BackgroundGastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common chronic gastrointestinal tract disease. The incidence is higher in Asian and Arab countries. In Saudi Arabia, there are few studies that have assessed the prevalence of GERD among some cities' communities. Hence, this study aims to study the prevalence of GERD among the general population of Saudi Arabia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was designed to determine the prevalence of GERD among the community of Saudi Arabia. The sample was randomly gathered through self-administered validated GERD questionnaire (GerdQ) to diagnose GERD, during the period from November to December 2016. The sociodemographic data was assessed for all participants. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21.0 (SPSS); the t-test was used to assess the association of GERD and sociodemographic data.ResultsThe sample was comprised of 2,043 participants. Female and male were 51.8% and 48.2%, respectively. Mean age was 29.6 years with the standard deviation of 10.5 years. The GERD prevalence was 28.7%. It was found statistically significant among divorced/widow (34.9%, P = 0.003). In contrast, there was no association between GERD's prevalence and gender, age, residence status, education level, occupation, and blood group (P > 0.05).ConclusionsThe prevalence of GERD among Saudi population is higher than that in Western countries and East Asia. It affects divorced/widow, obese and those with a sedentary lifestyle. It is advocated that national programs and educational campaigns for prevention of this disease and its complications should be established.

BackgroundGastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal tract diseases worldwide. GERD has an effect on the patients’ quality of life as well as the health care system that can be prevented by identifying its risk factors among the population. Hence, we applied this study to assess the GERD’s risk factors in Saudi Arabia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was designed to assess the GERD’s risk factors among the community of Saudi Arabia. The sample was collected randomly during the period from November to December 2016. Through a self-administered validated GERD questionnaire (GerdQ), GERD was diagnosed. Then, the GERD’s risk factors were assessed among all participants. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21.0; the Student’s t-test was used to assess the association of GERD and risk factors.ResultsA total of 2,043 subjects participated in the study. The characteristics and behaviors of participants statistically significant with GERD were positive family history (39.3%), obese (body mass index > 30 kg/m2) (39.4%), not performing weekly regular physical activities ≥ 30 min (31.1%) and smoking (39.3%). GERD was commonly noticed in participants on analgesics (38.4%), not taking fibers (37.4%), drinking tea (33.4%), eating greasy (31.2%) and fast food (32.7%), and these were statistically significant with GERD (P ≤ 0.05).ConclusionThe characteristics and behaviors associated with GERD in Saudi population are family history of GERD, obesity, sedentary lifestyle and smoking. Other common risk factors correlated with GERD are analgesics intake, no fibers intake, drinking tea, greasy and fast food intake.

BackgroundMigraine is a public health problem and it is the third most common cause of disability among individuals below the age of 50. In spite of the multiplicity of the studies concerned with exploring the disease epidemiology and nature worldwide, data from Saudi Arabia are lacking. The aim of this study was to study the prevalence of migraine in Taif city, Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted on 354 individuals in Taif city. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire including demographic variables, clinical variables, and therapeutic variables. Data were fed into the computer and analyzed using SPSS software.ResultsAmong the 354 recruited participants, 54% were females, and 46% were males. Migraine occurred in 89.9% of urban inhabitants. About 24% of migraineurs were unemployed, and 16% were non-working students. Headache occurred in 86.9% of females and 71.6% of males (P = 0.002). Gender was significantly correlated with migraine prevalence (odds ratio (OR) = 0.28). About 47% reported pain score of 4 - 6. Seeking medical advice was encountered in 32.4% of females and 26.6% of males. Nausea occurred in more than one-third of patients before and during headache. Only 31.4% of participants knew about migraine triggers. Family history was found in 64% of participants.ConclusionsMigraine is prevalent in Taif city. It is more prevalent among females, and among urban areas. Migraine is associated with high rates of unemployment. Most Saudi migraineurs encounter throbbing, moderately severe headache, that does not awake them from sleep. Females report more severe headaches, whereas more men take medications. Nausea is the most common associated symptom with migraine. Only one-third of Saudi migraineurs know about migraine triggers. Family history of migraine is very common among Saudi migraineurs.

This study was conducted to find out if there is a relationship between living in high altitude cities like "Taif" and children's growth at this city. Subjects and MethodsA total of 277 children from Taif city were screened during July 2017. This included 133 males (48%) and 144 females (52%).For those children, wet took the measurements of weight to the nearest 0.25 kg and height to the nearest 0.25 cm. Two body scales and 2-meter sticks were used for this purpose. We needed to measure the height of the parents to rule out the genetic predisposition for the short stature.Data was collected using a questionnaire form during a face to face interview and was entered into the database using a computer.Optimal child growth is a crucial goal that should be pursued to guarantee a healthy life for the individuals in a population with a good quality of life. For this purpose, any risk factors that may disturb or affect the normal growth pattern should be recognized. Living at a high altitude is suggested to be one of these factors. In this study, we aimed to explore if there is a relationship between living in high altitude cities like "Taif' and children's growth.Our population was randomly selected from children whose ages range from 5 to 18 years old and who live in "Taif" city. A total of 277 children were included in this study. Information about their anthropometric measurements were collected and compared to the Saudi national growth standard.Results showed that both weight and height of boys were significantly higher than the Saudi national growth standard. And for girls, the weight was significantly higher while the height did not differ significantly from the Saudi national growth standard. These findings do not support the hypothesis that living in high altitude cities like "Taif" can affect child's growth negatively in terms of height and weight.