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Background Saudi Arabia has a high prevalence of chronic diseases such as obesity. Moreover, iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in developing countries is the most prevalent type of anemia. This study aims to assess the correlation between anemia related to poor iron status and obesity. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the obesity center in King Fahad Medical City, Saudi Arabia, from April to September 2020. Two hundred and forty participants were needed to be included in the study. The data was gathered by utilizing a designed data collection form. Socio-demographic data, weight and height, questions related to the history of anemia, and gynecological data (for females) were collected. The data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) version 28.0. Descriptive statistics were used to present numerical and categorical data and a Chi-square test was conducted to assess the correlation between categorical variables. Informed written consent was obtained from all participants and ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Board Committee in King Fahad Medical City. Results The study included 240 participants. Two-thirds of the study population are females (64.6%), 66.7% are married, and 65.8% have obesity. Almost one-half of the study population (46%, N=128) was diagnosed with IDA with malnourishment being the most common reason for IDA (88.2%). The results indicated a correlation between obesity and the prevalence of IDA. The prevalence of IDA among participants with obesity (60.4%) was significantly higher compared to non-obese participants (39.5%), p=0.002. The study found that females and underweight individuals have a higher prevalence of IDA (p<0.001). Conclusion Results of the present study suggest that obesity could be associated with a risk of IDA. In addition, Saudi women could be more prone to IDA than men. Further prospective controlled studies among diverse populations in Saudi Arabia including laboratory assessment of inflammatory markers and iron status are required to better understand the correlation between obesity and IDA.
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Noonan syndrome (NS) is a common congenital syndrome characterized by multiple anomalies commonly observed in children. In this article, we describe a case of a patient with congenital heart disease, severe mitral regurgitation, and Nonaan syndrome presented with left maxillary swelling and pain, which was treated by complete surgical excision of the left maxillary odontoma. Based on this case, we conclude that numerous oral abnormalities may be related to NS and thus necessitate interdisciplinary treatment planning and prompt therapy. The importance of including oral manifestations as a scoring criterion in diagnosing NS cannot be overstated, as the significance of oral findings in NS has largely been overlooked.
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Background: Children suffer from orofacial injuries during sport activities in schools. School teacher's knowledge about managing emergency during orofacial injuries will help in treatment prognosis. Aim: To assess and compare school teacher's knowledge about management of orofacial injuries at alkharj Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study was planned among school teacher working in various schools at alkharj. Questionnaire consisted of Demographic details such as age and year of experience and knowledge-related questions about management of orofacial injuries. Questionnaire was distributed and collected on the same day. Results: All participants were aware that sport activities results in injuries to head, orofacial structures, or teeth. 15.6% participants have undergone training. 84.4% of study participants have told they don't know to manage avulsed tooth. 92.8% of study participants are interested to get training on orofacial injury management. Conclusion: Knowledge of school teachers about management of orofacial injury is insufficient. Teachers are primary level of contact in schools during sports injuries, measures should be taken to improve their knowledge about orofacial injuries.
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Objectives The most frequent otolaryngological complaint is nasal obstruction. We aimed to determine if there is a relationship between nasal blockage and academic performance among medical college students in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional survey carried out from August to December 2022, included 860 medical students determining the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on the participants using the Berlin Sleep Questionnaire Risk Probability, then comparing it to their socio-demographic characteristics, while the Chi-square test was used for the comparison of categorical variables. Result The average age of the participants in our study was 21.52 years; 60% were females and 40% were males. The risk of obstructive sleep apnea was found to be two times higher in females than in males (95% CI: 1.195- 3.345; p-value 0.008). The hypertensive participants had a 27-fold increased risk of OSA compared to non-hypertensives. Grade Point Average (GPA) and snoring had a statistically significant relationship, however, a fifth of the participants reported snoring (79.8% reported not snoring). We also found that 14.8% of the participants with snoring had a GPA between 2-4.49 compared to 44.6% of participants without snoring. Conclusion Female students had a two-fold higher chance of developing OSA than males. While a GPA of 4.5 and above was more often associated with participants without snoring, the number of individuals with a GPA of 2-4.49 was greater among participants with snoring. To aid in the prevention of illness complications and the management of risk factors, additional efforts should be made to increase disease knowledge among students, primary healthcare practitioners, and specialty doctors.
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Background and objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a major health concern due to the rapid transmission of the virus that causes it: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To address the growing demand on healthcare systems to control this pandemic, more effective diagnostic methods need to be applied. In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy of RealStar® SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) versus the GeneXpert® system. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the central lab of King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data from all nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) (150,000) submitted for SARS-CoV-2 analysis from July 2020 to July 2021 were reviewed retrospectively. Furthermore, all NPS (n=384) that were analyzed on both the RealStar® SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR and GeneXpert® systems for confirmatory purposes were included in the study. Acute respiratory illness (ARI) screening forms of the selected samples were reviewed from the electronic database (BestCare system), and they were analyzed and compared at one point in time; therefore, a cross-sectional study was found to be the best suitable study design. Using the statistical analysis software, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was obtained to compare the sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). The test was considered significant if the area under the curve (AUC) value was >0.5. Results The diagnostic performance of the RealStar® and GeneXpert® assays in detecting SARS-CoV-2 was evaluated using ROC curve analysis, which showed AUCs of 0.597 and 0.637, respectively. In addition, 35% of the total results fell into a substantial agreement of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.6626-0.8732). The majority of the NPS were reported negative by both RealStar® (246, 80.66%) and GeneXpert® (226, 74.10%). Most samples (210, 68.85%) were obtained from asymptomatic patients, scoring less than 4 (ARI <4) based on the ARI screening form. Conclusion Based on the AUC of ROC, there is no significant difference in the performance characteristics between the RealStar® RT-PCR and GeneXpert® in detecting COVID-19.
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Abdominal actinomycosis, one of the causes of ileocaecal disorders, is usually considered when other more common clinical conditions have been excluded. Actinomycosis is a rare infectious bacterial disorder caused by the Actinomyces species. We present the case of a 38-year male Saudi soldier who presented with pain in the right iliac fossa since 4 days prior to presentation. This stabbing pain started gradually. Based on clinical examination and abdominal ultrasound findings, an appendectomy was performed. Histological examination revealed appendicular actinomycosis with lymphoid hyperplasia, serosa congestion, and filamentous bacteria in the appendicular lumen. The patient was treated with amoxicillin. During follow-up, contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a 4.3 × 2.9 cm thickened caecal wall. Thereafter, the patient underwent laparoscope-assisted ileocaecal resection with ileocolic anastomosis. The histological report revealed calcified food material in the diverticulum, with chronic inflammation without actinomycosis, which may have been eradicated by the previous antibiotic treatment.
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BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Tobacco consumption has grave negative consequences for health so that it is important to understand the reasons and motivations towards cigarette smoking and barriers against quitting smoking among the young generation for developing effective policies to control this widespread problem. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This crosssectional survey was carried out at the Faculty of Medicine, Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A total of 438 young smokers participated from the University and the general population. Data were collected through anonymous, selfadministered questionnaires in the Arabic language that contained questions about the reasons and motivations towards cigarette smoking and barriers against quitting smoking. The questionnaire also contained several questions regarding knowledge and attitude of the participants towards cigarette smoking. The data was analyzed on SPSS16. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 22.9±3.48, out of 438 subjects 87 (19.9%) were married, and 351 (80.1%) were unmarried, and 331 (75.6%) belonged to urban areas while 107 (24.5%) were from the rural areas. Responding to a question about a number of cigarettes smoked per day, 31% answered 1120, 29% answered 2130, and 25% answered 110. Questioned about smokers in the family, 34.5% responded more than one, with 19% for brother and 13% for father. About the reasons for not quitting smoking, 26% described lack of willpower, 25% had no reason, 22% said that people around me smoke, and 15.3% responded stress at home/work. The major motivation for smokers was smoker friends (42%), for 33.8% others, for 12% father/brother and 7.8% media. CONCLUSIONS: There are several avoidable and preventable reasons and barriers against quitting smoking. However, knowledge and attitude about smoking were good, and the majority of the smokers were well aware of the associated hazards. Therefore, there is a need to search out ways and means to help them to quit this addiction.
