Prevalence of Migraine Headache in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is an important healthcare concern that silently affects diverse populations globally. The rising prevalence of migraine affects the quality of life of individuals, the economic burden of a nation, and work productivity. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of migraine in Saudi Arabia. METHODOLOGY: A systematic data search was designed, and scientific data were collected from leading databases, including PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Ovid, and Google Scholar. RESULTS: Thirty-six studies, comprising 55061 study participants based on defined inclusion criteria, were statistically analyzed using StatsDirect software. The pooled proportion of migraine in Saudi Arabia among all 36 selected studies was 0.225617 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.172749 to 0.28326). The study was grouped into four categories: general population, students (of both genders), studies based on females only, and healthcare professionals in primary health care (PHC). The migraine pooled proportion among all four groups using random effects (DerSimonian-Laird) was 0.213822 (95% CI = 0.142888 to 0.294523), 0.205943 (95% CI = 0.127752 to 0.297076), 0.345967 (95% CI = 0.135996 to 0.593799), and 0.167068 (95% CI = 0.096429 to 0.252075), respectively. CONCLUSION: The estimated pooled proportion of migraine in Saudi Arabia is 0.225617, which is comparable to or even higher than other parts of the Middle East region. Migraine has a great impact on quality of life, productivity, and economic capacity, and increases the healthcare burden. Early detection and necessary lifestyle measures are necessary to minimize this number.

A rickettsia infection from Saudi Arabia.

We here present a young patient who developed fever, headache, maculopapular skin rash and an eschar 3 days following a tick bite. Serology for Rickettsia was consistent with acute spotted fever group (SFG) infection. He had a dramatic response to doxycycline. Vectors for rickettsia transmission are shown in a number of studies from Saudi Arabia while human serological studies from Oman revealed that these infections are common among the rural population. Surprisingly, despite the existence of potential vectors, this disease is rarely reported from the Arab Gulf countries. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case report of SFG acquired within Saudi Arabia. SFG should be considered in the differential diagnosis of febrile illness and exposure history.

Profile of facial palsy in Arar, northern Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: The term facial palsy generally refers to weakness of the facial muscles, mainly resulting from temporary or permanent damage to the facial nerve. Common causes of facial paralysis include infection or inflammation of the facial nerve, head trauma, head or neck tumor, stroke. OBJECTIVE: To outline the incidence of several etiologies and the profile of patients with peripheral facial paralysis attending the outpatient clinic of the neurology department in Hospitals of Arar City, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Arar city from October 2016 to May 2017. The study was conducted in the outpatient clinic of the neurology department in hospitals of Arar City. Any ages of both sexes of all newly diagnosed unilateral facial palsy were included in the study. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 15, using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. P-value was considered significant if <0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of the facial palsy cases was 33.65 (±11.71) years. Among the studied participants, the total prevalence of facial palsy was 26.3% (61% females and 39% males). The right side of the face was affected in 51.2% and the etiology was exposure to cold air current in 92.7% of cases. The treatment was physiotherapy in 80.5% of the cases, medical in 17.1% and surgical in 2.4%. There was significant relationship between smoking and the occurrence of facial palsy (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The study revealed that facial palsy was common in Arar city. The rate is higher among males than females. We also concluded that exposure to cold air current was the main etiology. We recommend health education sittings to bring awareness to the public about the nature, causes, risk factors, prevention and treatment of the disease.