Objectives: To assess trend of consumption and withdrawal effects from caffeine containing products among medical undergraduate students of Karachi. Study design and setting: Cross-sectional study conducted via web-based questionnaire, from January 2020 to June 2021. Methodology: Undergraduate medical, MBBS students aged 18-24 years, studying in 6 different medical universities of Karachi were included in the study. An online survey was conducted. An online questionnaire was designed which consisted of 28 self-made questions that focused on collecting basic sociodemographic information, coffee consumption habits, and any adverse event associated with caffeine intake. The questionnaire was posted online and undergraduate medical students were invited to participate in the study. Results: One hundred and fifty seven students participated in the study. Out of 157 students 94% admitted to consuming some form of caffeine containing product (CCP), with 42.3% (n = 66) of the total believing that they were addicted to caffeine. A significant number also believed that CCPs helped students deal with their problems. Withdrawal symptoms include migraines, sleep disturbances, and loss of focus, leading to an inability to perform daily tasks. A positive correlation was also found between the daily intake of any CCP and incidence of withdrawal symptoms (p=0.01). Conclusion: Many students in medical universities of Karachi are moving towards caffeine dependence, due to daily consumption over a prolonged period of time. Promoting responsible consumption habits and spreading awareness over potential adverse effects of CCPs, especially amongst a younger audience could improve the health and lifestyles of students in the long-term

In order to improve the health care system in Pakistan, the first step is to assess which diseases are the most prevalent and to what extent among children and lead to hospital admissions. This would help to improve the facilities and management and thus reduce the duration of hospital stay. This study aimed to determine the spectrum of disease presentation and the outcome and duration of hospital stay of patients presenting to the paediatric ward of a tertiary care hospital. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in the paediatric ward of a semi-private hospital PNS SHIFA in Karachi. The duration of the study was six months (March 2019 to August 2019) and the sample size was 431. Non probability convenience sampling was done and p-value =/< 0.05 was taken as significant. Data was analysed through SPSS version 22. The study showed that gastroenterological diseases were the most common (138 [32%]), and all patients with these problems were discharged after treatment. Out of the 96 (22%) patients presenting with pulmonary diseases all were discharged except 2/96 patients (2%) who died as they had some co-morbidity (congenital heart disease and measles, respectively). One was referred (congenital heart disease). Seventy-five (17.5%) had infectious diseases with good outcome, 2 out of 19 (4.9%) had cardiac related illnesses. One neurological patient died, while the rest of 41 were discharged.---Continue