Demographic and Clinical Predictors of Disease Severity in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Several factors, including sex, body mass index (BMI), disease duration, and age of onset, have been identified as predictors of disease severity. This study investigated the association between the aforementioned factors and MS severity, measured by the number of hospital visits and admissions, length of stay, and frequency of methylprednisolone use. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional analysis used data obtained from BESTCare at the King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC). A total of 272 patients with MS and their demographic and clinical characteristics were included. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 68.75% (n = 187) females and 31.25% (n = 85) males. The regression analyses indicated that disease duration was a significant predictor of the number of hospital visits and admissions (p < 0.01). The study found a significant association between BMI (unstandardized beta (B) = -0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.47, -0.02, p = 0.033), age at diagnosis (unstandardized beta (B) = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.001, 0.31, p = 0.048), and length of hospital stay. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between disease duration and the number of methylprednisolone doses (unstandardized beta (B) = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.89, p = 0.045). CONCLUSION: Disease duration was found to be a significant predictor of hospital visits, admissions, and methylprednisolone use, while sex and BMI did not contribute to the variation in these outcomes. However, BMI and age of onset were significantly associated with length of hospital stay.

Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of an Arabic Version of the Summated Xerostomia Inventory.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to assess the validity and reliability of the Arabic language translation of the Summated Xerostomia Inventory (SXI). METHODS: A cross-sectional, self-administered, electronic Arabic SXI was sent to 79 patients with thyroid nodules (female: n = 34, 57%; male: n = 45, 57%) who visited the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery clinic at King Abdulaziz University Hospital and King Fahad Medical City between June 2023 and July 2023. RESULTS: Dependability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficients at two distinct instances (first: α = 0.824, second: α = 0.932), which reaffirmed the SXI's reliability and consistency. Legitimacy was ascertained using a test-retest method and correlation analysis between the two measurements. CONCLUSION: All SXI items displayed a potent positive correlation (between 0.746 and 0.871, p < 0.001), exhibiting remarkable consistency in responses over time. The outcomes of the paired t-tests showed nonsignificant differences for all queries, indicating that the responses were stable over time.

Validity and Reliability of the Arabic Thyroidectomy-Related Voice and Symptom Questionnaire (A-TVSQ) for Assessing Post-Thyroidectomy Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Post-thyroidectomy patients commonly experience voice changes, swallowing symptoms, and neck discomfort, a condition known as post-thyroidectomy syndrome. The Thyroidectomy-Related Voice and Symptom Questionnaire (TVSQ) is a validated tool showing strong correlations with established tools with a potential predictive value for post-thyroidectomy voice outcomes. Our study aims to translate and validate the TVSQ into Arabic. METHODS: This validation study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital and King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Forward and backward translations ensured the conceptual equivalence of the Arabic TVSQ (A-TVSQ) and were reviewed by an expert panel. A pilot test assessed the A-TVSQ's face validity and clarity, leading to necessary cultural adjustments. The final A-TVSQ was preoperatively and postoperatively administered to thyroidectomy patients to evaluate its test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Data were collected from 116 participants (53 cases [45.6%] and 63 controls [54.3%]). The internal consistency analysis showed strong intercorrelation among the A-TVSQ items, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients (0.951) indicating excellent estimated internal consistency within both domains. Test-retest reliability showed a moderate level of reliability with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.696. A-TVSQ item discrimination analysis showed significant associations between the total and domain scores pre- and post-thyroidectomy. External validity analysis showed significant changes in A-TVSQ voice change (P < 0.010) and neck discomfort (P = 0.011) domains and total scores (P < 0.010) between before and 2 weeks after thyroidectomy. However, no significant changes were observed between 2 and 4 weeks after thyroidectomy. CONCLUSIONS: The translated and validated A-TVSQ showed excellent internal consistency and moderate test-retest reliability, comparable to the original version. Voice change significantly worsened after thyroidectomy, highlighting the need for continued monitoring and management strategies for this complication.

Complications of endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To aimed to determine the incidence of complications of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and to investigate the factors associated with the occurrence of complications. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we reviewed the medical records of all patients who had undergone ESS at King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC) between January 2015 and March 2022. Patients who underwent ESS for complicated acute sinusitis, sinonasal malignancy, and cerebrospinal fluid leak repair, and those who underwent extended ESS for indications other than chronic rhinosinusitis were excluded. This study was approved by the KSUMC Institutional Review Board. RESULTS: We included 1395 patients, 3 of whom had major complications and 28 had minor complications, resulting in an overall major complication rate of 0.2% and a minor complication rate of 2%. The most common major complication was orbital hematoma, and the most common minor complication was synechia. Moreover, the duration of surgery and laterality increased the risk of complications, whereas the use of image guidance had no effect. CONCLUSION: The ESS is a safe procedure. The operative start time and laterality were associated with an increased risk of complications and warrant further investigation.

Evaluation of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Symptoms' Severity Following COVID-19 Infection: A Retrospective Analysis.

Objectives This study aims to compare the severity of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) symptoms pre- and post-COVID-19 infection and estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of intranasal corticosteroids (ICS) among adult CRS patients. Methods This was an observational retrospective cohort study conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between July 2022 and October 2022. Adult CRS patients with sino-nasal outcomes test-22 (SNOT-22) scores documented prior to March 2020, marking the occurrence of Saudi Arabia's initial reported case of COVID-19, were requested to complete the SNOT-22 questionnaire following COVID-19 infection. A comparison was subsequently made between the two scores obtained. Results The study enrolled a total of 33 patients, with 16 assigned to the control group and 17 with a history of COVID-19 infection. The mean age of the patients was 43 years, and the majority (52%) were males. Statistical analysis did not reveal any statistically significant differences in the total SNOT-22 scores or domain-level scores between the two groups. Furthermore, the use of ICS during the COVID-19 pandemic did not show any significant associations, except for patients with asthma, where 80% of them used ICS during the pandemic (p=0.0073). Conclusion There was no statistically significant disparity observed in the SNOT-22 scores between patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and those who did not. The use of corticosteroids during the COVID-19 pandemic was found to be more prevalent in this study compared to previous studies conducted before the pandemic, particularly among patients with asthma. The use of ICS during the pandemic was not associated with the presence of polyps, functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), allergic rhinitis, or eczema.