ABSTRACT
Objective Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can occur during pregnancy. One of the leading causes of it is a hormone produced by the placenta that interferes with glucose absorption and causes glucose buildup in the bloodstream. Genetic variations between ethnicities are believed to be associated with GDM, and there has been some research on the association of ABO blood group with GDM in different populations. However, the results so far are inconsistent, and there is no conclusive evidence on how ABO blood group affects the occurrence of GDM. This study aims to examine the link between ABO blood group and GDM in pregnant women at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. Methodology A retrospective cohort study was conducted on a group of GDM patients between 2019 and 2022 using data collected from the patients' medical records at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. Results The overall prevalence of GDM was high at 74.7%, and the percentage of patients with A, O, B, and AB blood group who had GDM was 42.9%, 41.41%, 12.1%, and 3.59%, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in Rh status or any other clinical characteristic between the participants who had GDM and those who did not have GDM. Conclusion The present findings indicate that blood group is not associated with the development of GDM in this cohort from Saudi Arabia. However, more studies are required in the future to corroborate these findings.
ABSTRACT
Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with an increase in patient mortality and high rates of renal/non-renal complications. Late detection of the disease has been associated with worse prognosis, but no such study has been conducted from Saudi Arabia. Objectives: To assess the impact of early nephrology referral on the outcomes of patients with AKI. Methods: This retrospective record review included all adult patients (≥18 years) with AKI who were referred to the Nephrology Department at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between May 2019 and July 2020. AKI was defined according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. AKI patients evaluated by nephrologists were stratified into early referral group (i.e., referral in <48 h from the first detection of AKI) and late referral group (referral ≥48 h after the first detection of AKI). Results: A total of 400 patients met the inclusion criteria, of which 264 (66%) were early referrals. A significant association was found between delayed referral and mortality rates and length of hospital stay (for both,P= 0.001). Late referral was also significantly associated with increased likeliness of the need for renal replacement therapy (P = 0.037) and sepsis (P = 0.005). Conclusions: The outcomes were worse for patients with AKI receiving late referrals to nephrologists. Raising the awareness of AKI among non-nephrologists would likely increase the proportion of earlier referrals.
