Naseem Aslam Channa from the Institute of Biochemistry, University of Sindh, has defended her research work on "the epidemiological and biochemical aspects involved in the pathogenesis of human gallstones (cholelithiasis) in southern Sindh " at a seminar. It was for the first time, the scholar presented research work from the multimedia centre at the university's information technology institute.
Highlighting her research work, she said gallstone disease is common among women of low-income families in southern areas of Sindh.
She said oil, continuous use of green vegetables (saag, palak and tomato) and smoking are main causes of gallstone disease in the age group of 40 to 45.
The scholar that said overall objectives of the present study were to find out surgical incidence and epidemiological risk factors for the disease.
She said gallstone is a concretion that forms in the gallbladder and added that there are three types of gallstone: cholesterol, pigment and mixed composition stone, and the pathogenesis of these involve four steps, including super saturation, gallbladder hypo-motility, nucleation and aggregation.
She said in Hyderabad and it's adjoining areas, gallstone disease is fairly common. Here cholesterol gallstones are far more prevalent than the pigment and mixed composition stones and the incidence of cholesterol gallstone is significantly high in males, whereas reverse is true for pure pigment stones.
However, she further said, no systematic study has been carried out so far in this area in order to find true surgical incidence of gallstone disease and its association with various epidemiological and biochemical risk factors.
She said the present study was carried out in two parts: in the first part, information about epidemiological risk factors, including surgical incidence of gallstone disease was obtained by filling in carefully designed questionnaire forms for gallstone patients and controls treated in surgical wards of the Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro, Memon Charitable Hospital, Hyderabad, Wali Bhai Rajputana Hospital, Hyderabad, Naseem Medical Center, Hyderabad and Isra University Hospital, Hyderabad during January 1999 to December 2001.
In second part, analysis of human gallstones and blood samples from gallstone patients and controls was carried out to find the biochemical risk factors associated with gallstone disease.
In gallstone patients, treated in various hospitals, surgical incidence in males was found to be 4 percent and in females 14.2 percent, constituting male to female ratio at 13.3.
The age range for male gallstone patients was 10 to 78 years and for females 11 to 80 years. The peak age group for the presentation of gallstones in males was 45-59 years and in females 30-44.
Females between the age group of 30 and 44 years were seen to be more prone to develop gallstones than females of any other age group. 29.45 percent female gallstone patients were having up to 3 children and 70.55 percent had more than three children.
Majority of gallstone patients belonged to poor families (81.2 percent); came from Hyderabad district (51.56 percent); were sedentary by occupation (89 percent); and presented during months from May to August (35.06 percent).
Patient history subsequently confirmed by laboratory findings showed that 53.3 percent of gallstone patients had jaundice and 23.35 percent diabetes mellitus.
Information on the epidemiology of cholelithiasis showed that gallstone disease was more common in females than in males.
Concluding her research study, the scholar said the prevalence varied with age and was greatest in females in the age group of 30-44 years. She said amongst dietary constituents, green chillies, rapeseed oil, green vegetables and tomatoes were positively associated with gallstone disease.
Addiction to smoking appeared to be the major risk factor for gallstone disease, as smoking is known to decrease serum HDL-cholesterol level.
Significantly raised serum levels for calcium, copper and iron in gallstone patients compared to controls and hundred percent occurrence of these metals in different types of human gallstones suggest that these metals do play an important role in the structure of gallstones.
Serum lipid profile results clearly demonstrate that significantly low HDL-cholesterol and high VLDL-cholesterol levels are involved in pathogenesis of human gallstones.
High serum levels for total-; direct- and indirect-bilirubin coupled to raise serum iron level seen in gallstone patients suggest the involvement of haemolysis in pathogenesis of human gallstones.
Sindh University vice-chancellor Mazharul Haq Siddiqui congratulated the scholar on her research work. He said the scholar has selected the topic that would help in the betterment of the human health, especially of women belonging to rural areas.
Professor Asif Ali Kazi, dean faculty of natural sciences, and other scholars also expressed their views.
Institutes and departments of the university were inter-linked with the multimedia centre and scholars from concerned departments attended the seminar and asked questions from the scholar about her work.
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