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OBJECTIVE — To estimate the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome by age and sex in the Omani population as defined by the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III [ATP III]) of North America. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — we analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2001 containing a probability random sample of 1,419 Omani adults aged ≥ 20 years living in the city of Nizwa. The metabolic syndrome, defined by the ATP III, was defined as having three or more of the following abnormalities: waist circumference > 102 cm in men and >88 cm in women, serum triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dl (1.69 mmol/1), HDL cholesterol <40 mg/dl (1.04 mmol/1) in men and <50 mg/dl (1.29 mmol/1) in women, systolic blood pressure ≥ 130 mmHg and/or diastolic ≥85 mmHg or on treatment for hypertension, and fasting serum glucose ≥110 mg/dl (6.1 mmol/1) or on treatment for diabetes. RESULTS — The age-adjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 21.0%. The crude prevalence was slightly lower (17.0%). The age-adjusted prevalence was 19.5% among men and 23.0% among women (P = 0.236). Low HDL cholesterol was the most common component (75.4%) of the metabolic syndrome among the study population followed by abdominal obesity (24.6%). Abdominal obesity was markedly higher in women (44.3%) than in men (4.7%). CONCLUSIONS — The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Oman is similar to that in developed countries. Future prevention and control strategies should not overlook the importance of noncommunicable disease risk factors in rapidly developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Although asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema are among the most common chronic diseases in children worldwide, there is very limited information about the burden of these conditions in Oman. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema in Omani schoolchildren using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase I questionnaire. Methods: An Arabic version of the ISAAC Phase I questionnaire was completed by parents of 3893 children aged 6–7 years and self-completed by 3174 children aged 13–14 years, randomly selected from a nationwide sample of public schools. Results: The prevalence rates of reported diagnoses of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema were higher in older children (20.7%, 10.5% and 14.4% compared with 10.5%, 7.4% and 7.5%, respectively, in young children). In young children, 277 were current wheezers and of these 40.8% had sleep-disturbing wheeze at least once a week and 45.1% had speech-limiting wheeze during the past year. Similarly, 283 older children were current wheezers, and of these 30.0% had sleep-disturbing wheeze at least once a week and 37.5% had speech-limiting wheeze during the past year. Exercise-induced wheeze was higher in older children (19.2%vs 6.9%; P < 0.001). Allergic rhinitis and eczema were also associated with significant sleep disturbance and limitation of activity in both age groups. Conclusion: Allergic conditions in Omani schoolchildren are common and associated with significant morbidity. Further research is required to identify the local risk factors for allergy to allow better understanding and management of these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural radioactivity of intertidal sediment samples collected from the beaches of Oman was investigated. Using gamma ray spectrometry, the activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in the sediment samples were measured to have average values of 20.49 ± 3.50, 2.26 ± 0.60 and 44.83 ± 4.60 Bq kg -1 respectively. The activity levels reported are considerably lower than the worldwide average. The annual effective dose rate was estimated to be 0.015 mSv yr -1 on average. Additionally, the mean radium equivalent, external and internal indices were 26.89, 0.07 and 0.13 Bq kg -1 respectively which were well below the risk limits. Gamma and alpha radiation indices were computed to be less than unity and show no exceedance beyond the recommended level. Our results provide baseline data for radioactivity in intertidal sediment samples of Oman and show that intertidal beach sand does not pose significant radiological risk to human health., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

We aimed to determine the gender-specific optimal cut-points for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) associated with risk of cardiovascular disease, using Framingham risk score and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, among Omani Arabs. Nine percent of men, compared to 3% of women, had a 10-year total coronary heart disease (CHD) risk > or = 20%. In both genders, WHR was a better predictor of CHD (area under the ROC curve 0.771 for men and 0.802 for women), followed by WC (0.710 and 0.727) and BMI (0.601 and 0.639), respectively. For a 10-year CHD risk of > or = 20%, the optimal cut-points to assess adiposity in Omani men and women were > 22.6 and 22.9 kg/m2 for BMI, > 78.5 and 84.5 cm for WC, and > 0.96 and > 0.98 for WHR, respectively. To identify obesity among Omani Arabs, different cut-points for BMI, WC and WHR than the currently recommended ones are needed.

Objective: The magnitude, determinants of visual impairment, bilateral blindness and low vision among diabetics in Oman were estimated as part of Oman Diabetic Eye Study 2002. This study presents the outcomes and additional risk of visual impairment in diabetics., Methods: A cross-sectional study of 2,520 randomly selected diabetics was conducted in 2002 in 10 regions of Oman. The sample was represented by 5,564 diabetics referred for eye checks. Ophthalmologists noted the vision and ocular manifestations of diabetes. Physicians reported the systemic manifestations of diabetes. The magnitude of visual disabilities, bilateral blindness, legal blindness and low vision were estimated and compared to the rates in the population., Results: The prevalence of visual impairment in diabetics was 28.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 27.20-29.57). It was 34.6% (95% CI 32.93 to 36.32) in females and 21.2% (95% CI 19.59 to 36.32) in males. The prevalence increased in age. The prevalence of bilateral blindness (vision <0.05) was 0.7%, legal blindness 9.8% (vision <0.1) and low vision 27.7% (vision <0.5)., Conclusion: The risk of visual impairment is 25 times more in diabetics than in the Omani population. Therefore, to prevent further increase of visual disabilities, the national health program should prioritize the eye care in diabetics and the predictors of visual disabilities should be further investigated.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Study (MGRS) Middle East site was Muscat, Oman. A survey in Muscat found that children in households with monthly incomes of at least 800 Omani Rials and at least four years of maternal education experienced unconstrained growth. The longitudinal study sample was recruited from two hospitals that account for over 90% of the city's births; the cross-sectional sample was drawn from the national Child Health Register. Residents of all districts in Muscat within the catchment area of the two hospitals were included except Quriyat, a remote district of the governorate. Among the particular challenges of the site were relatively high refusal rates, difficulty in securing adherence to the protocol's feeding recommendations, locating children selected for the cross-sectional component of the study, and securing the cooperation of the children's fathers. These and other challenges were overcome through specific team building and public relations activities that permitted the successful implementation of the MGRS protocol.