2020

Hypertension and sex related diff erences in mortality of COVID-19 infection: A systematic review and Meta-analysis

2026-02-18T06:15:12Z

Hypertension and sex related diff erences in mortality of COVID-19 infection: A systematic review and Meta-analysis Alam, Nazmul Background: Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases and premature deaths. Hypertension plays a striking role in mortality and morbidity in case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection; however, numerous studies have reported contradictory fi ndings. Objective: To assess the relationship of hypertensive disease and mortality of COVID-19 infection and to assess the sex and age diff erentials on the association. Methods: We have conducted a systematic review of published literatures that identifi ed the relationship between hypertension and mortality of COVID-19 infections. Nineteen articles were selected following structured inclusion and exclusion criteria for systematic review and analyses. A total of 21,684 hospital admitted COVID-19 patients were included in this review and meta- analysis from 19 studies. The studies covered the six months of the pandemic from December 2019 to May 2020. Results: In the pooled analysis, the median age of patients was 58 years, and the proportion of male patients was 58.8%. In contrast, we estimated 33.26% of hypertensive and 19.16% of diabetes mellitus patients in the studies. Hypertension was found to be associated with COVID-19 mortality (“Risk ratio (RR) = 1.45, [95% confi dence interval (CI): 1.35 - 1.55]; I2 = 77.1%, p - value < 0.001”). The association in the meta-regression was aff ected by sex (p - value = 0.050). The association was found to be stronger in the studies with males ≥ 55% and age ≥ 55 years (“RR = 1.65, [95% CI: 1.52 - 1.78]; I2 = 77.1%, p - value < 0.001”) compared to male < 55% or age < 55 years (“RR = 1.11, [95% CI: 0.94 - 1.28]; I2 = 72.2%, p - value < 0.001”). Conclusion: Hypertension was signifi cantly strong associated with COVID-19 mortality which may account for the contradiction in the many studies. The association between hypertension and mortality was aff ected by sex and there were signifi cantly higher fatalities among older male patients.

Health and Demographic Surveillance System Sites: Reflections on Global Health Research Ethics

2026-02-18T06:15:27Z

Health and Demographic Surveillance System Sites: Reflections on Global Health Research Ethics Alam, Nazmul Although there should be no ambivalence regarding the importance of the Health and demographic surveillance System (HDSS), surveillance and research on human populations is beset with a variety of ethical issues.This is particularly true in the area of global health research, which merits attention in health policies related to research ethics. The objective of this paper is to analyzethe use of HDSS sites to obtain data and to resolve ethical conflicts over HDSS approaches, such as those related to data collection, surveillance, and research.This analysis is donein light of guidance on central ethical issues relating to health research such as the International Ethical Guidelines for Health Research.This paper is a critical review of literature of ethics in health and demographic research and surveillance, which has identified and analyzed the major areas of contemporary ethical concerns with respect to surveillance and research conducted by HDSS in accordance with existing ethical guidelines for health research. Concerns addressed in this paper are an overt admonishment about the importance of a range of issues from informed consent, beneficence, and justice,to advice on the best means to utilizesurveillance data. Although use of HDSS allows for invaluable contributions by providing longitudinal data for in-depth understanding of surveillance areas, which indirectly guides policies, programs, and interventions at national and international levels, studies using this means of gathering data are beset with multidimensional ethical concerns with respect to the research and surveillance they carry out. Many of the ethical concerns cannot be resolved under the broader ethical standards set by the major sources of international ethical guidelines or frameworks.Thus, the paper stresses that different and innovative lines of thinking and approaches are required for studies employing HDSS to ensure the best ethical conduct in health research for the improvement of global health.

Global health is more than just ‘Public Health Somewhere Else’

2026-02-18T06:15:28Z

Global health is more than just ‘Public Health Somewhere Else’ Alam, Nazmul ► Global health can be anywhere as it often focuses on large-scale health inequities that are rooted in transnational determinants. ► Some global health initiatives and actors aim to find solutions to domestic problems. ► King and Koski’s definition of global health may exacerbate inequities by reserving the right to call oneself a global health researcher to those who are privileged and have access to funding that enables them to travel to other settings. ► An inadequate definition of global health based on a ‘here’ vs ‘somewhere else’ dichotomy could result in less funding for a field already characterised by limited resources. ► The decolonisation of global health requires promot- ing and valuing reflexivity, critical approaches, equi- table partnerships and accountability.

Risk factors associated with Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) among children under 10-years in Rohingya refugee camp

2026-02-18T06:15:11Z

Risk factors associated with Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) among children under 10-years in Rohingya refugee camp Alam, Nazmul Acute respiratory infections are cause by bacterial, fungal or viral infections of the respiratory tract. Very young and older aged people are most vulnerable of these infections lead to difficulties from fever, cough, nasal discharge, sputum production, fatigue, wheezing, pain on swallowing, at times ear infections and meningitis. With huge number of Rohingya influx in Bangladesh, camps are overly crowded allowing many infectious diseases to transmit easily. Although there are researches that have been conducted in this area, there remains a huge gap of research in these camps where children being vulnerable are mostly suffering from respiratory disease such as Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI). This cross-sectional study investigated the risk factors associated with ARI among children less than 10 years in Rohingya refugee camps. After collecting information based on their demographic, anthropometric, history of respiratory problem, accommodation and nutritional status, it was found that about 21.6% of 259 children under this study had symptoms of