RESUMO
Background and objective Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic debilitating metabolic disease caused by insulin deficiency. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially fatal complication characterized by acute hyperglycemia and metabolic acidosis. In light of the high prevalence of DM in Saudi Arabia, we sought to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the Saudi general population about DKA. Methods An online self-administered questionnaire was distributed through popular social media platforms among diabetics in the Saudi population. The survey questions involved demographic data; diabetes status including the time of diagnosis, current medications, and the latest HbA1c level; and an assessment of the knowledge about DKA through queries related to diagnostic criteria, definition, risk factors, symptoms, and preventive measures. Results Our study involved 400 participants, and 42.5% of them were able to correctly identify DKA as an emergency requiring immediate medical attention. Regarding the awareness of DKA's symptoms among the participants, 33.8% correctly identified excessive thirst as a key indicator, followed closely by frequent urination (31.8%), and the characteristic fruity breath odor (31.3%). As for the awareness of the participants of the causes of DKA, 33.8% correctly linked forgetting insulin injections to DKA development. Encouragingly, 39.8% of participants identified regular blood sugar monitoring as the most effective way to prevent DKA. Conclusions Most patients in our study demonstrated limited knowledge of DKA. However, a significant portion of them was able to identify it as an emergency. To prevent such events, raising awareness about DM and its complications may serve as the first step toward better outcomes in diabetic patients. We believe our findings can be used to devise quality-improving interventions in this field.
RESUMO
Thyroid diseases are caused by autoimmunity due to hormone imbalance both in male and female patients. Therefore, it is of acute importance to measure, analyze and compare thyroid hormone levels among populations with thyroid-related complications. Hence, we examined 202 male and female thyroid patients in the Hail regions of Saudi Arabia and estimated their hormone levels. Blood samples were collected from patients and processed for the hormonal profiling such as prolactin, luteinizing hormone (LH), FSH, free T3 (FT3), free T4 (FT4) and TSH3. Further, measurement of thyroid gland size in the Hail population was also completed. Results of our study showed a significant difference in the level of prolactin between male and female patients. Other hormones are namely luteinizing hormone (LH), FSH, free T3 (FT3), free T4 (FT4), TSH3 did not show any significant difference between male and female patients with thyroid disorder. Thus, the levels of the majority of hormones, namely luteinizing hormone (LH), FSH, free T3 (FT3), free T4 (FT4), and TSH3, except prolactin, did not differ significantly between male and female thyroid patients. Validation of the observation using large scale population size is warranted in future investigations.
