Public awareness about arthritic diseases in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Raising public knowledge and perception would have a discernible impact on providing optimal care and reducing the burden of arthritis in the community. This systematic review aimed to identify the public knowledge about the common arthritic conditions in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL for relevant literature. We included questionnaire-based cross-sectional studies performed in Saudi Arabia assessing the public perception of general knowledge, causes/risk factors, signs/symptoms, and relieving/management measures of the common arthritic conditions including osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and gout. The meta-analysis was performed on outcomes reported in ≥ two studies utilizing a random-effects model RESULTS: Ten studies representing 6703 participants were deemed eligible for inclusion in this review. A total of 35 questions were feasible to be included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis estimated that 83.51%, 54.51%, and 80.42% have ever hearsd or read about OA, RA, and gout. Joint pain and swelling were perceived to be the main signs/symptoms of OA, RA, and gout. 7.5% think OA is predisposed by genetics while only 33.6% think the same of RA. RA knowledge in general is suboptimum. Only 27.04% think medications can help in the management of gout. CONCLUSION: The Saudi public perception of the general knowledge and causes/risk factors of the most common arthritic conditions was acceptable. The level of knowledge about other aspects of the common arthritic conditions is still limited and needs to be addressed by future educational interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022345274.

Ipsilateral Concomitant Intertrochanteric and Femoral Shaft Fractures Associated With Metatarsal Bone Fractures: An Unusual Presentation.

Concomitant ipsilateral intertrochanteric and femoral shaft fractures with metatarsal bone fractures in young adults are extremely rare, and there are only a few reports regarding these fractures in the literature. High-energy trauma is a well-known attributable factor for this type of fracture. In this report, we presented a rare case of ipsilateral intertrochanteric and femoral shaft fractures with metatarsal bone (MTB) fractures in a 42-year-old male patient who was a victim of a road traffic accident (RTA). He was managed by closed fracture reduction and fixation with gamma nails, lag and locking screws, and K-wires. This particular combination of fractures is scarce. Reporting such a case to orthopedic surgeons is useful for management since these injuries present technical and infrastructural challenges, especially in resource-limited hospitals.