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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESTo provide guidelines for medical professionals in Saudi Arabia regarding osteoporosis.DESIGN AND SETTINGSA panel of 14 local experts in osteoporosis assembled to provide consensus based on the strength of evidence and expert opinions on osteoporosis treatment.PATIENTS AND METHODSThe Saudi Osteoporosis Society (SOS) formed a panel of experts who performed an extensive published studies search to formulate recommendations regarding prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis in Saudi Arabia. Both local and international published studies were utilized whenever available.RESULTSDual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning is still the golden standard for assessing bone mineral density (BMD). In the absence of local, country-specific fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX), the SOS recommends using the USA (White) version of the FRAX tool. All women above 60 years of age should be evaluated for BMD. This is because the panel recognized that osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures occur at a younger age in Saudi Arabia. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not recommended for treating postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. BMD evaluation should be performed 1–2 years after initiating intervention, and the assessment of bone turnover biomarkers should be performed whenever available to determine the efficacy of intervention.CONCLUSIONAll Saudi women above the age of 60 years must undergo a BMD assessment using DXA. Therapy decisions should be formulated with the use of the USA (White) version of the FRAX tool.

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and postpartum complications, especially with severe disease activity. Objective The current study aimed to compare the pregnancy outcomes in patients with RA and healthy controls as well as to assess the impact of disease-related variables, medications and disease activity on pregnancy and neonatal-related outcomes in the Saudi population. Methods This prospective multicenter study included pregnant female patients with RA from three tertiary centers in Saudi Arabia. The demographics, disease activity scoring (DAS28-CRP), medication before and during pregnancy, pregnancy-related outcomes, and complications in comparison to age-matched healthy female controls were noted. Results A total of 77 pregnant patients with RA and 250 healthy age-matched pregnant controls were included in the study. A total of 67.53% were in remission before conception (DAS28CRP ≤2.6), and 81.8% of pregnancies were planned. Age of conception, preterm labor, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and low birth weight were statistically significant (p <0.05) and higher in RA patients than in healthy controls. Longer disease duration (p <0.001), and high C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate levels before conception (p ≤0.001) were statistically associated with preterm NICU admission. There was statistically significant association between mild (p = 0.015) or moderate to severe DAS28-CRP (p = 0.001) and RA patients regarding pregnancy outcomes. The classification table obtained from the logistic model showed patients with mild and moderate-severe DAS28-CRP have significantly high chances of having an adverse pregnancy outcome. Conclusion RA has a negative impact on pregnancy-related outcomes. Higher disease activity is considered a major risk; thus, tight disease control should be aimed. Planned pregnancy follow-up is associated with better pregnancy outcomes.

Pregnancy in women with rheumatic disorders is known to be associated with risks for both the mother and fetus; however, these risks can be minimized with proper planning and careful management of the disease. In the Middle East, there are specific cultural challenges that may have a negative impact on the care that women with rheumatic disorders receive. There is a need for cross-collaboration between specialist physicians, improved awareness of rheumatic disorders among the general public and more open discussion with patients about the potential complications of pregnancy. Women in the region are often unwilling to discuss their disease with their partner and are even less likely to seek advice regarding family planning from their physician. The objective of this review is to highlight the specific challenges of pregnancy management and to discuss why establishing specialist pregnancy clinics for women with rheumatic disorders could be an effective solution. Such clinics can provide high quality care before, during and after pregnancy as shown in several European and US centers. Additionally, such clinics could be useful for the collection of pregnancy outcomes data from the Middle East, which may currently be lacking in the region, in order to highlight where further improvements can be made. With specialist care and analysis of pregnancy outcomes, the standard of care for women with rheumatic disorders in this area could be significantly improved.

Data on spondyloarthritis (SpA) from the Middle East are sparse and the management of these diseases in this area of the world faces a number of challenges, including the relevant resources to enable early diagnosis and referral and sufficient funds to aid the most appropriate treatment strategy. The objective was to report on the characteristics, disease burden, and treatment of SpA in the Middle East region and to highlight where management strategies could be improved, with the overall aim of achieving better patient outcomes. This multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study collected demographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on 169 consecutive SpA patients at four centers (Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia). The data collected presents the average time from symptom onset to diagnosis along with the presence of comorbidities in the region and comparisons between treatment with NSAIDs and biologics. In the absence of regional registries of SpA patients, the data presented here provide a rare snapshot of the characteristics, disease burden, and treatment of these patients, highlighting the management challenges in the region.

BackgroundElectrocardiogram (ECG) cardiovascular disease (CVD) abnormalities (ECG-CVD) are predictive of subsequent CVD events in the general population. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are vulnerable to CVD. We aimed to determine the prevalence of ECG-CVD in SLE patients and to examine the risk factors associated with ECG-CVD.MethodsA 12-lead resting supine ECG was performed on consecutive adult patients attending the clinic. One cardiologist interpreted the ECGs. ECG-CVD were defined as the presence of one or more of the following 4 elements (ECG-4): ST-segment and/or T-wave abnormalities, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), left axis deviation (LAD), left bundle branch block (LBBB) and right bundle branch block (RBBB). ECG-5 included the same elements as ECG-4 and the Q-wave. Repeated measurement data were created and the associations between ECG-4/ECG-5 and demographics were evaluated with univariate and multivariate Cox regression models.ResultsOf 487 SLE patients, 104 (21.4%) and 118 (24.2%) patients had one or more of the ECG-4 and ECG-5 elements, respectively. A higher prevalence of ECG-CVD was found in patients with a longer SLE disease duration, and the burden of ECG-CVD elements increased with age. Increased age, active SLE disease, and damage were associated with ECG4 and ECG-5, while treatment of hyperlipidemia was protective.ConclusionA high prevalence of ECG-4 (21.4%) and ECG-5 (24.2%) was found in this SLE cohort. Controlling SLE disease activity is important since it was associated with ECG-4 and ECG-5. Early identification of ECG-4 and ECG-5 in SLE patients might allow for better stratification and risk management.

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ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) events and describe its associated factors in a study of patients with SLE.Methods491 consecutive SLE participants were screened for HZ events using a patient-reported questionnaire to capture outcomes on pain and other characteristics associated with HZ events. Sociodemographic, clinical and laboratory measures were also analysed, and time-dependent Cox regression survival analyses were performed to investigate factors associated with HZ events.ResultsPrevalence of HZ was 30.5%, incidence was 14.3 cases per 1000 person-years. Lymphopenia and glucocorticoid dosing were significantly associated with HZ events.ConclusionsHZ is highly prevalent in SLE, which may be linked to disease-related and treatment-related effects on cellular immunity. Our results suggest that the presence of certain risk factors may be useful to allow identification of patients at risk of HZ and improve its management in patients with SLE.