Association Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Body Mass Index Status: A Cross-Sectional Study at King Khalid Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, From 2019 to 2020.

Introduction Low vitamin D levels have been associated more with overweight and obese people in previous studies. One of the possible explanations behind this association is the lipophilic property of vitamin D that causes the vitamin to deposit in adipose tissue and reduces the serum concentration of the vitamin, which still warrants further evaluation. Objective This study estimated the association between serum vitamin D levels and body mass index (BMI) among male patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of male patients that was carried out in King Khalid Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Patients were included between October 2019 and November 2020. Results We concluded that almost half of the patients, 1,132 (48.3%), had adequate vitamin D, followed by 773 (33%) with vitamin D inadequacy, and only 288 (12.3%) had vitamin D deficiency. There was a significant relationship between age and vitamin D levels; younger people had lower vitamin D levels compared to older people (p<0.001). It was found that there was no significant relationship between BMI categories and vitamin D levels (p>0.05). Conclusion According to the findings of the current study, there was no discernible relationship between serum vitamin D levels and BMI. However, there was a substantial correlation between age and vitamin D levels, with younger age groups having lower amounts than older individuals. Future studies should adopt a prospective design encompassing multiple centers and preferably include the risk factors for developing vitamin D deficiency, such as sun exposure, dietary habits, comorbidities, etc. Such studies can provide a more accurate assessment of the association between BMI and vitamin D levels.

The Incidence of Respiratory Infections and Risk Factors Among Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Western Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy are prone to infections because of the treatment regimens' immunosuppression.  Objectives This study estimated the overall incidence of respiratory infections among patients undergoing chemotherapy and associated risk factors. Methods This study is a retrospective chart review of cancer patients at Princess Noorah Oncology Center in Western Saudi Arabia from January 2017 to December 2020.  Results This study included 196 patients, 53.1% males and 50.5% older than 50 years. The estimated incidence of respiratory infections among participants was 8.7%, and the most commonly detected organism was Klebsiella pneumoniae (35.3%). The risk factors significantly associated with infection were ICU admission (p=0.001), the use of mechanical ventilation (p=0.003), and the presence of hematologic malignancy (p=0.02). Conclusion Future multi-center studies should employ a prospective design, including laboratory confirmation of causative organisms. Such studies may better estimate the infection-associated burden on cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

A Case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in a Three-Year-Old Boy.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is being recognized in pediatric patients with COVID-19 since mid-2020. Usually, children with MIS-C have systemic symptoms that develop after an infection with SARS-CoV-2, these symptoms can be unremitting fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, cardiac or CNS involvement, and shock. We report a case of a three-year-old boy medically free with no prenatal or postnatal abnormalities who presented with three days history of fever and diarrhea. Upon investigation, the patient was found to be COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive, also had lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, high inflammatory markers, mildly elevated liver enzymes, high International Normalized Ratio (INR), prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), and upon imaging bilateral peribronchial thickening was noted in a chest X-ray. The patient was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and other supportive measures were also administered. Eventually, the patient improved, and his inflammatory markers dropped. He was discharged and given a follow-up appointment to further monitor his condition. The findings in this case report correlate with previously published cases that MIS-C have a good prognosis. Although, it is essential that clinicians should be updated on published cases and guidelines to better diagnose, treat, and follow-up MIS-C cases to avoid the long-term sequelae that can affect patients' lives.