normal average values. Doubling of the transaminases, in at least one out of six measurements over a six monthly period, occurred only in 14% (alanine aminotransferase, ALT) and 10% (aspartate aminotransferase, AST) of the patients. In Belgian dialysis patients, HCV-genotype 4 (or HCV-genotype 5) significantly correlated with a more recent start of dialysis treatment. We conclude that there is a significant different geographical prevalence of HCV-genotypes in HCV-affected hemodialysis patients. None of the different HCV-genotypes shows any particular clinical expression. Transaminases are not a sensitive marker for ongoing HCV-replication in hemodialysis patients. In Belgian dialysis patients, a changing pattern of HCV-infection is suggested, with an increasing prevalence of HCV-genotype 4 (or HCV-genotype 5) in more recent years. These data suggest possible implications for the therapeutic strategy in dialysis patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Kaposi's sarcoma in renal transplant recipients.

One hundred and seventeen of 270 (43%) recipients of organs obtained from donors with malignancies had evidence of transmitted cancers. In 9 instances these were removed from renal allografts immediately prior to transplantation. Including these cases there were 45 recipients of organs in which a neoplasm involved the allograft, 6 others in whom adjacent structures were invaded, and another 66 patients who had distant metastases. Precautions to prevent cancer transmission include meticulous preoperative screening of donors, careful examination of all organs at the time of harvesting, biopsy of any suspicious lesions, and routine donor autopsy, if possible.

Adult↗