Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding diabetic retinopathy among primary health care physicians in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) has been shown to be the third most observed cause of visual loss in Saudi Arabia. In the Al-Hasa region in particular, the prevalence of DR has been shown to be 30%. Primary health centre (PHC) physicians play a central role in the early detection and prevention of DR. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding DR of PHC physicians in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at PHCs in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was provided to every participant along with a consent form. Out of 71 centres in the region, 63 were included in this study. The questionnaire consisted of three sections and a total of 18 questions. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21 software program (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). RESULTS: One hundred forty-one of 209 physicians completed the questionnaire for a response rate of 67%. The mean of overall knowledge score for all participants was 2.6 ± 1.16 points out of four points. Only 34 (24.1%) of the participants correctly referred their diabetic patients according to the guidelines of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Additionally, only 52 (36.9%) physicians educated their patients regarding the early detection of diabetic complications. CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that there exist gaps in applying the correct guidelines. Physicians' attitudes toward patient education were overall satisfactory. Further medical symposiums and workshops are warranted to teach physicians about diabetic complications and screening schedules, including DR.

Modification of Total Magnesium level in pregnant Saudi Women developing gestational diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study is to measure total Magnesium in pregnant women screened for GDM and to compare total magnesium between whom were diagnosed having GDM and those having normal pregnancy. METHODS: Our study is a prospective study involved 99 pregnant women referred to Maternity and Child Hospital Al Ahsa (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) for 100g Oral Glucose Tolerance test. All included pregnant women were in their 24-28 weeks of gestation with free past medical history and were free for any medicine. A 100-g Oral Glucose Tolerance (OGTT) with total plasma magnesium measurement were done to all included women. All patient were followed tell delivery. RESULTS: Among 99 patients enrolled in our study, GDM was diagnosed in 19 patients (19.2%). Fifteen patients have normal fasting glycaemia and were diagnosed having GDM on 100-g OGTT. Four patients have fasting glycaemia more than 126mg/dl (7mmol/l) confirming the diagnosis of GDM. Hypomagnesemia was confirmed in eight patients (8.08%). no one of them had GDM. The serum magnesium concentration in GDM women was lower that of normal pregnant women but the difference was not significant. (0.89±0.1 vs 0.92±0.2mmol/l, p=0.51). BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were not significantly different between the pregnant women who developed or not gestational diabetes. CONCLUSION: In our study, the development of GDM cannot be explained by low total serum magnesium. The low total serum magnesium in patient diagnosed having GDM compared to whom free of GDM and the importance of magnesium in the genesis of insulin resistance should encourage more large trial to explain the exact role of magnesium in the pathophysiology of GDM.