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Background Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases. Various institutions have shown an interest to investigate the role of cannabidiol (CBD) in treating pediatric epilepsy. CBD is a chemical extracted from the cannabis plant and lacks the euphoria-inducing characteristic. Despite the FDA approval, the physicians' attitude toward CBD is controversial. Therefore, we aim to measure physicians' knowledge and acceptance of the use of CBD in managing epilepsy patients in Saudi Arabia. Objectives The aim of this study is to measure the knowledge and attitude of physicians regarding CBD use in pediatric epilepsy. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a validated electronic survey was distributed in the period between September 2021 and October 2021 among pediatricians and neurologists at King Abdulaziz Medical City. The survey consisted of four sections: demographics, the perceived knowledge regarding CBD, the knowledge test, and the attitudes toward CBD. Three-scoring systems were established to assess these sections. Results A total of 94 participants were included in this study; 50% of them were males, 81.9% of the participants were in the pediatric field, 13.8% were in the field of neurology, and 4.3% were pediatric neurologists. As for the professional tenure, approximately half of the participants were residents/trainees. Overall, respondents tend to have low perceived knowledge (94.7%) and attitude (93.6%) regarding CBD use. The perceived knowledge and attitude levels were found to be significantly associated with specialty (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Pediatric neurologists had a significantly higher self-assessment score, while pediatricians had the lowest attitude level (p < 0.05). For the knowledge test, surprisingly only one respondent answered all questions correctly, and age was found to be significantly associated with knowledge score (p = 0.001). Conclusion This study demonstrates that physicians have poor knowledge and attitude levels regarding the usage of CBD in pediatric epilepsy. Therefore, more education is highly suggested before the introduction of this medication to Saudi patients.
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BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a highly prevalent endocrine disorder affecting 5%-10% of women worldwide. PCOS patients usually present with cutaneous manifestations of hyperandrogenism, such as acne, hirsutism, and androgenic alopecia. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of dermatological manifestations and their association with hormonal changes in PCOS patients. In addition, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of comorbidities associated with PCOS and to demonstrate the referral pattern among Dermatology, Gynecology, and Primary Health Care (PHC). METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All PCOS patients who attended KAMC from 2016 to 2021 were included. Data were collected through a retrospective chart review of the electronic medical record system (BestCare) and by utilizing a structured data collection sheet. RESULTS: A total of 447 female patients were diagnosed with PCOS with a median age of 29 years and a median BMI of 28.76 kg/m2.The prevalence of cutaneous manifestations among patients was 68%. Hirsutism (47.3%), acne vulgaris (40.6%), and androgenic alopecia (20.3%) were the most common manifestations. The most common hormonal abnormalities were raised luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in 220 (49.1%) patients and raised LH/follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio in 159 (35.5%) patients. FSH, LH/FSH ratio, and age were significant predictors for acne vulgaris (P-value=0.01, 0.04, and 0.01, respectively). Obesity (44.20%), infertility (25.70%), and dyslipidemia (17%) were the most common comorbidities in our sample. Most patients' first visits and follow-ups were in PHC. Conclusion: The prevalence of cutaneous manifestations among PCOS patients is relatively high and plays a significant role in making the diagnosis. Therefore, physicians across multiple specialties need to be more aware of the full spectrum of PCOS presentations to alleviate it from its under-diagnosed status.
