Introduction The ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health concern. It has affected more than 5 million patients worldwide and resulted in an alarming number of deaths globally. While clinical characteristics have been reported elsewhere, data from our region is scarce. We investigated the clinical characteristics of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. Methods This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Data of 401 confirmed COVID-19 patients were collected from 22 April 2020 to 21 May 2020 at five tertiary care hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The patients were divided into four groups according to age, Group 1: 0–<18 years, Group 2: 18–<50 years, Group 3: 50–60 years, and Group 4: >60 years; and their clinical symptoms were compared. Results The median (IQR) age in years was 10.5 (1.5−16) in group I, 34 (29−41) in group II, 53 (51−56) in group III, and 66 (61−76) in group IV. Most patients were male (80%, n = 322) and of Arabian or Asian descent. The median length of stay in the hospital was 10 (8–17) days (range 3–42 days). The most common symptoms were cough (53.6%), fever (36.2%), fatigue (26.4%), dyspnea (21.9%), and sore throat (21.9%). Hypertension was the most common underlying comorbidity (14.7%), followed by obesity (11.5%), and diabetes (10%). Hypertensive patients were less likely to present with shortness of breath, cough, sputum, diarrhea, and fever. Conclusion There was no significant difference in the symptoms among different age groups and comorbidities were mostly seen in the older age group. Interestingly, hypertensive patients were found to have milder symptoms and a shorter length of stay. Further larger collaborative national studies are required to effectively understand clinical characteristics in our part of the world to efficiently manage and control the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

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Introduction: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is an internationally recognized leading cause of disability and contributes to childhood morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of IDA is higher in developing countries, especially in Arab countries, compared to the west. Methods: To assess the prevalence of IDA, we analyzed the data of children aged between one to five years seen at Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Group's tertiary care hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 2016 to 2018. Results: We found a high occurrence of IDA in male children and non-Emirati children. Conclusion: Appropriate screening and iron supplementation are required to see a decline in the rate of IDA. Further nationwide studies are required to identify the highly prevalent and high-risk areas of IDA in the UAE.

Background The role of fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in indolent lymphoma has been minimally studied. Objective This study aims to assess the value of FDG-PET/CT in predicting the prognosis of indolent lymphoma. Methods We prospectively recruited 42 patients with indolent lymphoma. A total of 2 patients were excluded, and 40 underwent baseline PET/CT and follow-up at various time points. A total of 9 patients were observed only, 7 received 4 doses of rituximab alone, and 24 received chemoimmunotherapy. Metabolic response on follow-up PET/CT was assessed using the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and Deauville criteria (DC). We aimed to obtain the best SUVmax and DC to predict optimal survival rates, risk stratification, and optimize therapeutic strategies. The mean follow-up from the initial diagnosis was 33.83 months. Results SUVmax <4.35 at interim PET/CT provided the best discrimination, with a progression-free survival (PFS) of 100% and a median survival time of 106.67 months compared with SUVmax ≥4.35 (P=.04), which had a PFS of 43.8% and a median survival time of 50.17 months. This cutoff was also valuable in predicting overall survival at baseline, that is, 100% overall survival with baseline SUVmax <4.35, versus 58.4% for SUVmax ≥4.35 (P=.13). The overall survival of patients with a baseline DC score <3.0 was 100%, with a median overall survival of 106.67 months. Conclusions We demonstrated the utility of PET/CT in indolent lymphomas. SUVmax (<4.35 vs ≥4.35) on interim PET/CT performed best in predicting PFS.

BACKGROUND The role of fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in indolent lymphoma has been minimally studied. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assess the value of FDG-PET/CT in predicting the prognosis of indolent lymphoma. METHODS We prospectively recruited 42 patients with indolent lymphoma. A total of 2 patients were excluded, and 40 underwent baseline PET/CT and follow-up at various time points. A total of 9 patients were observed only, 7 received 4 doses of rituximab alone, and 24 received chemoimmunotherapy. Metabolic response on follow-up PET/CT was assessed using the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and Deauville criteria (DC). We aimed to obtain the best SUVmax and DC to predict optimal survival rates, risk stratification, and optimize therapeutic strategies. The mean follow-up from the initial diagnosis was 33.83 months. RESULTS SUVmax &lt;4.35 at interim PET/CT provided the best discrimination, with a progression-free survival (PFS) of 100% and a median survival time of 106.67 months compared with SUVmax ≥4.35 (<i>P</i>=.04), which had a PFS of 43.8% and a median survival time of 50.17 months. This cutoff was also valuable in predicting overall survival at baseline, that is, 100% overall survival with baseline SUVmax &lt;4.35, versus 58.4% for SUVmax ≥4.35 (<i>P</i>=.13). The overall survival of patients with a baseline DC score &lt;3.0 was 100%, with a median overall survival of 106.67 months. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated the utility of PET/CT in indolent lymphomas. SUVmax (&lt;4.35 vs ≥4.35) on interim PET/CT performed best in predicting PFS. CLINICALTRIAL