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Background: Diabetes is influenced by changes in the body's iron levels. Because iron deficiency anemia is common in diabetes, this study examines the link between iron, glycemic control, and complication in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: The study is a cross-sectional study conducted from October 2019 to June 2020 at Najran university hospital in the Najran area, Saudi Arabia. All T2DM patients (N = 201) during the study were recruited by simple random sampling. A checklist was completed to extract the study variables from each patient's medical record. Results: There is a positive poor correlation between hemoglobin (Hb) and diabetic foot (r = 0.186, P < 0.05), but not with other diabetic microvascular complications (i.e., retinopathy, nephropathy, and peripheral neuropathy) or glycemic indicators fasting blood sugar, random blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C (i.e., FBS, RBS, and HbA1C). No link is found between ferritin and glycemic indicators or diabetic microvascular complications. Conclusion: The study suggests that particular attention be paid to regular monitoring of iron levels before modifying the treatment plans for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. It raises critical inquiry about the reality of iron role in diabetes mellitus either in pathogenesis or treatment. It recommends accurately assessing body iron status with careful interpretation for better clinical judgment, encouraging large-scale and long-term epidemiological as well as interventional trials examining the effect of lowering iron in controlling glycemia.
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Background As the burden of cancer in Saudi Arabia has increased, the number of terminally ill patients is growing. In parallel, family caregivers' burden has emerged as an escalating problem within the field of palliative medicine. In this study, we aimed to explore the prevalence and types of burden experienced by caregivers of terminally ill patients and the associated risk factors. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2019 to February 2020 at Najran University Hospital in southern Saudi Arabia. The study included all caregivers of terminal Saudi patients receiving palliative care. A three-part study questionnaire was used for data collection: socio-demographic characteristics, the Arabic version of Zarit Burden Interview to quantify the caregivers' burden, and the Caregiver Distress Scale to identify and rank the different types of burden among caregivers Results The study included 78 caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients. Their ages ranged between 19 and 70 years, with an arithmetic mean of 39.5 years and a standard deviation of 12.9 years. The caregiver burden was reported among the majority of the participants (96.2%); the burden was mild among 46.2%, moderate among 38.5%, and severe among 11.5% of the participants. The age of caregivers who expressed moderate-to-severe burden was significantly higher than those who expressed little-to-moderate burden (44.5 ± 13.7 versus 34.5 ± 9.8 years, respectively; p < 0.001). Moderate-to-severe burden was more observed among mothers/brothers [12 (80%)] than sons [21 (53.8%)] and daughters [six (25.0%)] (p = 0.003). Regarding caregiver distress, caregivers with shorter caregiving (≤three months) and mother/brother relation to the patient had significantly higher relationship distress scores (p < 0.001). In addition, relation to the patient was significantly associated with emotional burden score (p <0.001), social impact score (p < 0.007), and personal cost score (p < 0.001). Conclusion Caregiving to terminally ill cancer patients is a considerably hidden problem leading to caregiver's burden and stress.
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BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and related mortalities have been steadily increasing in KSA over the past 20 years. CRC in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) population presents in younger ages and in more advanced disease states as compared to other countries. This study was aimed to determine factors (demographic, habitual, environmental, nutritional, and genetic) associated with CRC in Riyadh, KSA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A matched case-control study conducted in the major hospitals in Riyadh (King Khalid university Hospital, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh Military Hospital, Security Force Hospital, King Fahd Medical City). Here most of CRC cases are managed. The cases (n = 121) group included all recently diagnosed and pathologically confirmed Saudi cases of CRC identified during the period 1st of January 2017 till 31st of December 2018 who agreed to participate and fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A similar number of controls attending the study settings were selected consecutively from the clinics where cases were managed and matched on a 1:1 basis with cases based on age (+/-3 years) and gender. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Conditional logistic regression models were fitted to determine factors associated with risk of CRC. RESULT: This study included similar number of males and females in both groups: males 69 (57%) and females 52 (43%) in each group (Chi-square test P = 1.0). The mean (S.D) age in the cases group was 53.6 (S.D = 12.9) and 53.3 (S.D = 12.9) in the controls group (Student test P = 0.86). In the final multivariate conditional logistic regression model, variables independently associated with risk of colorectal cancer were body mass index (OR = 0.93; 95% CI 0.87-0.98; P = 0.011) employment status (inverse relation: OR = 0.33; 95% CI 0.14-0.77; P = 0.010), colon polyps (OR = 4.09; 95% CI 1.06-15.82; P = 0.041), and constipation (OR = 4.98; 95% CI 1.91-15.99; P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Factors associated with CRC in the major referral hospitals in KSA were colon polyps, chronic constipation, and unemployment. These factors should be considered when screening for patients at risk for CRC.
