Prevalence of polypharmacy and medication-related quality of life among adult patients in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.

Polypharmacy, often defined as the concurrent use of five or more medications, has become increasingly common due to various factors, including shifts in lifestyle and a rise in health-related issues among individuals. However, using multiple medications could bring more issues to the patient, as it is linked to poor health outcomes, including medication nonadherence, adverse pharmacological effects, and decreased quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of polypharmacy and identify drug-related problems among adult patients in Al-Ahsa. A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients living in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, taking five or more medications. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the target population using an online survey. The questionnaire included sociodemographic data (i.e., age, sex, education, etc.), a questionnaire to assess behaviors regarding the use of polypharmacy, and a 10-item questionnaire to measure medication-related quality of life (MRQoL). In total, 196 of the 1,088 patients surveyed took five or more medications, indicating an 18% prevalence of polypharmacy. Among the 196 patients, 26.5% reported poor medication-related QoL. In univariate analysis, sex, occupational status, average monthly income, hypertension, asthma, difficulty managing medications, and side effects experienced were significantly associated with MRQoL. Independent significant predictors of poor MRQoL were having asthma and difficulty managing medications. The prevalence of poor medication-related quality of life among adult patients in our region was 26.5%, lower than that in previous studies. Poor MRQoL was associated with lower monthly income, hypertension, asthma, side effects, and difficulty managing medications.

Prevalence, frequency, and disability of migraine headaches and tension headaches among the general population in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia.

A tension-type headache (TTH) is a recurrent headache that is mild to moderate in intensity, unlike migraine (MH), which is accompanied by crippling effects of nausea, vomiting, photophobia, or phonophobia. TTH is more frequent than migraine, but it is less likely to cause severe pain and physical dysfunction. TTHs account for more lost workdays due to their prevalence. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, frequency, and disability of MHs and TTHs among the general population in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was employed using a validated questionnaire. The questionnaire implemented the HARDSHIP algorithm to diagnose MH and TTH and questions to correlate their prevalence to socio-demographic data, measurement of the level of disability, headache management, and treatment effectiveness using the chi-square test. The study reviewed 877 subjects (46.6% males vs. 53.4% females). 52.9% of the participants experienced headaches during the previous three months, and 35.6% experienced headaches recently. The most common type of headache was a probable MH (32.1%), followed by a TTH (26.9%), probable TTH (19.5%), and MH (15%). It was reported that some disability was attributed to 47% of MHs and 26% of TTHs. The most commonly used headache medication was paracetamol (53.5%). This study revealed that TTH and MH are common illnesses in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Region. TTH and MH are correlated with significant individual and social burdens, particularly for MH. Headache sufferers mostly manage their headaches using conventional over-the-counter methods.

Incidence and Outcomes of Transplant of Infected Donor Corneal Tissues in a Tertiary Hospital in Saudi Arabia.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to assess donor rim culture results and predict ocular infections after corneal transplantation to determine the relationship between positive corneoscleral rim cultures and post-keratoplasty infection. DESIGN: This is a retrospective study. METHODS: The microbiology results of positive donor rim culture and clinical outcomes of all contaminated grafts at Dhahran Eye Specialist Hospital (DESH) in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia between October 2016 and February 2020 were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 684 corneal transplantation procedures were performed at DESH during this period. Routine donor rim cultures were done for all cases with six positive cases (0.88%). There were five positive fungal donor rim cultures (0.73%), and one corneal rim was positive for both bacterial and fungal cultures (0.15%). Among these six patients, two patients (33.33%) who received graft positive with candida developed an infection. Both cases required further interventions but were unsuccessful and eventually ended up with re-grafting. CONCLUSION: In the sample collected, positive fungal contamination was more frequent than bacterial contamination, and the incidence of bacterial infection is relatively low compared to that of fungal infection due to contaminated grafts. Despite the limitations of our study, we support routine corneoscleral rim culture and to start prophylactic antifungal treatment in response to positive donor fungal rim culture.

Conjunctival Pediatric-Type Follicular Lymphoma in a Young Male: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Pediatric-type follicular lymphoma is a disease that affects the lymph nodes of the head and neck in the adult and pediatric patient groups. Ocular involvement is exceedingly rare, especially in the pediatrics age group; therefore, keeping a high clinical suspicion is warranted. Here, we report a rare conjunctival pediatric-type follicular lymphoma in a 15-year-old boy presenting with progressive swelling over the medial aspect of the left bulbar conjunctiva for two months. On examination, the mass was firm, mobile, well encapsulated, wide-based, and had a negative transillumination. An excisional biopsy was performed, and histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry studies revealed lymphoid tissue that was positive for CD20, CD79a, BCL6, and CD10; and negative for BCL2 and MUM1. The CD21 and CD23 positivity highlighted the presence of an expanded follicular dendritic cell meshwork. The patient was diagnosed with conjunctival pediatric-type follicular lymphoma and referred to an oncology center for further examination and treatment. This lymphoma is rare, requiring high clinical suspicion, and thus, reporting the case detail is important and valuable for ophthalmologists and general pediatrics practitioners alike.