Public Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitude Toward Alzheimer's Disease in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that slowly deteriorates cognitive function over time. This condition disables the geriatric population worldwide. Knowing its symptoms and presentation could help the general population seek medical attention early. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the level of awareness, knowledge, and attitude towards Alzheimer's disease among the general population in Makkah City. METHODS: This cross-sectional study employed an online questionnaire distributed randomly in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. A sociodemographic and attitude panel is included under each section of the questionnaire, as well as a knowledge panel based on the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). The knowledge and awareness level regarding Alzheimer's disease was determined by adding up discrete scores for each correct knowledge item. A participant's awareness level was categorized as poor if their score was less than 60%. Participants whose scores were 60% or higher were considered to have a high level of awareness Results: A total of 545 participants were investigated; 316 (58%) were females. A range of ages was represented among the participants, from 18 to over 60. Of the study respondents, 68 (12.5%) had an overall good awareness and knowledge of Alzheimer's disease and its management while 477 (87.5%) had a poor knowledge level. Among divorced/widowed participants, 16.2% had an overall good knowledge level of the disease compared to 8.3% of married respondents with recorded statistical significance (P=.049). Also, 20.4% of those with relatives diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease had good knowledge of the disease versus 10.7% of others without (P=.009). CONCLUSION: According to the results, there is a lack of awareness and knowledge of Alzheimer's disease. This study suggests increasing public awareness and knowledge of Alzheimer's disease through campaigns and public education so that the disease is detected earlier.

Knowledge and awareness toward surgical treatment of epilepsy among medical students at Umm Al-Qura University.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate knowledge and awareness toward surgical treatment of epilepsy among medical students at Umm Al-Qura University. Methods: A survey composed of 10 questions was distributed to medical students concerning surgical neurological disorders. It was used to collect data from 401 samples. Questions addressed general knowledge of epilepsy surgery and drug-resistant epilepsy, students' attitude toward epilepsy surgery, and techniques. The chi-square test was utilized. Results: The familiar surgical techniques were lobectomy (11.2%), followed by hemispherotomy (8.2%). The term "drug-resistant epilepsy" was known to 24.4%. More than half of the students 259 (64.6%) would refer patients with drug-resistant epilepsy to a neurosurgeon and neurologist, knowledge and awareness of epilepsy surgery were high for 30.7% of students. Statistically, significant relationship was observed between the level of awareness and academic years (p = 0.000131). Conclusions: Medical students have a positive attitude toward epilepsy surgery. Students are less aware of drug resistance in epilepsy. Knowledge and awareness were better among students at higher levels. We conclude that highlighting the importance of epilepsy surgery should be continued. Moreover, additional educational effort should be invested in expressing the term drug-resistant epilepsy.

Down the Stairs Dystonia-A Novel Task-Specific Focal Isolated Syndrome.

Adult-onset, task-specific dystonia of the lower limb is a rare occurrence. In this report, the authors present 6 cases of task-specific dystonia manifested only when going down the stairs. These patients were seen by 6 different neurologists from across Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and all videos were reviewed by 1 movement disorders specialist who made the final diagnosis. Video description of each case is also presented. All 6 patients demonstrated dystonia of 1 of their lower limbs specifically only when going down the stairs. The remainder of the neurological examination was normal, and distractibility, inconsistency, fixed dystonia, or a premonitory urge were absent, making functional movement disorder and tic disorder unlikely. These 6 patients display a distinct, adult-onset, focal isolated dystonia manifested only on going down the stairs that is recognizable as a new task-specific dystonia of the lower extremity.