EFFECTS OF EXTREME DRY CLIMATE OF SUDAN ON PAKISTANI PEACEKEEPERS

Extreme Dry Climate

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequencies of nasal itching, epistaxis, dry/chapped lips and xerosis of skin among Pakistani peacekeepers exposed to the dry climate of Nyala, Sudan.
Study Design: Prospective cohort study.
Place and Duration of Study: Pakistan Field Hospital 6 Nyala, Sudan, from February 2014 to May 2012.
Material and Methods: Total 144 United Nations Pakistani Peacekeepers of Pakistan Field Hospital 6(all ranks) were selected by non-probability convenient sampling. The data consists of frequency of four symptoms was collected after three months of exposure to dry climate.
Results: The most common symptom was dryness of skin (36.1%) followed by chapping of lips (29.9%) while nasal bleeding (epistaxis) was least common (9%). Significantly higher number of subjects of ages more than 40 years had nasal bleeding compared to the younger group (p value 0.002).
Conclusion: Exposure to extreme dry climate affects skin and nasal mucosa. Frequency of epistaxis found to be significantly more in subjects older than 40 years as compared to younger ones.