Background: Long haulers have been recently reported after contracting coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In the present study, we aimed to screen for the neuropsychiatric signs detected <1 to >6 months after infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to determine whether vaccination has an effect on them. Methods: An online survey was conducted among participants who had been diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The clinical signs and durations of neuropsychiatric complaints and their correlations to sex, age, severity of COVID-19 signs, and vaccination status were screened. Results: A total of 2218 individuals, including 1358 females and 860 males, with an age range of 12–70 years, submitted their responses. The respondents experienced cognitive dysfunction, mood alteration, depression, tinnitus, sleep disorders, and loss of taste and smell, with prevalence rates ranging from 18.9% (tinnitus) to 63.9% (loss of taste and smell). Of the respondents, 2.2–7.7% of confirmed the persistence of symptoms for >6 months. Tinnitus was the least common complaint, and only 2.2% of the study participants had tinnitus for >6 months. Meanwhile, mood alteration persisted for >6 months in 7.6% of the study participants. More respondents who received two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine showed persistent symptoms than those in the other groups. Disease severity and female sex were identified as potential determinants of the development and persistency of such symptoms. Conclusion: Post-COVID neuropsychiatric symptoms were present in considerable percentages of the study participants with SARS-CoV-2 infection, persisting for >6 months in up to 7.6% of the participants.

Background: Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) or clubfoot is known as a deformity characterized by excessively turned-in feet and high medial longitudinal arches. It is one of the most common musculoskeletal abnormalities. It is estimated that approximately 20% of CTEV cases are caused by another congenital disease or syndromic condition.Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge about CTEV among the general population in the Makkah region of the kingdom.Methods: This study was a community-based cross-sectional descriptive study carried on by an online questionnaire, previously validated in published studies, among residents in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia who successfully fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results: Out of the total number of respondents (n=1,987), gender was found to be significantly associated with awareness about CTEV (p-value=0.007) as females tend to have higher awareness levels than males. Having a child with CTEV was found to be significantly associated with awareness level (p-value˂0.001). In addition, university and secondary levels of education are more aware of CTEV than other levels of education (p-value=0.023).Conclusion: According to the results, the lack of awareness campaigns may contribute to the low public awareness of CTEV. It is recommended that social media platforms and public campaigns be utilized to increase awareness of CTEV in key locations such as malls. These initiatives may motivate people to seek treatment for their disease as early as possible. In addition, early management of CTEV is less invasive and leads to better patient outcomes when followed up regularly.

A BSTRACT Objectives: Epistaxis among children is considered a scary issue for both the child and the parents. In Saudi Arabia, one third of children suffer from epistaxis. In our study, we aimed to assess the level of knowledge among parents regarding first-aid management of epistaxis in Taif city, Saudi Arabia. Method: We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study among parents who visited Alhada Armed Forces Hospital and Prince Mansour Military Hospital between May 2022 and July 2022 in Taif, Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire with 17 questions was distributed among the participants. We excluded parents with children who were older than 18 years. Results: A total of 502 parents were included in the study. About two thirds (67.5%) of parents had a moderate level of knowledge and around one third (30.9%) showed a good level of knowledge regarding epistaxis first aid. Furthermore, higher knowledge scores were found among parents who had epistaxis previously ( P = 0.026), who attended a course on first aid ( P = 0.002), and who were aged more than 35 years ( P = 0.017). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that most Saudi parents had a moderate level of knowledge regarding first-aid management of epistaxis. Additionally, several factors, such as the number of children, age, those attending first-aid courses, and experience treating others with epistaxis, were associated with the level of knowledge among parents. Further larger studies are required among Saudi parents to examine the knowledge, practice, and related factors regarding first-aid management of epistaxis.

Temporary changes in the menstrual cycle have recently been reported following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. In the current study, we aimed to screen menstrual cycle changes following SARS-CoV-2 infection in Saudi Arabia. The type and duration of these changes have been screened in relation to the severity of coronavirus disease symptoms and vaccination status. In total, 956 individuals responded: sixty-nine did not get the COVID-19 vaccine, while the remaining were vaccinated with either a single dose of ChAdOx1 vaccine (n:45) or BNT162b2 vaccine (n: 142) or two doses of the vaccine (n:700) using BNT162b2 (n:477), ChAdOx1 (n:89) or ChAdOx1/ BNT162b2 (n:134). Approximately 26.1% (18/69) of the subjects who did not receive the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and 15.3% (29/188) and 26.4% (185/700) of the subjects who received single and double doses of the vaccines, respectively, reported menstrual cycle changes. The persistence of menstrual cycle changes for more than six months was reported by 6.4% (61/956) of the participants. These changes were significantly correlated with the severity of COVID-19 infection. We concluded that menstrual cycle changes, associated with COVID-19 infection, increase due to the severity of COVID-19 infection. Thus, menstrual cycle changes are among the long-term effects associated with COVID-19 infection.

Background: Rheumatic heart disease is a signicant public health concern. Thirty million people are currently thought to be affected by rheumatic heart disease globally. Despite the decreasing trend, there is still a signicant disease burden, especially in developing nations. Objective: To determine trends in rheumatic heart disease in the western region of Saudi Arabia, in one decade. (2010-2020) Methods: A retrospective study was done in a hospital in Taif region, Saudi Arabia, where 81 patients randomly selected from a population of over 688,693 were included. Data was collected from patients’ les, laboratory results data, and echocardiographic results. Results: The mean age of patients was 47 ± 18 years. The most commonlyreported chronic diseases or surgery were; hypertension 30 (16.4%) and cardiac diseases 24 (13.1%). Almost one-third of the participants presented with a cardiac complication of rheumatic fever in a form of shortness of breath 46 (26.9%). The most common echo nding was mitral valve regurgitation 28 (33.3%). Conclusion: Mitral regurgitation (33.3%) and mitral stenosis (33.3%) were echocardiographic ndings accounting for more than half of cases. The most commonly reported signs of rheumatic heart disease were murmur and atrial fibrillation which goes with international study findings. We recommend raising the level of public awareness about rheumatic heart disease in order to lower the incidence of the disease. Keywords: Heart, Rheumatic Heart Disease, Tertiary Care Centers, Saudi Arabia.