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Background & objectives: Parasitic diseases are one of the health problems of all societies and are considered as barriers to progress socioeconomic development, especially in most developing countries. This study evaluated the frequency of intestinal parasites in patients referred to hospitals affiliated with Ardabil University of Medical Sciences in 2018.
Methods: a total of 409 stool samples were collected from laboratories of Imam Khomeini and Bouali hospitals and then transferred to the parasitology lab in the medical and paramedical school. Samples were evaluated using direct, concentration and culture methods. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21.
Results: Out of 409 samples, 22 cases (5.4%) were infected with intestinal parasites. Among them, 5.3% and 5.4% of infected cases were men and women respectively. Also, the rate of infection to the protozoans and helminths was 3.7% and 1.7% respectively. Among the positive cases, the highest percentage of infection was related to Giardia and Blastocystis.
The infection rate of each parasite among all patients and positive cases was 1.2% and 22.7% respectively.
Conclusion: The present study showed that intestinal protozoan infection, especially Giardia lamblia and Blastocystis hominis are high in Ardabil city, and therefore special infection control measures are urgently needed.
 

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Background & objectives: Nowadays, bacterial resistance and the increase in the therapeutic costs are considered as the most important global concerns of medical care system regarding complicated infections. Imipenem is a member of the carbapenem class of beta-lactam antibiotics prescribed mostly in our hospitals because of its broad activity against bacterial infections. Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE) process is an official, ongoing and systemic program that collects information in order to identify and improve the adverse effect of drugs and the cost of medicalization. The objective of this study was to evaluate the administration and use of imipenem in the educational Imam Khomeini hospital in Ardabil in 2018.
Methods: In this prospective, descriptive, cross- sectional study, 110 hospitalized patients, who received imipenem from September to December of 2018, were included in this study. Patient's demographic data, dosing, dosage adjustment in renal failure and other co-prescribed antimicrobial drugs were extracted from current medical file of hospitalized patients and evaluated with medical guidelines.
Results: 64% of patients received imipenem in the first day of hospitalization and 75.5% of patients were empirically received imipenem while antibiogram test was ordered for only 24.5% of patients. Serum creatinine were ordered for most of the patients, but correct dose regimens for patients who get non-empiric antibiotic therapy were only 25.5%.
Conclusion: High rate of empiric prescription without considering the result of antibiogram test and immediate initiation of antimicrobial therapy at the time of admission were the most important aspects of irrational use of imipenem observed in this study. Paying more attention to sampling, culturing and sensitivity test and prescription of imipenem based on specific guidelines are recommended.
 

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Background & objectives: Pentavalent antimonials are the first-line drugs for treatment of leishmaniasis, which have multiple side effects such as drug toxicity. Moreover, parasite resistance to these drugs is rising around the world. Second-line drugs, including Amphotericin B and pantamidine have also side effects and expensive for patients. According to the cytotoxic effects of paraquat, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of paraquat on Leishmania major promastigotes and HUVECs viability.
Methods: A number of 2.5×10⁶ of Leishmania major promastigotes were treated in each well of 96 well plates with different concentrations of paraquat. Cells were incubated for 48 hours in 24 °C. MTT test was performed for evaluating paraquat impact on promastigotes. The absorbance was measured using a microplate reader at 570 nm.  The trypan blue staining assay was performed to evaluate the number of viable Leishmania major promastigotes following paraquat treatment. Furthermore, the effect of paraquat concentrations on HUVECs viability was evaluated under the cell culture condition.
Results: The results of the MTT test showed that increasing concentrations of paraquat could significantly reduce the viability and the number of Leishmania major promastigotes in comparison to control group (p<0.05). In this study, the IC₅₀ for Leishmania major promastigotes was calculated as 272.46 µg/ml. Trypan blue results were in line with the finding of MTT assay. Moreover, we found that HUVECs were susceptible to paraquat (IC₅₀=188.99 µg/ml).
Conclusion: Paraquat has a strong inhibitory effect on Leishmania major promastigotes and human endothelial cells. Although more comprehensive studies on the effects of the topical use of paraquat on Leishmania major lesions in animal model and its side effects are necessary.

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Background & objectives: In recent years, regarding the side effects of chemical drugs, the use of medicinal plants has increased due to their low side effects, low costs and effective compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, and anti-pyretic effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Rosa canina L. fruit in male mice.
Methods: In this experimental study, 120 male BALB/c mice weighing 23-30 g were used. In each test, the mice were divided into 5 groups (in each group, n=6), including control group, positive control and three experimental groups treated intraperitoneally with hydroalcoholic extract of Rosa canina L. fruit at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg respectively. The anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities were measured using xylene-induced ear edema and brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia tests, respectively. In addition, the antinociceptive activity was measured using the abdominal constrictions induced by acetic acid and formalin tests. The data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software and One Way ANOVA test. The level of significance was set at   p<0.05.
Results: 200 (p<0.05) and 400 mg/kg (p<0.001) doses of extract reduced significantly inflammation. Doses of 100 (p<0.05), 200 (p<0.01) and 400 (p<0.001 significantly reduced pain in the abdominal constriction test and dose of 400 mg/kg (p<0.05) decreased the chronic pain in formalin test. Extract treatment did not reduce fever in any of the existing doses.
Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that Rosa canina L. fruit has anti-inflammatory and visceral analgesic activity, which may be due to its antioxidant potential.
 

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Background & objectives: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - induced peptic ulcer disease is a common gastrointestinal disorder affecting many people worldwide. Rosa canina L. is a member of Rosa species that has been widely used as an herbal medicine in many countries. Rosa canina has therapeutic effects against various disorders through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential beneficial effect of Rosa canina on indomethacin-induced ulceration in mice.
Methods: Experiments were performed on male Swiss albino mice. Indomethacin (80 mg/kg, orally) was used to induce gastric ulceration. The extract of Rosa canina fruits (200 and 400 mg/kg/day) was given orally five days before the administration of indomethacin. Normal mice were used as a normal control group.
Results: Macroscopic evaluation of gastric mucosa revealed that indomethacin administration (80 mg/kg) produced apparent gastric mucosal ulcers, while pretreatment with Rosa canina (200 and 400 mg/kg) effectively protected gastric mucosa against indomethacin induced ulcers. Rosa canina significantly increased the level of glutathione (GSH) and decreased the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the gastric tissues compared with those in the control group.
Conclusion: Oral treatment with the Rosa canina fruit extract decreased the gastric ulcer induced by indomethacin through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms

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Background & objectives:  Hydatid cyst is a major hygiene problem in Iran. In 80% of cases, only one organ is involved. However, multiorgan involvement has also been rarely reported. But it seems, the prevalence of hydatid cyst with the involvement of more than one organ in Iran is more than other world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the patients with hydatid cyst multi organ involvement in Ardabil province in northwest of Iran.
Methods: In this retrospective study, 34 patients with hydatid cyst with involvement in more than one organ were included. For each patient, a pre-designed questionnaire including name, age, education level, occupation, place of residence, cyst location, clinical manifestations and serologic test results were completed. Patients, who had previously a history of treatment due to hydatid cyst, were excluded from the study.
Results: The mean age of patients was 36.41 years. 61.8% of the patients were housewives and 64% were rural residents. The most commonly involved organs was liver and simultaneous involvement of liver and lung was observed in 38.2% of patients and was more in women. The association of the right lung cyst with the liver cysts was greater than that of the left lung. Only in 43% of the patients, the serologic test was positive for hydatid cyst, and the relationship between serologic test and type of involvement was not significant.
Conclusion: Regarding the high incidence of hydatid cyst involvement in more than one location in our region, in all patients, especially women with liver hydatid cyst, other organs, especially the lungs, should be investigated
 

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Background & objectives: Due to the increasing prevalence of bacterial resistance, there is a growing attention to application of auxiliary treatment of pharyngitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of honey throat spray in the auxiliary treatment of patients with a diagnosis of pharyngitis.
Methods: At the start, different physicochemical quality parameters of the honey sample were evaluated. Then, the bottles of honey and the placebo throat spray were prepared. The numbers of 70 patients with the diagnosis of pharyngitis were included in a one-step and double-blinded study. In addition to standard treatment, each patient received either one of the honey or placebo throat spray. The clinical symptoms of the patients were compared between the two groups at baseline and then at 24 hours, 48 hours, 5 days and 10 days after the starting the treatment procedure.
Results: As per results, the quality of honey sample was met to the standard honey criteria. The treatment and placebo groups were statistically similar in terms of demographic specifications or clinical symptoms at the time to enter the study. Pharyngitis recovery was better in treatment group than in the placebo group; this positive effect was statistically significant for symptoms of morning phlegm and painful swallowing, 24 hours after the starting treatment. In treatment group, after 48 hours, symptoms of fever and painful swallowing were resolved, while this indicator was 23% in placebo group. Also, throat pain of 85.71% of patients in treatment group and 17.14% of patients in placebo group was relieved. Overall, the mean recovery time in treatment group was shorter than placebo group.
Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the use of honey throat spray as auxiliary treatment of pharyngitis can improve the clinical symptoms of pharyngitis and reduce recovery time.

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Background & objectives: Bacterial antibiotic resistance is becoming a global health crisis. The aim of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains in Ardabil.
Methods: During 9 months, between July 2019 and March 2020, 50 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were collected from different clinical specimens in four hospitals of Ardabil and the prevalence of MDR, XDR and PDR strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were evaluated. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was assessed using the disk diffusion method.
Results: In the present study, the prevalence of MDR, XDR and PDR strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 52%, 40% and 14%, respectively.
Conclusion: Due to high prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Ardabil, continuous monitoring of the antibiotic resistance trend in clinical isolates in order to select the best medication is necessary.

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Background & objectives: Drug-repurposing is the study on application of existing drugs for treatment or control of other diseases. Major advantage of the technique relies on a nominated drug molecule that is applied for pharmacodynamics optimization due to lack of serious pharmacokinetics challenges. According to the importance of the subject, a present contribution has been dedicated to the in-silico analysis of a few drug classes with the aim of achieving potential anti-leishmanial pharmacophores.   
Methods: 3D structure of protein targets within leishmania parasite were retrieved from Brookhaven Protein Data Bank (PDB) on the basis of literature reports to evaluate the related complexes with drugs via molecular docking. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of drug-target interaction patterns in docked complexes offered drugs with higher binding affinities toward targets and finally structural patterns or hypothetical anti-leishmanial pharmacophores were proposed with regard to the top-ranked pharmaceutical compounds.
Results: Highest free binding energy could be estimated for Nateglinide in binding to farnesyl diphosphate synthase (ΔG_b -13.30 kcal/mol). Among steroids, Norgestrel synthase (ΔG_b -9.48 kcal/mol) and Testosterone synthase (ΔG_b -8.05 kcal/mol) exhibited higher enzyme binding affinities and Arg82 was a key residue in making hydrogen bonds. Within fused tricyclic structural patterns, mirtazapine exhibited highest binding affinity to deoxy uridine triphosphate (ΔG_b -8.64 kcal/mol). In Carbamazepine, amide substituent of the central ring facilitated the formation of two effective hydrogen bonds with Gln21 and Asn25 in deoxy uridine triphosphate. 
Conclusion: On the basis of obtained results for steroids and fused tricyclic scaffolds, it will be possible to design molecules that can inhibit several pathogenic targets simultaneously.

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Background & objectives: The deposition of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide in the brain is one of the most important features of Alzheimer's disease. In addition to memory loss, Aβ can lead to depression behavior. Alpha-pinene is a type of monoterpene that has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. Here, by using an animal model for Alzheimer's disease, we investigated the effect of alpha-pinene on neuronal cell death in the hippocampus and depression induced by Aβ_1-42.
Methods: Male Wistar rats weighing 240-260 g were divided into four groups including control, alpha-pinene, Aβ, and Aβ-alpha-pinene. Rats were placed in stereotaxic surgery apparatus and Aβ_1-42 was injected into the hippocampus (4 µg per side) and alpha-pinene was treated intraperitoneally (50 mg/kg) for 14 consecutive days. At the end of the course, the level of depression was assessed using the forced swimming test. The animals' hippocampus was also examined microscopically after Nissl staining.
Results: Intra-hippocampal injection of Aβ_1-42 increased the total immobility time in the forced swimming test (p<0.01), decreased the number of pyramidal neurons in the CA1 area (p<0.001), and reduced the thickness of the neuronal layer in this region of ​​the hippocampus. Treatment with alpha-pinene largely prevented these changes.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that alpha-pinene decreased the beta-amyloid-induced depressive behavior in rats and inhibited the neuronal loss, suggesting that this neuroprotective compound may have a critical role in depression. Alpha-pinene is probably a suitable therapeutic strategy for repressing Aβ-induced neurodegeneration

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Background & objectives: Knee osteoarthritis is an important cause of pain and disability in the community. The present study investigated the risk factors for primary osteoarthritis of the knee in patients with knee pain and their relationship with knee osteoarthritis.
Methods: 87 patients were included in the study and were matched in terms of age. Cases consisted of female patients less than 50 years of age with knee pain and the control group was selected from patients under 50 years of age with knee pain and no radiographic findings of osteoarthritis.
Results: This study showed that the rate of osteoarthritis of the knee was significantly related to body mass index (p=0.001). The relationship between knee osteoarthritis and ESR was not significant, but an increase in CRP with a p-value of 0.01 was associated with a risk of approximately a 3.5-fold increase in knee osteoarthritis. With increasing education, the rate of knee osteoarthritis decreased (p=0.022). The Increased circadian outpatient activity was significantly associated with increased knee osteoarthritis (p=0.032). In performed assessments on osteoarthritis of the knee, there was no statistically significant relationship between the type of bathroom used, the use of stairs, and residential houses.
Conclusion: Knee osteoarthritis has a relationship with body mass index, Education level, CRP index, and circadian activity level. it is recommended to lose weight in people with abnormal body mass index, exercise, and improve their lifestyle to reduce the incidence of knee osteoarthritis and disability.

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Background & objectives: Covid-19 disease with widespread prevalence in 2019 worldwide has been identified as the biggest health threat, according to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), especially for children. In addition, sleep disorders are one of the consequences of this emerging disease; the aim of this study was to investigate the nutrition and sleep disorders of active and inactive children during the corona pandemic.
Methods: Random multistage cluster sampling was used in four geographical regions of Iran (north, south, west and east) in this research. This study was conducted in 2021 which the questionnaires were gathered from the cities and the sample size (194 people) was determined based on G-Power 3.1 software with 95% confidence and 80% statistical power (evaluation through virtual networks and web questionnaire). The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) Questionnaire, the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were used. Mann-Whitney U and T-Student tests were used to compare the two groups of active and inactive children. The significance level was considered at p≤0.05.
Results: The results showed that in the Covid-19 pandemic, the group of active children had a better level of physical activity (energy consumption) and status compared to the inactive children (p≤0.001). Also, it was shown that girls had more nutrition disorders than boys (p≤0.05), but there was no significant difference between sleep disorders between boys and girls, and there was no significant difference between nutrition disorders in active and inactive children.
Conclusion: In summary, during the Covid-19 pandemic, there was no difference in eating and sleeping disorders in active and inactive children, while gender is associated with nutrition disorders in children during Corona disease and was higher in girls than boys. It is suggested that parents pay more attention to physical activity and nutrition disorders in girls during home quarantine

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Neuroarthropathy occurs following the loss of pain sensation in a joint. Martin Charcot was the first researcher who explained this strange, non-infectious destruction of bone and joints. This disease mostly affects the lower extremity of patients, especially their feet and ankle. In this paper, we present a rare case of simultaneous neuroarthropathy in the wrist and ankle of a 39-year-old man with no history of diabetes. Simultaneous neuroarthropathy of two joints and its occurrence in uncommon parts of the body like the wrist is quite rare and might lead to misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment.
 

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Intraosseous mucoepidermoid carcinoma is a rare lesion that is mostly seen in the mandible and in the premolar and molar region. In some cases, clear cells can be seen, which makes it difficult to diagnose.
The purpose of this case report is the clinical and histopathological evaluation of the clear cell variant of hntraosseous mucoepidermoid carcinoma in the anterior region of the lower jaw that was referred to the dentistry faculty of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences.


 

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Background & Objective: One of the social problems in many countries is the consumption of sports nutrition supplements, which causes many problems for athletes. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of steroid supplementation on the psychological injuries profile in female bodybuilders.
Methods: In this analytical-descriptive study, 150 adult female bodybuilders (mean age 29.15 years, SD=6.82) were selected using the Cochran formula and stratified random sampling as a statistical sample. To collect data, demographic information, the Athletes 'supplement intake Scale, and Mmpi-2 mental health questionnaires were used. Data were analyzed using the Spearman correlation coefficient, Multivariate regression, and Structural Equation Modeling.
Results: The results showed that the female bodybuilder's psychological injuries profile was a significant relationship with steroid supplements (p=0.002). Also, the regression results showed that 1.6% for the Hs scale; 5.3% for the D scale, 17.7% for the Hy scale; 36.6% for the Pd scale; 31% for the Pa scale; 35.7% for the Pt scale; 38.8% for the Sc scale; 18.3% for the Ma scale is determined by the use of steroid supplements.
Conclusions: These findings indicate that a steroid supplement has an important role on the psychological injuries profile of female bodybuilders. Therefore, it is recommended that coaches and athletes to be cautious in taking steroid supplements.
 

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Background & objectives: Fishes are one of the most important sources of zoonotic parasites throughout the world. This study aimed to determine helminthic parasites of Fish caught in the Aras River.
Methods: During 2020-2021, a number of 100 fishes including 20 Cyprinus carpio, 10 Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, 5 Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, 12 Silurus glanis, 5 Aspius aspius, 15 Ratilus rutilus, 3 Sander lucioperca, 22 Luciobarbus capito, and 8 Abramis brama were caught. All parts of the fish body (scales, gills, eyes, muscles, gastrointestinal tract) were examined for Helminthes parasites. After clearing and temporarily staining with Lactophenol-Azokarmin, morphological characters of worms were analyzed using a calibrated microscope equipped with a camera.
Results: After examining and evaluating the samples, 18 (18%) of the fish were infected with at least with one helminthic parasite. The species and percent of infection were as follows: Ligula intestinalis plerocercoid: Cyprinus carpio 40%, Ratilus rutilus 13.33%, Abramis brama 12.5% in the abdominal cavity. Bothriocephalus sp.: Cyprinus carpio 5% in the intestine. Diplozoon sp.: Cyprinus carpio 5% and Ratilus rutilus each 6.7% in gills. Dactylogyrus sp.: Cyprinus carpio 10%, Abramis brama 12.5% in gills. Clinostomum sp. metacercariae: Cyprinus carpio 5% infected with metacercaria in gills and abdominal cavity.
Conclusion: Among the investigated types of fish, the highest level of infection with helminthic parasites was found in common carp. Also, among the helminthic parasites found, the highest frequency is related to Ligula intestinalis, followed by Dactylogyrus

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Background & objectives: The role of spirituality with its different levels in different countries and societies should be considered for investigating the elderly's health. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate spirituality with a scale specifically designed to measure spirituality. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Attitudes Related to Spirituality Scale (ARES) in the elderly.
Methods: In this psychometrics study, the study population included all the elderly of Ardabil city, among whom 459 individuals were randomly selected to fill ARES. The data was analyzed by SPSS and Amos Software.
Results: The reliability of ARES was 0.94 by Cronbach's alpha. Its construct validity, calculated by confirmatory factor analysis, showed that the model for measuring attitudes related to spirituality in the elderly had a suitable fit and its one-factor structure was confirmed (RMSEA=0.001, GFI=0.99, CFI=1).
Conclusion: The Persian version of the Attitudes Related to Spirituality has a one-factor structure, and could be used in psychological studies in Iranian samples due to its acceptable necessary validity and reliability.
 

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Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) refers to the loss of ovarian function before the age of 40. This condition can be attributed to various factors including X chromosome abnormalities, autoimmune disorders, and chemotherapy drugs. Hormone therapy is a commonly used treatment for POI, but due to side effects and low fertility rates, alternative treatment options are needed. In recent years, stem cell transplantation has emerged as a promising treatment approach, offering hope for improving and restoring ovarian function. Stem cells possess the unique ability of self-renewal and regeneration, making them potentially effective in addressing ovarian failure and subsequent infertility. Different types of stem cells have been investigated for the treatment of POI, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), stem cells from extraembryonic tissues, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and ovarian stem cells. This article aims to provide an overview of the causes and treatment options for Premature Ovarian Insufficiency, with a particular focus on stem cell therapy as suggested by previous studies.
 Corresponding Author: Hossein Kalarestaghy,  Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
Email: h.kalarestaghy111@gmail.com
google scholar
pubmed


 

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Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease in which organs and cells are damaged in the initial stages by tissue-binding autoantibodies and immune complexes. Clinical, demographic and laboratory information of patients with SLE in Ardabil province is the aim of this study.
Methods: The present study is a cross-sectional descriptive study that examines demographic data (age, gender), clinical information such as the first manifestation of the disease, clinical symptoms, etc., and laboratory findings such as CBC, ESR, CRP, proteinuria, FANA, Anti dsDNA, C3, C4, Anti RO and APS Ab of patients who referred to the rheumatology clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital (RA) in 2021.
Results: Information related to the clinical characteristics of 50 patients, including 46 women (92%) and 4 men (8%), with an average age of 12.14 ± 40.78 years (range: 21-73) and age at diagnosis of 10.62 ± 31.76 years were investigated. The most common initial complaint in the studied patients was related to isolated joint symptoms (28%). The most common clinical symptoms observed in the examined patients were related to joint symptoms along with sensitivity to light with a frequency of 20%. ANA, anti-dsDNA tests positivity and reduced C3 and C4 levels were observed in 88%, 70% and 26% of patients, respectively.
Conclusion: The establishment of a registry system for the structured registration of information of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in each region is necessary to a better understanding of the characteristics of the disease and better management policy of patients.