ABSTRACT
Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in childhood. There are various risk factors that could lead to epilepsy. However, a few studies have shown that there is a strong link between epilepsy and consanguinity. Further, population studies revealed an increased familial clustering of epilepsy among first degree and to a lesser extent second degree relatives
Aim of the work: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of epilepsy among school children and adolescents [6-18 years] in Northern Saudi Arabia and consanguinity between parents
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of students aged 6-18 years in all primary, preparatory, and secondary schools in Northern Saudi Arabia, KSA during the academic year 2016-2017. Parents of the studied cases were given a predesigned and pretested questionnaire to collect the relevant data on presence of physicians diagnosed epilepsy, consanguinity between parents and family history of epilepsy
Results: Consanguinity between parents was significantly associated with the development of epilepsy where 59.1% of epilepsy patients who participated in the current study had parents who were cousins and 13.6% were non-relatives of the same family and only 22.7% of cases had no relation between their parents [p=0.000]. Family history of epilepsy was significantly associated with the development of it where 68.2% of epilepsy patients who participated in the current study had positive family history, while about half of them [31.8%] had negative family history [p=0.000]
Conclusion: Consanguinity between parents was significantly associated with the development of epilepsy in Northern Saudi Arabia. Decision makers must regulate effective health education sessions to aware the public about consanguinity between parents as a significant risk factor of the epilepsy
ABSTRACT
Background: Obesity often coexists with hypertension [HTN] and a linear relationship between blood pressure [BP] values and weight was observed
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence rate of prehypertension and hypertension and to estimate the coexistence of prehypertension and hypertension and obesity in young adults in Arar, Saudi Arabia
Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional study. The study subjects were selected from health young adults attending 5 randomly selected primary health care centers in Arar city, the capital of the Northern Province of KSA. Participants were given a predesigned and pretested questionnaire to collect the relevant data
Results: Among the studied participants, Fifty [52.1%] of females and 58.8% of males were pre-hypertensive and 1.5% from males were hypertensive. 37.9% of the studied participants were obese and same percentage were overweight. 18.2% of obese were hypertensive or pre-hypertensive and 40.9% of overweight were hypertensive or pre-hypertensive. While 3% of the underweight were hypertensive or pre-hypertensive and 3% were not [P<0.05]
Conclusion: In young adults in Arar, KSA. 37.9% of the studied participants were obese and same percentage were overweight. About half of females and more than half of males were pre-hypertensive and small percentage of males were hypertensive. Obesity was associated with pre-hypertension and hypertension. So education sessions should be carried out to educate the public specially adolescents and young adult population