طبی شعبہ میں ضرورت و حاجت سے متعلقہ فقہی قواعد کی معاصر تطبیقی صورتیں

Emergence of biomedical research and innovation with an unprecedented speed has created number of opportunities and challenges for policy makers. On the one hand, it is now possible to introduce tailor-made personal medication regime for an ailing patient to offer state of the art treatments. On the other hand, several ethical and legal issues have been raised due to the complex nature of emerging technologies.  Policy makers all over the world are constantly addressing these challenges by continuously upgrading their respective professional and regulatory frameworks. This article is an attempt to highlight Shariah maxims which have contemporary application in medical field. Lately, there has been a lot of interest in the debate of Shariah maxims and many scholars have used maxims-based analytical frameworks to show the dynamic application of Islamic law. This article builds upon those works by focusing on issues related to the medical field.

Disease Activity and Functional Status and Their Relation to Depression in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Introduction: Rheumatoid Arthritis, one of the commonest forms of inflammatory arthritis, has significant societal impact with regards to cost, induction of disability and loss of productivity. This impact is magnified in the presence of comorbid mood disorders, as these constitute independent factors for unexplained flares and relapses. Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between disease activity and depression in Rheumatoid Arthritis patients. Methods: Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis attending rheumatology clinic at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi were recruited into the study. The patients’ disease activity and functional status were assessed using the Clinical Disease Activity Index and the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire respectively, whereas the level of depression was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated for the disease activity and functional status versus the depression scores, and relationship between the disease activity and depression scores was analyzed using Chi square tables. Results: A total of 60 patients were enrolled into the study, whose mean age was 48.8 ± 13.6 years. There were 52 females (86.7%). The mean duration of RA symptoms was 71.6 ± 86.6 months, with the mean duration of RA treatment being 43.4 ± 64.5 months. Among the study participants, 28.3% had mild depression whereas 35% had moderate/severe depression. There was a strong positive correlation between disease activity and depression (? < 0.001), as well as between physical disability and depression. Conclusion: This study found depressive symptoms in 63.3% of the patients, in spite of the study population being relatively young and having short duration of disease. The significant correlation observed between disease activity and depression illustrates the high likelihood of undiagnosed comorbid depression as a co-existing factor in persistently active disease, poor response to therapy and unexplained flare-ups in the Kenyan Rheumatoid Arthritis population.