title: Mortality trend among hemodialysis patients during the islamic month of Ramadan: a 24 years retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The effect of month of Ramadan on the mortality in hemodialysis patients, and to compare it with that in all other Islamic months.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hemodialysis Unit, The Kidney Center, Karachi, from January 1989 to December 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  All those patients who were diagnosed to have end stage kidney disease and on maintenance hemodialysis for more than 3 months, regardless of underlying cause of kidney failure were included. Patients with acute kidney injury were excluded. Status of the patients was recorded at the end of the study period. The fasting status of the patients was not mentioned. The deaths of the patients were further evaluated and frequencies of death in all twelve Islamic months were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1,841 patients were registered, out of whom 897 (48.7%) died, and 269 (14.6%) survived till the end of the study. One thousand and fifty six (57.3%) were males, 651 (35.4%) were diabetic. Total number of 143 (7.76%) events occurred in Ramadan, out of which 94 patients died which make nearly 11% of the total deaths distributed in 12 Islamic months. Frequency of death was higher in Ramadan when compared with other months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ramadan reflected a higher frequency of death. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate the risk factors in a prospective study so that the dialysis patients can be better managed during this period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Dorab Patel Postgraduate Training and Research Center, The Kidney Center Postgraduate Training Institute, Karachi.
authors.forename: Salman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imtiaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Dorab Patel Postgraduate Training and Research Center, The Kidney Center Postgraduate Training Institute, Karachi.
authors.forename: Kiran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nasir
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Dorab Patel Postgraduate Training and Research Center, The Kidney Center Postgraduate Training Institute, Karachi.
authors.forename: Murtaza F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Dhrolia
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Research, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi.
authors.forename: Mehwish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Dorab Patel Postgraduate Training and Research Center, The Kidney Center Postgraduate Training Institute, Karachi.
authors.forename: Hasan Nasir
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Dorab Patel Postgraduate Training and Research Center, The Kidney Center Postgraduate Training Institute, Karachi.
authors.forename: Aasim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology; D005215:Fasting / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam; D007668:Kidney / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome