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Mental morbidities have been widely investigated at Primary Health Care (PHC) worldwide, but no data available in Palestine have discussed these diseases' burden. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of psychological morbidity among primary health care attendees and related factors. A cross-sectional design was adopted in this research. We collected data from primary healthcare center attendees from Sept 2019 to Jan 2020, using an interviewer-administered questionnaire called the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire. It is a valid tool that can be used in a primary healthcare setting. The Chi-square test explored psychological morbidity risk factors, and the multivariable logistic regression model was used to adjust for confounders. The study included four hundred clients >18 years of age; 287 (71.8%) were females, and 209 (52.3%) were > 50 years of age. The prevalence for high psychological morbidity of any type was 63.9% (95% CI: 58.8%-68.7%), while 24.9% (99 clients) reported very high psychological morbidity. Very high psychological morbidity was significantly higher among unmarried [adjusted OR = 2.7 (95%CI = 1.4-5.4)], lower educational level (less than 12 years schooling) [adjusted OR = 4.0, 95%CI (1.8-4.8)], and clients with high distress [adjusted OR = 15.6, 95%CI (7.9-30.9)]. In conclusion, the high prevalence of psychological morbidity identified in this study highlights the importance of early detection and management, especially among unmarried, less educated, and distressed primary health care attendants. Early interventions are of high value to reduce patient suffering, decrease the financial strain on the health system, and improve the quality of care., Author(s): Marah Abu Zant [sup.1] , Zaher Nazzal [sup.2] , Layali Qaddoumi [sup.1] , Rana Abdallah [sup.1] , Beesan Maraqa [sup.1] , Khalid Najjar [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.11942.3f, 0000 [...]

Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients often experience accelerated bone turnover, leading to osteoporosis and osteopenia. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of osteoporosis in Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) patients using bone mineral density (BMD) measurements obtained through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan and to explore any possible associations with clinical and biochemical factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 76 peritoneal dialysis patients from the dialysis center at An-Najah National University Hospital in Nablus, Palestine. We used the DEXA scan to measure BMD at the lumbar spine and hip, with values expressed as T-scores. We conducted a multivariate analysis to explore the relationship between BMD and clinical and biochemical parameters. Results: Over half (52.6%) of the PD patients had osteoporosis, with a higher prevalence observed among patients with lower BMI (p<0.001). Higher alkaline phosphatase levels were found among osteoporotic patients compared to non-osteoporotic patients (p = 0.045). Vitamin D deficiency was also prevalent in this population, affecting 86.6% of patients. No significant correlation was found between 25 vitamin D levels and BMD. No significant correlation was found between Parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and BMD. Conclusion: A notable proportion of PD patients experience reduced BMD. Our study found no correlation between vitamin D levels and BMD, but it highlighted the significant vitamin D deficiency in this population. Furthermore, our analysis indicated a positive correlation between BMI and BMD, especially in the femoral neck area. This underscores the significance of addressing bone health in PD patients to mitigate the risk of fractures and improve their overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]