Only few epidemiological studies have examined the rate of active H. pylori infection in the symptomatic population in Pakistan. This retrospective study presents the laboratory data collected during the past 13 years (2002 to 2015) from 2315 symptomatic patients referred to the BreathMAT Lab, Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute, Islamabad for the diagnosis of active H. pylori infection using the 13C Urea Breath Test. Rate of infection and its association with gender and age were evaluated. The overall rate of active H. pylori infection was 49.5% and there was no association of this rate of infection with gender. An increase in rate of infection was observed with increasing age with significant difference (p < 0.05). The patients that tested negative for this infection might be having symptoms due to stress and indiscriminate use of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in this community. The fact that half of the symptomatic patients were negative needs to be highlighted and further suggests that symptomatic patients should be tested by the 13C UBT before prescribing antibiotic treatment for H. pylori eradication. In addition, there is a need to educate this community about the harmful and side effects of self medication and overuse of NSAIDs.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to compare the knowledge and attitudes of pharmacy and medical students regarding adverse drug reactions (ADRs), as well as their perceptions of barriers to ADR reporting, in a Higher Education Commission-recognised Pakistani university. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among final-year pharmacy (n=91) and medical (n=108) students in Pakistan from June 1 to July 31, 2014. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The responses of pharmacy students were compared to those of medical students. RESULTS: Pharmacy students had a significantly better knowledge of ADRs than medical students (mean+/-SD, 5.61+/-1.78 vs. 3.23+/-1.60; P<0.001). Gender showed a significant relationship to knowledge about ADRs, and male participants were apparently more knowledgeable than their female counterparts (P<0.001). The attitudes of pharmacy students regarding their capability to handle and report ADRs were significantly more positive than those of medical students (P<0.05). In comparison to pharmacy students, a lack of knowledge of where and how to report ADRs was the main barrier that medical students perceived to ADR reporting (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Final-year pharmacy students exhibited more knowledge about ADRs and showed more positive attitudes regarding their capacity to handle and report ADRs than final-year medical students.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions* ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pakistan* ; Pharmacovigilance ; Pharmacy* ; Students, Medical* ; Students, Pharmacy