The Detrimental Effect of Type II Diabetes Mellitus on Infected Patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is no longer a global public health emergency, but it still affects numerous diseases and needs further research. Diabetic COVID-19 patients with major complications or intensive care had high mortality rates. This review provides pathophysiological descriptive data on diabetes mellitus type 2 and shows how COVID-19 infection in Saudi Arabia predicts disease severity and prognosis. METHODS: This review was conducted through online research on MEDLINE/PubMed databases, Scopus, and Web of Science based on links between COVID-19 and diabetes mellitus type 2 patients. By using the keywords 'COVID-19', 'diabetes', ' correlation', and impact on 'population' from December 2022 to February 2023. The full texts of the articles that were retrieved were accessed. RESULTS: The COVID-19 epidemic has affected the community, especially diabetics, and their daily life. According to our research on prior studies, most COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia had diabetes as a comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: We underline the necessity of thorough study to better understand COVID-19 and its association with diabetes to design and implement evidence-based initiatives and policies in Saudi Arabia, where diabetes is a major health issue.

Retraction: Celiac Artery Compression Syndrome: A Rare Cause of Abdominal Angina.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.20011.].

From Symptoms to Diagnosis: An Observational Study of the Journey of SLE Patients in Saudi Arabia.

Background and Objectives: Early diagnosis and treatment is associated with improved outcomes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Studying the journey of SLE patients in Saudi Arabia is essential to direct future health-care plans. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, multicenter study. Eligibility criteria included a diagnosis of SLE that was confirmed by a rheumatologist. Patients younger than 18 at the time of interview were excluded. Primary objectives were to determine time from first symptoms to initial physician visit (Lag 1), time from initial physician visit to encounter with rheumatologist (Lag 2), time from first visit to a rheumatologist to diagnosis of SLE (Lag 3), and time from diagnosis to start of treatment (Lag 4). Secondary objectives were to determine the number and specialty of physicians seen by patients, the speciality type that confirmed the diagnosis, first symptoms experienced, and age at first diagnosis of SLE. Results: Three hundred patients (92.3% women) with SLE were evaluated. Mean age at diagnosis was 29.92 years. Mean disease duration was 8.1 years. The majority were college educated (43.0%). The most common initial symptom was joint pain (68%), followed by skin rash (23%), and fever (3.7%). Lag 1 was less than one month in 68.2% of patients. Lag 2 was less than one month in 33.4% of patients and exceeded one year in 25.8%. Lag 3 was less than 1 month in 68.7% of patients. Lag 4 was less than one month in 94.4% of patients. The diagnosis of SLE was made most frequently by rheumatologists (80%). Evaluation by primary care, orthopedic and dermatology physicians were associated with delays in diagnosis. Conclusion: Delay was marked in Lag 2. Causes of delay included evaluation by non-specialists and visiting higher numbers of physicians before diagnosis confirmation.

A Case of Hepatotoxicity After Receiving a COVID-19 Vaccine.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a global health crisis. Its clinical manifestations are well-documented, and severe complications among patients who survived the infection are being continuously reported. Several vaccines with well-established efficacies and excellent safety profiles have also been approved. To date, few side effects of vaccines have been reported. Drug-induced hepatotoxicity is an extremely rare side effect of these vaccines, with few reported instances. In this case report, we describe a patient who experienced hepatotoxicity after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer BioNTech.

Celiac Artery Compression Syndrome: A Rare Cause of Abdominal Angina.

Abdominal angina refers to an abdominal pain that develops shortly after food intake and gradually resolves after a few hours. It is related to insufficient mesenteric blood flow to meet the intestinal demand. In the majority of cases, this syndrome is caused by atherosclerotic narrowing of the mesenteric vessels. We report the case of a 61-year-old man, with a longstanding history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia, who presented to the emergency department with acute abdominal pain that was aggravated by food intake. The patient reported similar but milder episodes of this pain for the last three years that led him to lose significant weight because of fear of eating. Despite this classic history of abdominal angina, his condition was misdiagnosed as indigestion, and was offered symptomatic treatment only. The basic laboratory findings were within the normal limits. The patient underwent a contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography scan in the arterial phase which demonstrated focal proximal stenosis of the celiac trunk due to thickened median arcuate ligament. Subsequently, the median arcuate ligament was resected laparoscopically to decompress the celiac artery. The surgical operation resulted in the complete resolution of the abdominal pain. Celiac artery compression syndrome is a rare etiology of abdominal angina. Computed tomography angiography is the imaging study of choice to make the diagnosis accurately. Laparoscopic resection of the median arcuate ligament is a safe and successful approach in the management.