Problems faced by patients and health service utilization experiences of gastrointestinal patients during lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic undermined the health service delivery and utilization of essential health care services globally. The current study therefore aimed to explore the health-seeking behaviors and challenges faced by patients for the management of gastrointestinal diseases.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the outpatient department of Gastroenterology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi from March 2020 to July 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown phase to explore patient experiences.

Concurrent Arterial and Venous Thrombosis in a Patient with Ulcerative Colitis in Remission Phase.

Vascular thrombosis is an unusual yet well-known extra-intestinal complication of ulcerative colitis, usually involving the peripheral veins and occasionally the cerebral veins and the arterial system. We, herein, report a case of a 45-year female with ulcerative colitis in remitting phase presenting with anemia and right lower limb swelling and discoloration due to extensive arterial and venous thrombosis. Early and accurate diagnosis of thrombotic complications is essential to start limb-saving and life-saving therapy.

Hepatitis-C Infection: Are we really committed to eliminate? Could it become the second Polio for Pakistan?

Pakistan's hepatitis C virus (HCV) burden is one of the highest in the world. Around eight million people live with HCV in Pakistan according to a National Hepatitis Survey. Most HCV-infected people are unaware of their infection status culminating in delayed diagnosis and treatment, progressing to end stage liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), thereby raising the disease load for a developing country with limited resources.