Aims To explore the impact of the coronavirus disease lockdown on diabetes patients living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in terms of their compliance with medication intake and lifestyle habits, and quality of life. Methods In this cross-sectional, qualitative prospective study, a questionnaire was administered over the telephone to diabetes patients who had attended National Guard primary care centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The survey included questions on demographic data, type of diabetes, medications used, comorbidities, medication compliance, and daily habits before and after the lockdown, and those assessing patients’ psychological parameters during the past month by using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Data analysis was performed using SPSS program version 26. Results Totally, 394 patients participated. All of them had type 2 diabetes, and 37.6% had only one comorbidity. Antidiabetic monotherapy was used in 76.4% of the patients, while combination therapy was used in 23.6%. The compliance score before the lockdown was significantly higher (18.49 ± 3.05) than that after it (17.40 ± 3.25) (p-value <0.001). The average psychological assessment score was 9.78 ± 4.14 (range 8–35). Male participants and smokers had a significantly better psychological status than female participants (p-value = 0.002) and non-smokers (p value < 0.001), respectively. Conclusions The patients’ levels of compliance with medications and healthy lifestyle habits were significantly reduced after the lockdown. These findings highlight the need for healthcare professionals to encourage diabetes patients to adhere to healthy lifestyle habits and use telemedicine during lockdowns to ensure optimal blood glucose control and reduce the incidence of complications.

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a prevalent health problem, not only globally, but also in Saudi Arabia. A growing body of literature suggests a bi-directional association between T2DM and various mental health disorders. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress among T2DM patients in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Methods Between May and August 2018, a cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients with T2DM in five public primary care centers in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Sociodemographic characteristics and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were measured using the self-administered, previously validated Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire. Simple descriptive statistics were used. Forward binary logistic regression was used to identify predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress. Results A total of 450 adults with T2DM were included (56.9% men; 43.1% women). The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 33.8%, 38.3%, and 25.5%, respectively. Major predictors of psychological distress were age, sex, the presence of comorbidities, duration since T2DM diagnosis, and serum level of hemoglobin A1c. Compliance with diabetes management measures and older age were the only protective factors. Conclusion Patients with T2DM had significantly high rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. We recommend periodic screening of patients with T2DM for psychological distress using easy and inexpensive validated screening tools like the DASS-21 questionnaire. Further larger-scale studies are needed to investigate the causes and outcomes of these higher rates of psychological distress among Saudi patients with diabetes.

There are several conflicting beliefs about epilepsy, and public awareness about this disease varies widely among different countries. The present study aimed to determine public perception and attitude regarding different aspects of epilepsy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In addition, we aim to identify the cultural and religious beliefs in Saudi Arabia associated with the causes and treatment of epilepsy. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted between January 2018 and June 2018 in malls and public places in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This study utilized a self-administered questionnaire composed of 40 items. Results: A total of 1,940 individuals participated in the study, of which 1,675 participants (86.3%) had previously heard about epilepsy. Approximately 60% of the participants believed that epilepsy was caused by a brain disease and 17.1% believed that it is a genetic disease. Over 50% of the participants believed that epilepsy is treated with medications, 31.5% believed that it can be treated by the recitation of Quran, and 16.2% believed that it can be treated by surgery, while 10.2% believe that there is no treatment. Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that awareness about epilepsy in the general public should be raised to avoid a negative impact on the patients, their families, their communities, and the healthcare system. Several misconceptions were identified, particularly in the etiology and management of the disease. Increased awareness will help in the early diagnosis, appropriate care, and management of the patients, and lead to better social acceptance. Dissemination of information about epilepsy through social media should be considered to reach a great proportion of the general public.