Expert consensus on oral corticosteroids stewardship for the treatment of severe asthma in the Middle East and Africa.

In the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, overuse of oral corticosteroids (OCS) for asthma management, both as burst and maintenance therapy, poses a significant challenge. Gaps in knowledge regarding the need to taper OCS in patients with severe asthma and the use of OCS in comorbid conditions have been noted. OCS stewardship can help attain optimal and effective OCS tapering along with reducing OCS overuse and over-reliance.

Acute Pulmonary Embolism in Oman: A Situational Analysis.

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.

Gulf Asthma Diagnosis and Management in Adults: Expert Review and Recommendations.

The prevalence and incidence of asthma are increasing globally because of genetic and environmental influences. Prevalence of asthma in the Gulf has been reported to range from 4.7% to 32.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Cystic Fibrosis in Omani Children: A Multi-center Cross-sectional Study.

Objectives: To describe the demographic distribution of cystic fibrosis (CF) in Omani children, estimate the national prevalence, and provide updated mutational panels of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of all CF patients who had been diagnosed and followed-up at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and Royal Hospital in Oman between 2006 and 2020. Data were collected from electronic hospital records and telephone interviews.

Tezepelumab for Patients with Severe Uncontrolled Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Tezepelumab is a human monoclonal antibody that blocks thymic stromal lymphopoietin, an epithelial-cell-derived cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. It was approved by the United States Federal Drug Administration (US FDA) as an add-on maintenance treatment for patients with severe uncontrolled asthma in December 2021. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the safety and efficacy of tezepelumab on forced expiratory volume (FEV) (L), the rate of asthma exacerbations, health-related quality of life, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) (ppb), and blood eosinophil count (cells/mL) in patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma.

Over-prescription of short-acting β-agonists and asthma management in the Gulf region: a multicountry observational study.

Background: The overuse of short-acting β-agonists (SABA) is associated with poor asthma control. However, data on SABA use in the Gulf region are limited. Herein, we describe SABA prescription practices and clinical outcomes in patients with asthma from the Gulf cohort of the SABA use IN Asthma (SABINA) III study.

Severe asthma treatment patterns: A multicenter observational study in the Gulf region.

Background: While crucial to the assessment and improvement of asthma control, insights on treatment practices in patients with severe diseases across Gulf nations are lacking. This observational study describes the treatment patterns of adolescents and adults with severe asthma across four countries of the Gulf region and evaluates current levels of asthma control; quality of life (QoL); exacerbation frequency; and the application of cellular, protein, and respiratory biomarkers in assessing asthma severity and inflammation.

Methods: Patients (aged >12 years, body weight ≥40 kg) with clinician-diagnosed, severe asthma (guided by the 2018 Global Initiative for Asthma definition) were included in this cross-sectional, multicenter, observational study conducted in the four Gulf countries of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

COVID-19 and Pulmonary Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Coinfection.

The Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was classified as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. It is caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus affects mainly the human respiratory system.

Pulmonary Vein Occlusion and Lung Infarction after Radiofrequency Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Pulmonary vein (PV) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective technique for a selected group of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) refractory to antiarrhythmic drugs (Alfudhili et al., 2017). However, pulmonary vein occlusion is a potentially rare, sometimes severe, complication which may present clinically as nonspecific respiratory symptoms, signifying pulmonary vein stenosis, that are often underrecognized or misdiagnosed, leading to progression of the low-grade stenosis to complete occlusion if not treated with timely intervention (Alfudhili et al.

Pulmonary Embolism Presenting as Abdominal Pain and Asystole.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening condition that mandates prompt identification and management. The protean and atypical symptomatology of PE can mislead the physician and pose a diagnostic dilemma. Abdominal pain is one such rare symptom that is not commonly encountered in the clinical setting.

Pulmonary Hyalinising Granuloma: A report of two cases.

Pulmonary hyalinising granuloma (PHG) is a rare fibrosclerosing inflammatory lung condition of unknown aetiology. It is characterised by solitary or multiple pulmonary nodules that are usually found incidentally while imaging the chest for other reasons. We report two cases of histologically proven PHG diagnosed at the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman.

Sarcoidosis in the Middle East.

Sarcoidosis, a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown cause, has been described worldwide and in all populations with notable differences in clinical characteristics, organ involvement, disease severity, and prognosis among different ethnic and racial groups. While the exact prevalence of sarcoidosis in the Middle East is unknown, studies from various countries in the region have reported the clinical characteristics of affected patients, along with a few anecdotal reports. A search of the MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases was conducted for relevant English-language articles using the terms "sarcoidosis" and "Middle East" or "sarcoidosis" and "Arabs.

Clinical features of Sarcoidosis in Oman: A report from the Middle East region.

Background: Though clinical features of sarcoidosis follow a similar pattern, some heterogeneity is seen in different ethnic and racial groups.

Objectives: To describe for the first time the clinical characteristics of sarcoidosis patients in the Sultanate of Oman.

Methods: The data on all cases of sarcoidosis followed up in the two tertiary hospitals in Oman were retrieved retrospectively.

The Burden of Asthma in Oman.

Asthma is a common lung disease worldwide, although its prevalence varies from country to country. Oman is ranked in the intermediate range based on results from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. A 2009 study revealed that the majority of asthmatic patients in Oman reported both daytime and nocturnal symptoms, while 30% of adults and 52% of children reported absences from work or school due to their symptoms.

The asthma cost in oman.

Objectives: This study evaluates the direct costs of treating asthma in Oman.

Methods: Asthma prevalence and unit cost estimates were based on results from a panel using the Delphi technique, and were applied to the total Omani population aged 5 and older to obtain the number of people diagnosed with asthma. The estimates from the Delphi exercise were multiplied by the percentage of patients using government facilities to estimate the number of asthma patients managed in Oman.

Tracheobronchopathia Osteochondroplastica: Case report and literature review.

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TPO) is a rare, benign condition involving the trachea. TPO is characterised by osteocartilaginous nodules developing within the submuscosa of the trachea, sparing the posterior wall. We present the first documented case of TPO in Oman in a 25 year-old Omani male who presented with a recurrent, productive cough from which he had suffered throughout the previous two years.

Asthma Control in Oman: National Results within the Asthma Insights and Reality in the Gulf and the Near East (AIRGNE) Study.

Objectives: The Asthma Insights and Reality (AIR) study in the Gulf and Near East (one of a worldwide series of surveys conducted in adults and children to assess asthma control) was conducted in Oman to assess how closely asthma control meets international guidelines recommendations.

Methods: From January 2007 to March 2008, asthmatics receiving treatment or currently suffering from asthma symptoms were interviewed among nationals randomly surveyed from the most populated urban areas in Oman (Muscat, Sohar and Nizwa). The standard AIR questionnaire was used to assess symptom severity, health care utilisation, limitation of activity and medication use.

Level control of asthma patients in chest specialist clinics.

Objectives: This survey aims to assess the current levels of asthma control as reported by patients attending chest specialist clinic by using the Asthma Control Test (ACT) questionnaire.

Methods: Current levels of asthma control were assessed using the ACT questionnaire, and a brief instrument developed to assess asthma control in a clinical setting. 141 (100 females) patients aged 13 years and above were recruited from the chest clinic of Royal hospital, a tertiary hospital in the Sultanate of Oman.