Epidemiological Features of Acute Pancreatitis (AP): Largest Single-Center, Cohort Study in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a medical emergency which can range in severity from a mild, self-limiting condition to a catastrophic event that results in multiorgan failure. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of AP. METHODS: This study included all patients diagnosed with AP at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between 2017 and 2021. The main aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of AP in patients who present to the hospital with abdominal pain. Secondary objectives included analyzing the causes, complications, severity, and outcomes of the patients. RESULTS: A total of 67 patients were included. AP constituted 11.6% of all cases of patients presenting to the hospital with abdominal pain. Only seven patients presented with severe AP, which was significantly associated with advanced age (over 60 years old). The primary causes of AP were biliary and idiopathic pancreatitis, accounting for 80.6% of the cases. The most frequent complications observed were peripancreatic fluid collection and atelectasis, which occurred in 40.3% of cases. CONCLUSION: AP is a prevalent condition in patients with abdominal pain, with biliary pancreatitis being the leading cause of the disease. The majority of patients exhibited mild to moderate severity of symptoms and experienced positive outcomes when treated appropriately.

Inflammatory bowel disease in the elderly: A focus on disease characteristics and treatment patterns.

Background: As the population ages, the number of elderly inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients is expected to increase. The clinical features and therapeutic options for young and old patients may differ, as elderly IBD patients are likely to have different comorbidities and disease characteristics. The goal of this study was to examine the clinical aspects and therapeutic choices for elderly Saudi IBD patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study aimed at describing the demographic, clinical, and management characteristics of IBD in elderly patients (≥60 years) who followed up at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The data was extracted from the KAUH inflammatory bowel disease information system (IBDIS) registry. The primary outcome was to describe disease characteristics in accordance with the Montréal classification and the secondary outcomes were to describe treatment patterns and identify significant clinical associations. Results: Our data were collected from 76 patients who fulfilled the study inclusion criteria. Females outnumbered males (53.9% vs 46.1%) and the mean age was 51.5 ± 9.7 years. Essential hypertension (26.3%) was the most common comorbidity followed by diabetes mellitus (23.6%), and malignant neoplasms (9.21%). More than half of the patients with Crohn's disease (CD) had disease onset after forty years of age. The most common form of disease distribution was ileocolonic disease (64.7%). Less than 17% of patients had a penetrating disease phenotype. About 88 percent of patients with UC presented >40 years of age. Approximately, half of the cohort had left-sided ulcerative colitis (UC) (48%), followed by pancolitis (40%). The most prescribed medication class for IBD was 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) derivatives (56.58%) followed by corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs. Conclusions: In Saudi Arabia, age-specific concerns including comorbidities and polypharmacy remain the major challenges in the management of elderly IBD patients.

Evaluation of Health Science Students' Health Fatalism and Perception Towards Patients With Epilepsy: A Cross-Sectional Global Study.

Introduction The social acceptance of patients with epilepsy is largely determined by society's opinion of epilepsy; therefore, individuals with epilepsy could face prejudice and stigma as a result of negative impressions. Religious beliefs and mystical notions have been shown to influence attitudes toward epilepsy. Health fatalism could also be detrimental to society's and caregivers' approach toward such patients. In extreme settings, this could hinder them from obtaining an adequate treatment process. Methods A cross-sectional exploratory study was conducted from February 2022 to May 2022 in Saudi Arabia, Spain, Scotland, and Italy using an online questionnaire consisting of 33 questions concerning the Health Fatalism Scale (HFS), the Epilepsy Knowledge Scale (EKS), and the Epilepsy Attitude Scale (EAS). Results A total of 735 health science students (HSS) participated in the present study. The majority of participants were females (64.1%) while male participants represented 34.6% of the study. Health science students currently studying in Saudi Arabia represented the majority of participants with a percentage of 58.5%. Among the four countries, students in Saudi Arabia presented with the highest knowledge mean score. Students in Spain had the highest mean attitude score. Muslim students had the highest mean fatalism scores followed by Christian students. Conclusion In general, a high level of knowledge was observed among the participants, most notably, among Saudis who presented with the highest level of knowledge across the four countries. Regarding attitude, Spanish students presented the best attitude towards patients with epilepsy. Low fatalism scores were commonly observed across all countries regardless of their different demographic characteristics. Fatalism perception should be further detailed to ensure optimal services are delivered without prejudgment by future healthcare workers.

Demographics and Characteristics of Patients Admitted With Acute Coronary Syndrome to the Coronary Care Unit at King Abdulaziz University.

Background Over the previous decade, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) has risen in the Middle East and will increase mortality to 23 million individuals in Saudi Arabia by 2030, according to the Saudi Ministry of Health. CVDs, including acute coronary syndrome (ACS), are the most common cause of mortality globally. This study aimed to analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with ACS admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) in a tertiary hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. To the best of our knowledge, a lack of research in this region has been undertaken. Methods This retrospective records review study was conducted in a tertiary center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All patients admitted to our CCU in 2017 with a final diagnosis of ACS were retrospectively enrolled. Demographic details, coronary risk factors, investigation and procedures, management, and clinical outcomes are all part of the data. Results Of the 615 patients included in the study, 491 (79.84%) were males, 226 (36.75%) were 55-64 years old, and 161 (26.18%) were 45-54 years old. Males had a higher rate of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (214, 43.58%), while females had a higher rate of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and unstable angina (UA) (45.96% and 37.90%, respectively). Diabetes (62.60%), dyslipidemia (62.44%), and hypertension (61.46%) were the most prevalent risk factors. Angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were performed in 77.72% and 61.95% of patients, respectively. Coronary artery bypass graft was only performed in 4.39% of patients. PCI was performed more frequently in patients with STEMI than in those with NSTEMI/UA (P < 0.001). A large majority of patients (99.5%) recovered and were discharged. Of the 161 (26.18%) patients who attended a follow-up visit, only 45 (33.08%) met the therapeutic objective of 1.8 mmol/L (70 mg/dl) of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. There were 100 (16.26%) patients readmitted to the CCU, and most of these were readmitted within a year after initial admission. Readmissions were more common in females and patients diagnosed with NSTEMI/UA during initial admission (15.47% and 19.35%, respectively). Conclusion This study revealed that our most common demographics were males between 45 and 64 years, which is a decade younger than the global average. STEMI was the most common presentation. The most common modifiable cardiovascular risk factors were hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. The most common adverse event was reinfarction, which was closely linked to hypertension and diabetes. In this study, the recovery rate was higher than in studies from other countries; however, the majority of patients did not achieve the goal of cholesterol levels at follow-up. Our population's younger age at presentation necessitates greater attention and more stringent preventive strategies, such as lifestyle changes and evidence-based treatments for CVD risk factors, to reduce the incidence and burden of ACS on CCUs.