Publications by authors named "S G Sepanlou"
Article Synopsis
- Premature mortality, defined as death before age 70, is a significant health concern in North Africa and the Middle East, with key causes including ischemic heart disease, stroke, and road injuries.
- The Pars Cohort Study in Iran, involving over 9,200 participants aged 40-75, analyzed risk factors and causes of premature death over a nine-year period through various data collection methods.
- The findings revealed that 54% of deaths were premature, mainly due to ischemic heart disease, with several predictive factors for premature mortality identified, including age, tobacco use, and socioeconomic status, while factors like female sex and higher education showed protective effects.
Article Synopsis
- Environmental risk factors like indoor air pollution from biomass fuels play a significant role in increasing cancer mortality rates, with notable risks for colorectal, esophageal, and gastric cancers.
- A study involving over 50,000 participants found that switching from solid fuels to gas cooking could reduce specific cancer mortalities by several percentages in rural areas.
- The research suggests that eliminating solid fuels and implementing educational and resource-based interventions can effectively lower cancer-related deaths, highlighting the need for policy changes in vulnerable communities.
Article Synopsis
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the top causes of death and disability globally, with metabolic risk factors significantly impacting mortality rates, especially in Iran.
- The study analyzed 8,621 middle-aged and older participants to assess the relationship between metabolic risk factors and CVD deaths, using the Cox proportional hazards model to calculate hazard ratios and population attributable fractions (PAFs).
- Findings revealed that 50% of CVD deaths were linked to metabolic factors like high waist circumference and high fasting blood sugar, with females showing a higher risk than males, highlighting the need for tailored approaches to CVD risk assessment in different populations.
Background: We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of fixed-dose combination therapy (polypill) for primary and secondary prevention of major cardiovascular diseases in a typical rural setting.
Methods: The PolyPars Study is a two-arm pragmatic cluster-randomised trial nested within the PARS cohort study, including all residents aged over 50 years in the entire district in southern Iran. The 91 villages underwent random allocation into two arms: the control arm, encompassing 45 clusters, was subjected to non-pharmacological intervention (educational training on healthy lifestyle), whereas the intervention arm, comprising 46 clusters, received the non-pharmacological interventions in conjunction with a once-daily polypill tablet.
Article Synopsis
- Recent research indicates that overall diet quality is linked to the risk of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancers, particularly in high-risk regions like northeastern Iran, where dietary patterns differ from high-income countries.
- The study followed over 50,000 individuals from 2004 to 2020, using various dietary indices to assess diet quality and found that better dietary scores were associated with reduced risk for both esophageal (up to 12%) and stomach cancers (up to 17%).
- Notably, specific diets like the Alternative Mediterranean Diet and the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research scores showed stronger protective effects against these cancers compared to other dietary scores like the Healthy Eating Index.