IntroductionChikungunya is an arthropod-borne virus endemic to Africa, Southeast Asia and India that causes acute febrile polyarthralgia and arthritis. In this short case series, we discuss six Bangladeshi patients with chikungunya fever. Though Bangladesh is in endemic zone, it is not common here, hence it demands attention for proper diagnosis and management.Case presentationThe six cases of chikungunya we report occurred in native Bangladeshi women with ages ranging from 20 to 50 years and all having a middle class family background. Three women had severe incapacitating arthralgia as well as a maculo-papular rash and a high fever. The other three had a high grade fever and arthralgia only, but no rash. They were tested for chikungunya immunoglobulin M antibody and found to be positive in all cases. They were treated symptomatically with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and found responsive in most cases.ConclusionFrom this case series, it is evident that chikungunya is not that uncommon in Bangladesh. But the concomitant presence of other arthropod-borne infections with similar courses of illness makes most physicians less aware of this infection. An awareness and clinical knowledge are necessary to diagnose chikungunya infection properly.

Background Alcohol use is a risk factor for the development of noncommunicable diseases. National data are needed to assess the prevalence of alcohol use in the Bangladeshi population. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence and patterns of alcohol use among men and women of rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. Additionally, predictors of ever alcohol use were also identified. Methods A nationally representative cross-sectional survey (STEPS 2010) was conducted on 9275 adults between November 2009 and April 2010. Participants were selected using multi-stage random cluster sampling. Data on several risk factors for noncommunicable diseases, including alcohol use, were collected by an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Results Among the total population, 5.6% (n = 519) reported to have ever drunk alcohol and 94.4% (8756) were lifetime abstainers; 2.0% (n = 190) of participants reported to have drunk alcohol within the last 12 months. Of these, 94.7% (n = 180) were men. Only 0.9% (n = 87) of the total population had drunk alcohol within the last 30 days and were categorized as current drinkers. Among current drinkers, 77.0% (n = 67) were defined as binge drinkers, having had at least one episode of heavy drinking in this time period; 92.0% (n = 80) were current smokers and 59.8% (n = 52) had either no formal education or less than primary school education. Ever alcohol use was more common among men, those who live in urban areas and smokers. Conclusion Alcohol use is low in Bangladesh; however, those who do use alcohol frequently binge drink, which is a public health concern. Targeted efforts should be made on these specific groups, to control and prevent the continued use of alcohol in Bangladesh.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or hyperglycemia in pregnancy is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes such as large for gestational age (LGA), excess fetal adiposity and cesarean delivery. This study addressed the prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy and to compare the perinatal outcomes between GDM and non-GDM in a rural pregnancy cohort of Bangladesh. Ten villages were purposively selected in a rural area about 100 km off Dhaka City. A population census was conducted. A randomized sample of married women of age 15-45y was drawn from the census data. These women having either regular menstruation (non-regnant) or cessation of menstruation for ≥24weeks (pregnant) were considered eligible. Both the pregnant and non-pregnant women were invited to volunteer the study. Weight, height, waist-and hip-girth and blood pressure were taken. Fasting blood sample was collected for the estimation of plasma glucose (FPG), triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (chol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL). FPG >5.1 mmol/L was taken as cut-off for hyperglycemia in non-pregnant and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) for the pregnant women. The biophysical characteristics were compared between pregnant and non-pregnant; and then GDM and non-GDM. Only the pregnant women were taken as a pregnancy cohort. The cohort had followup from 24wks of pregnancy through 28 post-natal days. Results The census yielded 23545 (m / f=11896 / 11649) people of all ages. The married women of age 15-45y were 4526. Of them, 2100 were randomly selected for investigation and 1585 (75.5%) volunteered. The overall prevalence (95% CI) of hyperglycemia (FPG >5.1 mmol/L) was 18.5% (16.7 -20.3). The prevalence of GDM was 8.9% (7.0 -10.8) and non-GDM was 19. 8% (18.8 -20.8). The BMI and WHR were significantly higher in the pregnant than non-pregnant women; whereas, there was no significant difference between GDM and non-GDM group. The prevalence rates of abortions, stillbirths, hospital delivery, cesarean delivery, hospital stay ≥7days, puerperal sepsis and neonatal death did not differ between GDM and non-GDM subjects significantly. The prevalence of GDM in rural Bangladesh is comparable with any other population with higher prevalence of GDM. The prevalence of hyperglycemia was found significantly higher in the non-pregnant than the pregnant women. The anthropometric measures did not differ significantly between GDM and non-GDM though FPG was found significantly higher in the former. Compared with the non-GDM the GDM subjects had no significantly higher fetomaternal morbidity and mortality possibly due to non-sedentary habit, non-obesity, non-dyslipidemia or may be due to inherent genetic makeup. A well designed study in a larger sample may explain our findings.Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2013; 7(2): 21-27

Bardet Biedl syndrome is a rare disease. A case report is presented here where a 13 years old girl presented with obesity, night blindness, learning difficulties and polydactyly. Obesity and night blindness started from since childhood. Her milestones of development were normal but having some learning difficulties. Her parents are healthy as well as her siblings. On examination she looks apathy, extreme obese, having polydactyly and retinitis pigmentosa and high B.P. On laboratory findings there is only dyslipidaemia. On the basis of clinical features she was diagnosed as a case of Bardet-Biedl syndrome.Bangladesh J Medicine Jan 2015; 26 (1) : 31-34

not available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bmj.v43i2.21394 Bangladesh Med J. 2014 May; 43 (2): 106-111