Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea among patients with coronary artery disease in Saudi Arabia

Despite the association between obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] and coronary artery disease [CAD], few studies have investigated this issue in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of OSA among CAD patients. This was a cross-sectional [descriptive] study conducted at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from April 2012 to December 2013. All consecutive patients referred to the cardiac catheterization lab for coronary angiography who exhibited evidence of CAD were included in this study. This study was conducted in two stages. During the first stage, each participant was interviewed individually. The administered interview collected data pertaining to demographics, comorbidities, and the STOP-BANG questionnaire score. The second stage of this study consisted of a diagnostic overnight polysomnography [PSG] of 50% of the subjects at high risk for OSA according to the STOP-BANG questionnaire. Among the patients with CAD [N = 156], 128 [82%] were categorized as high risk for developing OSA. PSG was conducted on 48 patients. The estimated prevalence of OSA in the study sample was 56.4%. Approximately 61% of the documented sleep apnea patients suffered from moderate to severe OSA. This local study concurs with reports in the literature indicating that OSA is very common among CAD patients

Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Saudi Arabia

To assess the prevalence of epidemiologically defined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional, observational, population-based survey of COPD was conducted between June 2010 and December 2011 across the country of Saudi Arabia. A total of 56,000 randomly selected telephone numbers were called, which identified 10,001 eligible subjects; of whom 9,779 agreed to participate. A screening questionnaire included 6 questions related to cigarette consumption and water-pipe use was administered to each participant. Subjects with positive screening results were invited to provide input for a detailed COPD questionnaire. The adjusted proportion of subjects who reported a current, or past smoking history was 27.9%. Gender specific smoking rates adjusted by age were 38.7% [95% confidence interval [CI]: 37.5-39.9%] in men, and 7.4% [95% CI: 6.5-8.3%] in women. The epidemiological definition of symptomatic COPD was met by a total of 249 subjects. The age and gender-adjusted prevalence of COPD was 2.4% [95% CI: 2.1-2.7%]. Overall, COPD was more frequently documented [p<0.0001] in men [3.5% [95% CI: 3-4%]] than in women [1% [95% CI: 0.7-1.3%]]. The prevalence of epidemiologically defined COPD in the general population of Saudi Arabia is 2.4%, which is lower than that reported in industrialized countries

Non insulinoma pancreatogenous hypoglycemia syndrome in a Saudi male

Nesidioblastosis is focal or diffuse islet hyperplasia leading to hyperinsulinism with subsequent hypoglycemia in the absence of insulinoma, usually described in neonates and infancy. We described the first adult case of nesidioblastosis in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region. The diagnosis and treatment of the condition can be very difficult and challenging. Despite the fact that our patient responded initially to surgical treatment, his hypoglycemic symptoms occasionally recurred and needed adjunctive medical treatment. Although initially thought to affect only infants and children, cases of nesidioblastosis can affect adults and pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the clinicians