BackgroundCoronary artery disease (CAD) is a serious cardiovascular disorder affecting middle-aged individuals. It is a major cause of death among adults over the age of 35 years. In Saudi Arabia, CAD is associated with higher mortality rate, and Saudi patients are reported to have significantly higher prevalence of risk factors for CAD than the Western population. Furthermore, as, to date, there is no definite cure for CAD, prevention of the disease and tight control of the known risk factors are the cornerstones for reducing CAD-associated mortality. Thus, the present work aimed to assess the population awareness of CAD risk factors in Saudi Arabia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Jeddah during the period January 2017 to December 2017 by using an online survey questionnaire to assess participants’ awareness of 14 risk factors for CAD, namely: smoking, lack of physical activity, fast food and soft drink intake, television and computer use; history of diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction and stroke; as well as a family history of diabetes mellitus, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, CAD and myocardial infarction.ResultsOf 468 respondents, 41% were males. The mean age was 31.9±12.4. Approximately 86% were Saudi, and ~60% had a university education. The mean overall awareness score was 4.31±1.36 (1.00–8.00). Fast food, soft drinks, and family history of diabetes were the most commonly identified risk factors, reported by 74.8%, 64.3%, and 47.2% of participants, respectively. There was a strong correlation between overall awareness score and awareness of each risk factor individually (P<0.003).ConclusionThere is an evident limited knowledge among the population in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia regarding the risk factors for CAD, and it is recommended that the healthcare sector in the country focus on public health education programs about the disease.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) affects about 320,000 Saudi individuals and is associated with a considerable negative impact on the patients' quality of life. In literature, there is a lack of data about the echocardiographic abnormalities of HF patients in Saudi Arabia. Aim of Work: To describe the echocardiographic findings of HF patients in Western Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This was a retrospective record review study conducted on 2000 patients with chronic HF in Saudi Arabia. Demographic, clinical and echocardiographic data were collected and compared among patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), ie, EF≤40%; HF with mid-range EF (HFmrEF), ie, EF=41-49%; and HF with preserved EF (HFpEF), ie, EF≥50%. Results: Among the 2000 patients studied, females constituted 46.3% of the sample. About 52% of females had HFpEF, whilst 70% of males had HFrEF (p<0.0001). Diastolic dysfunction occurred in 98% of HFpEF versus 78% of HFrEF (p<0.0001). Patients with HFrEF had higher left-ventricular diastolic (LVd) volume (1536 versus 826), higher left-ventricular systolic (LVs) volume (1660 vs 772), higher left atrial volume (1344 vs 875), higher aortic root dimension (1144 vs 929) and lower fractional shortening (FS) (267 vs 1213) than patients with HFpEF (p<0.0001). Conclusion:HFpEF was more common among females and was associated with higher rates of diastolic dysfunction and higher FS. HFrEF was prevalent among males and associated with higher LVd, LVs, left atrium volume and aortic root dimensions.

Background: In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the consanguineous marriage rate is high, premarital counseling is the service offered to young couples on their way to marriage to guide, educate, and prepare them for the establishment of a healthy family. Objective: To assess knowledge of premarital screening and their relation to socio-demographic background of male university students in Riyadh City. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study included a representative sample of male university students at King Saud University, Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. A multistage random sampling technique was applied in three stages. In the first stage, one student from literate collage and one from scientific college were selected by simple random method. In the second stage, three levels were selected by random sampling from each college. In the third stage, about 50 students were recruited from each of the classrooms. A self-administered questionnaire consisted of two main parts was used; the first part was based on socio-demographic data and the second part dealt with the students' knowledge about the hereditary disorder in premarital screening program. Result: The study included 320 male students. Their age ranged between 18 and 30 years with a mean of 21.2 years and standard deviation of ±1.6 years. They were almost equally distributed between participated two colleges (Science and Arts). Almost a quarter of students (23.1%) reported family history of hereditary diseases, whereas 10.9% of them reported personal history of hereditary diseases. Their main sources of information about premarital screening were friends (60.8%), television (35.9%), and medical courses (22.2%). Older, science college students, those of higher academic level and having information about premarital screening from school and from friends showed significant higher level of knowledge. Conclusion: This study highlights that knowledge of male university students in King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia about the PMS program was insufficient in some areas such as transmission of hepatitis B and C viruses through sexual transmission and from mother to fetus. In light of our results, there is certainly a need for more information and education about the program.

Introduction: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that affect the gastrointestinal tract with no identified etiology. IBD has been associated with several extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs), including renal involvement such as renal stones (nephrolithiasis), resulting in significant morbidity. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of renal stones among IBD patients in Saudi Arabia.Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between January 2019 and December 2020. All IBD patients with abdominal imaging studies were included in the study regardless of their age. Data were collected from the electronic hospital information system and analyzed.Results: A total of 363 IBD patients fulfilled the study inclusion criteria. Nephrolithiasis was detected radiologically in 3.6% of the cohort (5.1% of UC and 2.7% of CD patients). Patients with renal stones are older (P=0.002) and more likely to be diabetic (P=0.047), have microscopic hematuria (P<0.001), and proteinuria (P=0.002). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that older age at diagnosis (P=0.003) and microscopic hematuria (P=0.02) are independent predictors for renal stones. Conclusion:The study reported that 3.6% of Saudi IBD patients had renal stones, with a higher prevalence of renal stones formation among UC patients than Crohn's. Older age at diagnosis and the presence of microscopic hematuria may predict the development of renal stones. Future studies should be conducted in a prospective manner at multiple centers across Saudi Arabia for further investigation.