ABSTRACT
Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a dramatic upsurge in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, which may have altered the usual pattern of bacterial infections and relevant decision-making. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of rapid antigen detection test (RADT) positivity for group A Streptococcus (GAS) in patients with respiratory symptoms and signs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we evaluated the association between a positive test and the modified Centor criteria in a population of children and adults with upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). Methods A prospective study was conducted in primary health care centres (PHCCs) and the paediatric emergency department (ED) of the Maternity and Children Hospital in Dammam City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Trained physicians collected data from patients aged three years and older or their guardian(s) regarding URTI symptoms. The modified Centor score was calculated, and RADT was performed for all patients. Results Data were collected from 469 patients. The prevalence of positive RADT was 19 (4.1%), and the setting was associated with RADT positivity, as 14% of ED visitors tested positive compared with 0.6% of PHCC visitors. The RADT results had an area under the curve of 0.856 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.774-0.939), with Centor scores of 2 and 3 having a sensitivity of 89.5%/78.9% and specificity of 70.6%/80.8%, respectively. Individuals with a score of 5 had the highest rate of positive RADT (33.3%, P<0.001); a score less than 0 excluded the possibility of GAS infection. Conclusion The Centor score can improve effective antibiotic prescribing; however, Centor scores ≥2 should be supplemented with an additional confirmatory test. The high specificity of RADT makes it a useful tool in preventing the prescription of unneeded antibiotics.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to measure the prevalence and associated risk factors of antenatal depression (AD) among women attending antenatal clinics at primary care centers in the Ministry of Health in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 357 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at primary care centers, Ministry of Health, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia between April 1, 2018 and July 1, 2019. A self-administered questionnaire was used for collection of information including questions relevant to sociodemographic variables and a screening tool Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to assess the probable depression. RESULTS: The prevalence of AD among pregnant women in Al-Ahsa is 31.9%. We found a significant association (P < 0.005) between AD and factors such as difficulty in sleeping, having a smoker husband, having one previous pregnancy, and having postabortion psychological complications. CONCLUSION: It was observed that depression prevails among pregnant ladies in Al-Ahsa city. Hence, in the present study, we tried to rule out the factors that led to depression in pregnant ladies during our antenatal care. In addition, we found that there is a need to train the physicians for asking questions (only two simple PHQ-2 questions) for the screening of depression during antenatal care visite.
