Decline in menarcheal age among Saudi girls.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate age at menarche and to assess trends in menarcheal age among Saudi women. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted among healthy prepubertal female school children and adolescents from September 2006 to July 2012 in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Study participants were invited from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Tanner stage, height, weight, body mass index, and socioeconomic parameters including parent's level of education were collected. Age at menarche was compared with maternal age at menarche. RESULTS: The study included 265 girls and mothers. Mean±standard deviation (SD) age at menarche for girls was 13.08 ± 1.1 years, and their distribution category across the ≤10 years was 4 (1.5%), 11-14 years was 239 (90.2%), and ≥15 years was 22 (8.3%) girls. Anthropometric measurements, mother's level of education, and family income were not statistically significant determining factors associated with age at menarche. Mean ± SD age at menarche for mothers was 13.67 ± 1.4 years, and their distribution category across the ≤10 years was 7 (2.6%), 11-14 years was 172 (64.9%), and ≥15 years was 86 (32.5%). Girls attained menarche at younger age compared with their mothers (p less than 0.0001). A downward secular trend in age of menarche was observed (Cuzick test for trend = 0.049). CONCLUSION: Saudi girls attain menarcheal age earlier than their mothers, reflecting a downward secular trend in menarcheal age.

Prevalence of Metabolic Abnormalities and Association with Obesity among Saudi College Students.

Aim. (i) To estimate the prevalence of the metabolic abnormalities among Saudi college students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and (ii) to investigate the association between different indicators of body composition and these abnormalities. Methods. A total of 501 college students participated in a cross-sectional study. Anthropometric assessments, BP measurements, and biochemical assessment were done. Metabolic abnormalities were identified. Results. Applying BMI, 21.9 % and 20.6% of students were classified as overweight and obese, respectively. Central obesity was prevalent in 26.9% and 42.2% of students based on WC and WHtR, respectively. Other metabolic abnormalities were hypertension (23.6%) and abnormal FPG level (22.6%). Three or more abnormalities were prevalent in 7.8% of students and increased significantly to 26.4%, 20%, and 17.6 in obese subjects based on BMI, WC, and WHtR, respectively. With the exception of abnormal FPG, prevalence of individual metabolic abnormalities as well as the number of these abnormalities significantly increased with increasing BMI, WC, and WHtR (P < 0.001 each). Conclusion. Our findings provide evidence for the presence of MS in Saudi college students. Central adiposity contributes to the high incidence of individual MS components. College health programs that promote healthful lifestyle and avoidance of adult weight gain are recommended.

Saudi Meds: a competence specification for Saudi medical graduates.

A national competence framework has been developed by medical schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The framework has seven domains - approach to daily Practice, Dr and patient, Dr and community, communication skills, professionalism, Dr and information technology, Dr and research. The framework will guide curriculum development and assessment in the Kingdom and ensure that medical education adapts to changing needs. The creation of a national framework promises the delivery of equivalent standards between medical schools while at the same time guaranteeing the schools' autonomy.

Association between scores in high school, aptitude and achievement exams and early performance in health science college.

This retrospective study was carried out to assess the correlation between admission criteria to health science colleges, namely, final high school grade and Saudi National Aptitude and Achievement exams, and early academic performance in these colleges. The study included 91 male students studying in the two-year pre-professional program at the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Records of these students were used to extract relevant information and their academic performance (based on the grade point average achieved at the end of the first semester of the pre-professional program), which were analytically studied. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the associations between the different scores. SPSS statistical program (version 12.0) was used for data analyses. We found a strong correlation between the academic performance and the Achievement Exam, Aptitude Exam and high school final grade, with Pearson Correlation Coefficients of 0.96, 0.93, 0.87, respectively. The Saudi National Achievement Exam showed the most significant correlation. Our results indicate that academic performance showed good correlation with the admission criteria used, namely final high school grade, Saudi National Aptitude and Achievement Exams.

The syndrome of septo-optic dysplasia in Saudi children.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical, ophthalmological, endocrinological and radiological features of 10 Saudi children with the syndrome of septo-optic dysplasia and hypothalamic hypopituitarism. METHODS: All patients underwent complete ophthalmological and endocrinological evaluation at the Pediatric Endocrine Clinics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center and King Fahad National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from October 1999 through to May 2004. The hormonal evaluation included growth hormone, adrenocorticotrophic hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, gonadotropin and anti diuretic hormone testing, and the neuroradiological assessment included brain magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomogram scanning, or both. RESULTS: The current age of patients ranged from 18- months to 5-years. The mean age of initial presentation for endocrine evaluation was 14-months. Hormonal studies indicated that all children had multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies (2 or more of the pituitary hormones were deficient). Ten children had growth hormone deficiency, 8 had thyroid stimulating hormone deficiency, 8 had adrenocorticotrophic hormone deficiency, 2 children were suspected to have gonadotropin deficiency and central diabetes insipidus was present in one patient. Pendular nystagmus and impaired vision were common initial signs. All children had bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia. Neuroradiologic findings were variable. Eight children had absent septum pellucidum, 3 had pituitary gland hypoplasia, 2 had pituitary stalk dysplasia (pituitary stalk was either attenuated or not visualized), 2 had absent corpus callosum and one had absent posterior pituitary high intensity signal. All patients were replaced with appropriate hormonal replacement therapy. Two male children had micropenis which responded to testosterone therapy. CONCLUSION: The syndrome of septo-optic dysplasia is commonly associated with hypothalamic hypopituitarism including anterior and posterior pituitary hormonal deficiencies. Early diagnosis of this syndrome is critical as the hormonal deficiencies can be life threatening.