Stroke prevention: knowledge of the general population in Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: Stroke is a medical emergency that may lead to permanent neurological damage, complications, and disability. It is the second leading cause of death worldwide and one of the main causes of adult-acquired disabilities. Stroke can be prevented by controlling modifiable risk factors and the early detection of stroke warning signs. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge of the general population in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia about stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional and community-based design was employed in this study. The sample was calculated as 432. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was analyzed by SPSS software, version 23. Descriptive statistics were used. The Chi-square test was employed to test differences between qualitative variables, and a p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Results showed that 26.6 % of the population had good knowledge about stroke. Population with average and poor knowledge were 50.5% and 22.9%, respectively. The level of stroke knowledge is related to age; the older population aged 45 and more acquired the highest level of knowledge (50%) compared to the other groups. Age group 35-44 years received the least level of stroke knowledge (19.9%). The school teaching had the highest level (40.0%) of stroke knowledge than the other occupations. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke knowledge among the population of Saudi Arabia is inadequate. The stroke knowledge is related to age and occupation.

Factors associated with patient delay in accessin pulmonary tuberculosis care, Gezira State, Sudan, 2009.

Analyses of patient delays in seeking treatment for tuberculosis (TB) provide useful evidence for national TB control programmes. The objectives of this study in Gezira State, Sudan were to estimate the extent of, and factors associated with, pulmonary TB patient delay in accessing care. A cross-sectional phase was conducted to determine the length of delay, followed by a nested case-control phase comparing patients delaying above or below the median time. The mean patient delay was 27.2 days, median 4 days (range 0-365 days). There were no significant differences between case and control groups in terms of age, sex, marital status, educational level or smoking status. However, patients living in urban areas, with low income status and who were housewives or unemployed were more likely to delay. Also patients with a history of contact with a TB patient, those who suspected TB and those with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were more likely to delay.

High levels of Schistosoma mansoni infections among schoolchildren in central Sudan one year after treatment with praziquantel.

A longitudinal study was conducted to evaluate the impact of praziquantel (PZQ) for the treatment of Schistosoma mansoni infection among schoolchildren in Al Gunaid in Central Sudan. A cohort of schoolchildren (6-15 years of age) was investigated before and 1 year after treatment with a single dose of PZQ 40 mg/kg. Parasitological examinations for S. mansoni were performed before and after treatment, and prevalence and intensity of infection were analysed. Of 2741 schoolchildren recruited from six elementary schools at baseline, 2521 were successfully traced and re-examined at follow-up, with two complete sets of longitudinal parasitological data on S. mansoni. Boys showed significantly higher prevalence of S. mansoni infection than girls. A single dose of PZQ reduced the overall prevalence of S. mansoni infection by 36.7% (from 59.1 to 37.4%) and the intensity of infection by 41.1% (from 116.7 to 68.7 eggs per gram of stool) 1 year after treatment. The reduction in prevalence was significantly higher among the group of children with heavy infections (by 76.1%, from 6.7 to 1.6%) and among girls (by 54.1%, 42.3 to 19.4%) at 1 year after treatment. Thus, in spite of a significant reduction in the prevalence and intensity of S. mansoni infection 1 year after PZQ treatment, the prevalence of the disease was still high and further research is needed on this topic.