ABSTRACT
Background Obesity has become a major health concern associated with several comorbidities. Obesity has been connected to numerous variables. Furthermore, multiple studies were done worldwide to identify the relationship between obesity and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), and there was controversy. However, the relationship between H. pylori infection and obesity in our community is still not clear, and there is a knowledge gap. Aim To determine the relationship between asymptomatic H. pylori infection and body mass index (BMI) among patients who underwent bariatric surgery in Saudi Arabia, King Fahad Specialist Hospital - Buraidah (KFSH-B). Method An observational retrospective cohort study was conducted at KFSH-B. Patients with high BMI (>30 kg/m2) who underwent bariatric surgery between January 2017 and December 2019 were included. Gender, age, BMI, and upper GI endoscopy reports of preoperative mapping were collected from electronic health records. Results The sample size was 718, and the mean BMI (standard deviation) was 45 kg (6.8). Patients with positive H. pylori results were 245 (34.1%) and patients with negative H. pylori results were 473 (65.9%). The t-test showed the mean BMI of patients with negative H. pylori results to be 45.36 (SD 6.6). Positive H. pylori 44.95 (SD 7.2) p-value was not significant (0.44). Conclusion The data showed that patients who had undergone bariatric surgery had negative pre-operative histopathological results of H. pylori more than those who had positive results, which is consistent with the prevalence of H. pylori infection among the general population. Therefore, we found no correlation between H. pylori infection and high BMI.
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INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global disaster with millions of infections and deaths. Healthcare systems and services were significantly affected, necessitating adjustments. These included postponement of scheduled appointments and elective surgeries. During the pandemic, there was an increase in the number of acute appendicitis, gallstones, and hernia with a significant impact on the signs and symptoms of presenting problems due to prehospital delay. AIM: This study aims to measure the impacts of COVID-19 on patients with common surgical emergencies in King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective study conducted at King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia. We reviewed all medical records of patients diagnosed with common surgical emergencies (acute appendicitis, gallstones, and hernia) during a selected time of COVID-19 lockdown and compared it with a similar set period before the crisis as a control sample. All medical records were reviewed to find out the overall number of admissions, frequency of emergency department (ED) visits, duration of illness, picture of clinical presentation, intraoperative findings, course and duration of admission, and final pathology if any. RESULTS: A total of 322 patients were included in the study. Of these, 119 (37%) patients underwent surgery before COVID-19 while 203 (63%) patients underwent surgery during the pandemic. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis was 63.9% and 47.7%, hernia 27.7% and 34.6%, and gallstone was 8.4% and 17.7% for control and pandemic periods, respectively. The duration varied from 10 hours to two days and four hours to one month, seven hours to one day to eight hours to six months, and two hours to one day to seven hours to one and half a month for acute appendicitis, hernia, and gallstone in control and pandemic period, respectively. The mean length of stay for acute appendicitis was reduced from two days during the control period to one day during the pandemic period, from four to three days for gallstone, and for hernia, it remained three days for both the control and pandemic periods, respectively. Regarding the course of admission for acute appendicitis, the uneventful cases were reduced while an increase in uneventful cases for both hernia and gallstone was observed. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a noticeable reduction in hospital visits. We observed an increase in the number of one-time visits and a reduction of three, four, and seven-time visits, which was attributed to the fact that patients have been reported to visit the hospital after a long time from the onset of symptoms with a higher chance of complication and subsequent surgeries. The number of acute appendicitis cases was reduced while the cases of hernia and gallstones increased significantly. The minimum period for the duration of acute illness for appendicitis was reduced in the pandemic period, while the minimum period for both gallstone and hernia was increased as both conditions could require conservative management. The mean length of hospital stay was reduced during the pandemic period, mainly due to the early discharge implemented in COVID-19 protocols to decrease the risk of infection. The severity of symptoms was increased due to the cancellation and delaying of surgeries.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Smartphone use has greatly increased in recent days, and most of the daily tasks are done through these devices. As a result, long time use may involve bad posture that may result in musculoskeletal pain. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the association between addiction/overuse of smartphones and musculoskeletal pain. AIM: To determine the prevalence of addictive/overuse of smartphones among medical students and to investigate if there is an association between smartphone addiction and musculoskeletal pain. METHOD: A cross-sectional study conducted at Qassim University, medical college. The Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-SV) was used to measure the level of smartphone addiction while the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ) was utilized to evaluate the musculoskeletal pain. RESULTS: The prevalence of smartphone addiction among medical students was relatively high (60.3%). The most frequent pain related to smartphone addiction was in the neck (60.8%), followed by lower back (46.8%), shoulder (40.0%). The academic year level was statistically associated with the level of smartphone addiction. Moreover, we found a significant relationship between musculoskeletal pain and smartphone addiction at certain body regions, neck, wrist/hand and knees, Other musculoskeletal parameters included in the test were found to have no statistically significant association. CONCLUSION: More than half of the medical students identified as addicted to smartphones. The most common musculoskeletal pain was the neck, lower back, and shoulder. The academic year level found to have a significant association with the level of smartphone addiction while musculoskeletal pain such as neck, wrist, and knee were the independent significant factors of smartphone addiction; therefore, it is important to educate the community about the effect of being addicted to smartphone use in order to prevent the consequences of this behavior.