Journal/Magazine Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/13
This collection contains original research articles, review articles and case reports published in local and international peer reviewed journals by the staff members of the Faculty of Medicine
Browse
34 results
Search Results
Item The impact of COVID-19 on health care accessibility and financial risk protection in Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2023) Nandasena, S.; Gamage, A.U.; Periyasamy, N.; Rismy, M.; Balachandran, K.; Kasturiratne, A.INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted essential health services, and distorted social determinants of health, reducing healthcare accessibility and increasing financial risk. AIM: we aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare accessibility and financial risk protection in Sri Lanka. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a cross-sectional study on a representative sample (multi-stage sampling process) of 3151 households in 105 clusters representing all the districts of Sri Lanka. The data collection was conducted using an interviewer-administered questionnaire in early November 2021. This was important to classify three periods of interest, namely: (1) the pre-lockdown period (2) the nationwide lockdown period, and (3) the new normal period. (After Oct 1 to early November 2021). RESULTS: Among 11,463 household occupants, 12.6% reported having chronic diseases, with 76.5% diagnosed prior to six months. The majority had heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes. Of them, 53.7% have been followed up during the lockdown, increasing to 80.8% in the new normal period. Provincial variations in expenses were observed, with the highest food expenses in the Western Province. Catastrophic health expenditures affected 9.5% and 3.4% of households at 10% and 25%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable proportion of those having heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood sugar or diabetes mellitus were not followed up in the lockdown period and the first month of the new normal period. Antenatal care and family planning were the least affected. Participants had incurred high out-of-pocket expenditures for healthcare during the entire period.Item Reference equations for evaluation of spirometry function tests in South Asia, and amongst south asians living in other countries(European Respiratory Society, 2022) Leong, W.Y.; Gupta, A.; Hasan, M.; Mahmood, S.; Siddiqui, S.; Ahmed, S.; Goon, I.Y.; Loh, M.; Mina, T.H.; Lam, B.; Yew, Y.W.; Ngeow, J.; Lee, J.; Lee, E.S.; Riboli, E.; Elliott, P.; Tan, G.P.; Chotirmall, S.H.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Kooner, J.S.; Khawaja, K.I.; Katulanda, P.; Mridha, M.K.; Jha, S.; Ranjit, M.A.; Pradeepa, G.; Kasturiratne, A.; Chambers, J.C.Background: There is little data to accurate interpretation of spirometry data in South Asia, a major global region with high reported burden for chronic respiratory disease. Method: We measured lung function in 7,453 healthy men and women aged over 18 years, from Bangladesh, North India, South India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as part of the South Asia Biobank study. We first assessed the accuracy of existing equations for predicting normal forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and FEV1/FVC ratio. We then used our data to derive (N=5589) and internally validate (N=1864) new prediction equations amongst South Asians, with further external validation amongst 339 healthy South Asians living in Singapore. Results: GLI2012 and NHANESIII consistently overestimated expiratory volumes (best fit GLI-African American, mean [sd] z-score (n=7453): FEV1 -0.94 [1.05]; FVC -0.91 [1.10]). Age, height and weight were strong predictors of lung function in our participants (p<0.001), and sex specific reference equations using these three variables were highly accurate in both internal validation (z-scores: FEV1 0.03 [0.99]; FVC 0.04 [0.97]; FEV1/FVC -0.03 [0.99]) and external validation (z-scores: FEV1 0.31 [0.99]; FVC 0.24 [0.97]; FEV1/FVC 0.16 [0.91]). Further adjustment for study regions improves the model fit, with highest accuracy for estimation of region specific lung function in South Asia. Conclusion: We present improved equations for predicting lung function in South Asians. These offer the opportunity to enhance diagnosis and management of acute and chronic lung diseases in this major global population.Item Multi-ancestry genetic study of type 2 diabetes highlights the power of diverse populations for discovery and translation(Nature Publishing Company, New York, 2022) Mahajan, A.; Spracklen, C.N.; Zhang, W.; Ng, M.C.Y.; Petty, L.E.; Kitajima, H.; Yu, G.Z.; Rüeger, S.; Speidel, L.; Kim, Y.J.; Horikoshi, M.; Mercader, J.M .; Taliun, D.; Moon, S.; Kwak, S.H.; Robertson, N.R.; Rayner, N.W.; Loh, M.; Kim, B.; Chiou, J.; Miguel-Escalada, I.; Parolo, P.D.B.; Lin, K.; Bragg, F.; Preuss, M.H.; Takeuchi, F.; Nano, J.; Guo, X.; Lamri, A.; Nakatoch, M.; Scott, R.A.; Lee, J.J.; Huerta-Chagoya, A.; Graff, M.; Chai, J.F.; Parra, E. J.; Yao, J.; Bielak, L.F.; Tabara, Y.; Hai, Y.; Steinthorsdottir, V.; Cook, J.P.; Kals, M.; Grarup, N.; Schmidt, E.M.; Pan, I.; Sofer, T.; Wuttke, M.; Sarnowski, C.; Gieger, C.; Nousome, D.; Trompet, S.; Long, J.; Sun, M.; Tong, L.; Chen, W.M.; Ahmad, M.; Noordam, R.; Lim, V.J.Y.; Tam, C.H.T.; Joo, Y.Y.; Chen, C.H.; Raffield, L.M.; Lecoeur, C.; Prins, B.P.; Nicolas, A.; Yanek, L.R.; Chen, G.; Jensen, R.A.; Tajuddin, S.; Kabagambe, E.K.; An, P.; Xiang, A.H.; Choi, H.S.; Cade, B.E.; Tan, J.; Flanagan, J.; Abaitua, F.; Adair, L.S.; Adeyemo, A.; Aguilar-Salinas, C.A.; Akiyama, M.; Anand, S.S.; Bertoni, A.; Bian, Z.; Bork-Jensen, J.; Brandslund, I.; Brody, J.A.; Brummett, C.M.; Buchanan, T.A.; Canouil, M.; Chan, J.C.N.; Chang, L.C.; Chee, M.L.; Chen, J.; Chen, S.H.; Chen, Y.T.; Chen, Z.; Chuang, L.M.; Cushman, M.; Das, S.K.; de Silva, H.J.; Dedoussis, G.; Dimitrov, L.; Doumatey, A.P.; Du, S.; Duan, Q.; Eckardt, K.U.; Emery, L.S.; Evans, D.S.; Evans, M.K.; Fischer, K.; Floyd, J.S.; Ford, I.; Fornage, M.; Franco, O.H.; Frayling, T.M.; Freedman, B.I.; Fuchsberger, C.; Genter, P.; Gerstein, H.C.; Giedraitis, V.; Villalpando, C.G.; Villalpando, M.E.G.; Goodarzi, M.O.; Larsen, P.G.; Gorkin, D.; Gross, M.; Guo, Y.; Hackinger, S.; Han, S.; Hattersley, A.T.; Herder, C.; Howard, A.G.; Hsueh, W.; Huang, M.; Huang, W.; Hung, Y.; Hwang, M.Y.; Hwu, C.; Ichihara, S.; Ikram, M.A.; Ingelsson, M.; Islam, M.T.; Isono, M.; Jang, H.M.; Jasmine, F.; Jiang, G.; Jonas, J.B.; Jørgensen, M.E.; Jørgensen, T.; Kamatani, Y.; Kandeel, F.R.; Kasturiratne, A.; Katsuya, T.; Kaur, V.; Kawaguchi, T.; Keaton, J.M.; Kho, A.N.; Khor, C.C.; Kibriya, M.G.; Kim, D.H.; Kohara, K.; Kriebel, J.; Kronenberg, F.; Kuusisto, J.; Läll, K.; Lange, L.A.; Lee, M.; Lee, N.R.; Leong, A.; Li, L.; Li, Y.; Li-Gao, R.; Ligthart, S.; Lindgren, C.M.; Linneberg, A.; Liu, C.; Liu, J.; Locke, A.E.; Louie, T.; Luan, J.; Luk, A.O.; Luo, X.; Lv, J.; Lyssenko, V.; Mamakou, V.; Mani, K.R.; Meitinger, T.; Metspalu, A.; Morris, A.D.; Nadkarni, G.N.; Nadler, J.L.; Nalls, M.A.; Nayak, U.; Nongmaithem, S.S.; Ntalla, I.; Okada, Y.; Orozco, L.; Patel, S.R.; Pereira, M.A.; Peters, A.; Pirie, F.J.; Porneala, B.; Prasad, G.; Preissl, S.; Rasmussen-Torvik, L.J.; Reiner, A.P.; Roden, M.; Rohde, R.; Roll, K.; Sabanayagam, C.; Sander, M.; Sandow, K.; Sattar, N.; Schönherr, S.; Schurmann, C.; Shahriar, M.; Shi, J.; Shin, D.M.; Shriner, D.; Smith, J.A.; So, W.Y.; Stančáková, A.; Stilp, A.M.; Strauch, K.; Suzuki, K.; Takahashi, A.; Taylor, K.D.; Thorand, B.; Thorleifsson, G.; Thorsteinsdottir, U.; Tomlinson, B.; Torres, J.M.; Tsai, F.; Tuomilehto, J.; Tusie-Luna, T.; Udler, M.S.; Salgado, A.V.; Dam, R.M.; Klinken, J.B.; Varma, R.; Vujkovic, M.; Wacher-Rodarte, N.; Wheeler, E.; Whitsel, E.A.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Dijk, K.W.; Witte, D.R.; Yajnik, C.S; Yamamoto, K.; Yamauchi, T.; Yengo, L.; Yoon, K.; Yu, C.; Yuan, J.M.; Yusuf, S.; Zhang, L.; Zheng, W.; FinnGen; eMERGE Consortium; Leslie J Raffel; Igase, M.; Ipp, E.; Redline, S.; Cho, Y.S.; Lind, L.; Province, M.A.; Hanis, C.L.; Peyser, P.A.; Ingelsson, E.; Zonderman, A.B.; Psaty, B.M.; Wang, Y.; Rotimi, C.N.; Becker, D.M.; Matsuda, F.; Liu, Y.; Zeggini, E.; Yokota, M.; Rich, S.S.; Kooperberg, C.; Pankow, J.S.; Engert, J.C.; Chen, Y.I.; Froguel, P.; Wilson, J.G.; Sheu, W.H.H.; Kardia, S.L.R.; Wu, J.Y.; Hayes, M.G.; Ma, R.C.W.; Wong, T.Y.; Groop, L.; Mook-Kanamori, D.O.; Chandak, G.R.; Collins, F.S.; Bharadwaj, D.; Paré, G.; Sale, M.M.; Ahsan, H.; Motala, A.A.; Shu, X.O.; Park, K.S.; Jukema, J.W.; Cruz, M.; Cowdin, R.M.; Grallert, H.; Cheng, C.Y.; Bottinger, E.P.; Dehghan, A.; Tai, E.S.; Dupuis, J.; Kato, N.; Laakso, M.; Köttgen, A.; Koh, W.P.; Palmer, C.N.A.; Liu, S.; Abecasis, G.; Kooner, J.S.; Loos, R.J.F.; North, K.E.; Haiman, C.A.; Florez, J.C.; Saleheen, D.; Hansen, T.; Pedersen, O.; Mägi, R.; Langenberg, C.; Wareham, N.J.; Maeda, S.; Kadowaki, T.; Lee, J.; Millwood, I.Y.; Walters, R.G.; Stefansson, K.; Myers, S.R.; Ferrer, J.; Gaulton, K.J.; Meigs, J.B.; Mohlke, K.L.; Gloyn, A.L.; Bowden, D.W.; Below, J.E.; Chambers, J.C.; Sim, X.; Boehnke, M.; Rotter, J.I.; McCarthy, M.I.; Morris, A.P.We assembled an ancestrally diverse collection of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 180,834 affected individuals and 1,159,055 controls (48.9% non-European descent) through the Diabetes Meta-Analysis of Trans-Ethnic association studies (DIAMANTE) Consortium. Multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis identified 237 loci attaining stringent genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10-9), which were delineated to 338 distinct association signals. Fine-mapping of these signals was enhanced by the increased sample size and expanded population diversity of the multi-ancestry meta-analysis, which localized 54.4% of T2D associations to a single variant with >50% posterior probability. This improved fine-mapping enabled systematic assessment of candidate causal genes and molecular mechanisms through which T2D associations are mediated, laying the foundations for functional investigations. Multi-ancestry genetic risk scores enhanced transferability of T2D prediction across diverse populations. Our study provides a step toward more effective clinical translation of T2D GWAS to improve global health for all, irrespective of genetic background.Item Effect of a multicomponent intervention on antihypertensive medication intensification in rural South Asia: post-hoc analysis of a cluster RCT(Oxford University Press, 2021) Feng, L.; Jehan, I.; de Silva, A.; Naheed, A.; Khan, H.A.H.; Kasturiratne, A.; Clemens, J.D.; Lim, C.W.; Hughes, A.D.; Chaturvedi, N.; Jafar, T.H.; COBRA-BPS Study Group.BACKGROUND: Inadequate treatment of hypertension is a widespread problem, especially in South Asian countries where cardiovascular disease mortality rates are high. We aimed to explore the effect of a multicomponent intervention (MCI) on antihypertensive medication intensification among rural South Asians with hypertension. METHODS: A post-hoc analysis of a two-year cluster-randomized controlled trial including 2645 hypertensives aged≥ 40 years from 30 rural communities, 10 each, in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Independent assessors collected information on participants' self-reports and physical inspection of medications. The main outcomes were the changes from baseline to 24 months in the following: 1) the therapeutic intensity score (TIS) for all (and class specific) antihypertensive medications; 2) the number of antihypertensive medications in all trial participants. RESULTS: At 24 months, the mean increase in the TIS score of all antihypertensive medications was 0.11 in the MCI group and 0.03 in the control group, with a between-group difference in the increase of 0.08 (95% CI (0.03, 0.12); P=0.002). In MCI compared to controls, a greater increase in the TIS of renin angiotensin-aldosterone system blockers (0.05; 95% CI (0.02, 0.07); P<0.001) and calcium channel blockers (0.03; 95% CI (0.00, 0.05);p=0.031) , and in the number of antihypertensive medications (0.11, 95% CI (0.02, 0.19);P=0.016) was observed. CONCLUSIONS: In rural communities in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, MCI led to a greater increase in antihypertensive medication intensification compared to the usual care among adults with hypertension. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02657746. KEYWORDS: South Asia; community health workers; hypertension; medications intensification; multicomponent intervention; physicians.Item Physical activity tracking among Sri Lankan adults: findings from a 7-year follow-up of the Ragama Health Study(SAGE Publications, 2021) Pinidiyapathirage, J.; Kasturiratne, A.; Bennie, J.A.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Biddle, S.J.H.; de Silva, H.J.; Chackrewarthy, S.; Dassanayake, A.S.; Ranawaka, U.; Kato, N.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.ABSTRACT: Limited data are available on physical activity tracking among adults in low- and middle-income countries. Using a longitudinal design, we assessed trends and correlates of physical activity among Sri Lankan adults. Individuals selected through age-stratified random sampling, were screened initially in 2007 (n = 2986) and reevaluated in 2014 (n = 2148). On both occasions, structured interviews and clinical measurements were completed. Approximately 40% of the participants engaged in recommended levels of physical activity both at baseline and follow-up. One-fifth reported increased physical activity at follow-up, a similar proportion reported being persistently inactive or a reduction in physical activity. In the adjusted analysis, being persistently active was associated with male sex, a lower educational level and income, being free of any chronic disease conditions, better self-rated health, and sitting time <8 hours. Our findings support public health interventions to help maintain recommended physical activity levels over time, particularly for subgroups at high-risk of physical inactivity. KEYWORDS: Sri Lanka; lower middle-income countries; non-communicable diseases; physical activity; population studies.Item The clinical utility of accurate NAFLD ultrasound grading: Results from a community-based, prospective cohort study(Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd, 2021) Niriella, M.A.; Ediriweera, D.S.; Kasturiratne, A.; Gunasekara, D.; de Silva, S.T.; Dassanayake, A.S.; de Silva, A.P.; Kato, N.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; de Silva, H.J.OBJECTIVES: Despite its widespread use there is no consensus on ultrasound criteria to diagnose fatty liver. METHOD: In an ongoing, cohort-study, participants were initially screened in 2007 and reassessed in 2014 by interview, anthropometric measurements, liver ultrasonography, and blood tests. We evaluated utility of increased hepatic echogenicity alone (intermediate) compared to using additional criteria which included signal attenuation and/or vascular blunting along with increase of hepatic echogenicity (moderate-severe), to diagnose fatty liver in NAFLD. We made a comparison of the two radiologically defined groups, in order to choose a classification method for NAFLD, which may better predict baseline adverse metabolic traits (MT), and adverse metabolic and cardiovascular events (CVE) after 7-year of follow-up. RESULTS: Of 2985 recruited in 2007, 940 (31.5 %) had moderate-severe NAFLD, 595 (19.9 %) intermediate NAFLD, and 957 (32.1 %) were controls (no fatty liver). 2148 (71.9 %) attended follow-up in 2014; they included 708 who had moderate-severe NAFLD, 446 intermediate NAFLD and 674 controls, at baseline (in 2007). At baseline, adverse anthropometric indices and MTs were significantly higher in both moderate-severe NAFLD and intermediate NAFLD compared to controls, except for low HDL. They were commoner in moderate-severe NAFLD than in intermediate NAFLD. After seven years, the odds of developing new-onset metabolic traits and CVEs were significantly higher compared to controls only in moderate-severe NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: Only moderate-severe NAFLD predicted risk of incident adverse MTs and CVEs. However, both moderate-severe and intermediate NAFLD were associated with higher prevalence of adverse anthropometric and metabolic traits, thereby identifying individuals who need medical intervention even among those with milder degrees of fatty liver. We therefore recommend using increased hepatic echogenicity, and not only the more stringent criteria (which include signal attenuation and/or vascular blunting), for the diagnosis of fatty liver in individuals with NAFLD. KEYWORDS: Cardiovascular events; Fatty liver; NAFLD; Outcomes; Ultrasonography; Ultrasound criteria.Item Stroke awareness in patients with incident stroke compared to patients without stroke or ischemic heart disease(Demos Publications, 2020) Ranawaka, U.; Mettananda, C.; Thilakarathna, C.; Peiris, A.; Kasturiratne, A.; Tilakaratna, Y.BACKGROUND: Stroke awareness is known to influence treatment seeking and risk reduction behavior, but there is limited data from Sri Lanka and South Asia. AIM: To describe stroke awareness in incident stroke patients and to compare with patients without stroke and/or ischemic heart disease (IHD) in a Sri Lankan tertiary-care center. METHODS: We studied awareness of stroke in all incident stroke patients admitted to a tertiary-care center in Sri Lanka and compared with a group of age- and sex-matched patients without stroke and/or IHD, over 2 years. Knowledge on stroke mechanisms, risk factors, symptoms, prognosis, treatment, and prevention were evaluated using a 40-item interviewer-administered questionnaire and converted to a composite score of 100%. Total awareness was categorized as Very poor (<24%), Poor (25%-49%), Good (50%-74%), and Very good (>74%). RESULTS: One hundred and sixty four incident stroke patients (mean age 62.0 ± 11.5 years; 64.6% males) and 164 patients without stroke and/or IHD were studied. Mean stroke awareness was 47.79% ± 14.6 in stroke patients, and 47.73% ± 14.9 in the nonstroke and/or IHD patients (P = .95). Of the associations studied, better stroke awareness (>50%) was associated only with higher education levels (OR 1.90, 95%CI 1.33-2.72, P < .001) in stroke patients. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke awareness is not satisfactory in incident stroke patients and is no better than in patients without stroke and/or IHD. Better stroke awareness was associated with higher education levels. Keywords: Sri Lanka; Stroke; awareness; comparison; stroke-patients.Item Metabolic syndrome, but not non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, increases 10-year mortality: A prospective, community-cohort study(Wiley-Blackwell, 2020) Niriella, M.A.; Kasturiratne, A.; Beddage, T.U.; Withanage, S. A.; Goonatilleke, D.C.; Abeysinghe, C.P.; de Mel, R.T.; Balapitiya, T.L.; de Silva, S.T.; Pathmeswaran, A.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Kato, N.; de Silva, H.J.BACKGROUND:Data on outcomes of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) from South Asia are lacking. We compared mortality, among those with- and without-NAFLD, after 10-years follow-up among urban, adult Sri Lankans.METHOD:Participants (aged 35-64 years), selected by age-stratified random sampling, were screened by structured-interview in 2007. Anthropometric measurements, liver ultrasonography and biochemical/serological tests were done. NAFLD was diagnosed on ultrasound criteria, safe-alcohol consumption (Asian-standards) and absence of hepatitis B/C. Subjects without NAFLD were those without any ultrasound criteria of fatty liver, safe-alcohol consumption and absence of hepatitis B/C. The cohort was re-evaluated to assess mortality in 2017. Participants or their households were contacted by telephone/post, and deaths confirmed by home-visits and death certificate review. Cox-regression was used to determine predictors of all-cause mortality (ACM) and cardiovascular mortality (CVM) in those with- and without-NAFLD.RESULTS:2724 (91.2%) of 2985 original participants were contacted (851-with NAFLD and 1072-without NAFLD). Overall there were 169 (6.2%) deaths [41-deaths among NAFLD (17-cardiovascular; 9-cancer-related; 4-liver-specific; 11-other) and 79-deaths among no-NAFLD (28-cardiovascular; 17-cancer-related; 1-liver-specific; 33-other)]. Metabolic syndrome (MetS), low-education level, higher age and male-gender independently predicted ACM. MetS, increasing age and male-gender independently predicted CVM. NAFLD did not predict either ACM or CVM. In those with NAFLD, MetS and age >55-years were independently associated with ACM, while MetS and male-gender were associated with CVM.CONCLUSION:In this community-based study, increasing age, male-gender and MetS, but not NAFLD, predicted 10-year ACM and CVM. Among those with NAFLD, only those metabolically abnormal were at a higher risk for mortality.Item Lean non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (lean NAFLD): characteristics, metabolic outcomes and risk factors from a 7-year prospective, community cohort study from Sri Lanka(Springer, 2019) Niriella, M.A.; Kasturiratne, A.; Pathmeswaran, A.; de Silva, S.T.; Perera, K. R.; Subasinghe, S.K.C.E.; Kodisinghe, S.K.; Piyaratna, T.A.C.L.; Vithiya, K.; Dassanayake, A.S.; de Silva, A.P.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.; Takeuchi, F.; Kato, N.; de Silva, H.J.INTRODUCTION: While patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are mostly overweight or obese, some are lean. METHODS: In a community-based follow-up study (baseline and follow-up surveys performed in 2007 and 2014), we investigated and compared the clinical characteristics, body composition, metabolic associations and outcomes, and other risk factors among individuals with lean (BMI < 23 kg/m2) NAFLD, non-lean (BMI ≥ 23 kg/m2) NAFLD and those without NAFLD. To investigate associations of selected genetic variants, we performed a case-control study between lean NAFLD cases and lean non-NAFLD controls.RESULTS: Of the 2985 participants in 2007, 120 (4.0%) had lean NAFLD and 816 (27.3%) had non-lean NAFLD. 1206 (40.4%) had no evidence of NAFLD (non-NAFLD). Compared to non-lean NAFLD, lean NAFLD was commoner among males (p < 0.001), and had a lower prevalence of hypertension (p < 0.001) and central obesity (WC < 90 cm for males, < 80 cm for females) (p < 0.001) without prominent differences in the prevalence of other metabolic comorbidities at baseline survey. Of 2142 individuals deemed as either NAFLD or non-NAFLD in 2007, 704 NAFLD individuals [84 lean NAFLD, 620 non-lean NAFLD] and 834 individuals with non-NAFLD in 2007 presented for follow-up in 2014. There was no difference in the occurrence of incident metabolic comorbidities between lean NAFLD and non-lean NAFLD. Of 294 individuals who were non-NAFLD in 2007 and lean in both 2007 and 2014, 84 (28.6%) had developed lean NAFLD, giving an annual incidence of 4.1%. Logistic regression identified the presence of diabetes at baseline, increase in weight from baseline to follow-up and a higher educational level as independent risk factors for the development of incident lean NAFLD. NAFLD association of PNPLA3 rs738409 was more pronounced among lean individuals (one-tailed p < 0.05) compared to the whole cohort sample. CONCLUSION: Although lean NAFLD constitutes a small proportion of NAFLD, the risk of developing incident metabolic comorbidities is similar to that of non-lean NAFLD. A PNPLA3 variant showed association with lean NAFLD in the studied population. Therefore, lean NAFLD also warrants careful evaluation and follow-up.Item Regional variation in chronic kidney disease and associated factors in hypertensive individuals in rural South Asia: findings from control of blood pressure and risk attenuation-Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.(Oxford University Press, 2019) Feng, L.; de Silva, H.A.; Jehan, I.; Naheed, A.; Kasturiratne, A.; Himani, G.; Hasnat, M.A.; Jafar, T.H.; COBRA-BPS Study GroupBACKGROUND: We aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its cross-country variation among hypertensive individuals in rural Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We also explored the factors associated with CKD in these populations. METHOD: We studied baseline data from the Control of Blood Pressure and Risk Attenuation-Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (COBRA-BPS) trial, an ongoing cluster randomized controlled trial on 2643 hypertensive adults ≥40 years of age from 30 randomly selected rural clusters, 10 in each of the three countries. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or a urine albumin:creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥30 mg/g. Determinants for CKD were assessed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of CKD was 38.1% (95% confidence interval 36.2-40.1%): 21.5% with eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and 24.4% with UACR ≥30 mg/g. CKD prevalence varied across the three countries (58.3% in Sri Lanka, 36.4% Bangladesh and 16.9% Pakistan; P <0.001). The factors independently associated with higher odds of CKD were older age, being unmarried, higher 24-h urinary sodium excretion, presence of diabetes, elevated systolic blood pressure, diuretic use and living in Bangladesh or Sri Lanka (versus Pakistan). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CKD is alarmingly high in community-dwelling hypertensive adults, with significant cross-country variation in South Asia. Our findings underscore the urgency for further research into the etiology of CKD and address associated factors in targeted public health strategies with hypertension care outreach services in rural South Asia.