BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESFew studies have attempted to delineate the clinical profile of myasthenia gravis (MG) among people of Arab ancestry. Therefore, we sought to clarify the clinical profile, the outcome of treatment and the role of thymectomy in non-thymomatous MG in Saudi Arabia.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe retrospectively studied 104 patients followed over a mean period of 7.2 years (range, 1 to 22 years) at the King Khaled University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Disease outcomes were compared among thymectomized and non-thymectomized patients according to the post-intervention status criteria of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA).RESULTSAge of onset was 22.5±9.3 years (mean±SD) in females and 28.2±15.9 years in males, with peaks in the second and third decades among females and the third and fourth decades among males. At diagnosis, a majority of patients had moderate generalized weakness, equivalent to MGFA class III severity. After medical treatment with or without thymectomy, 9.6% of all patients had achieved complete stable remission, 3.8% had pharmacological remission, 27.9% had minimal manifestations, 23.1% were improved, 20.2% were unchanged and 15.4% were worse. Only thymectomized patients without a thymoma achieved remission, a significant benefit over those who had no thymectomy (P=.02).CONCLUSIONMG presents at a younger age among Saudi Arabs compared to other racial groups. Thymectomy conferred significant benefits towards achievement of remission.

Int. J. A dv. Res. 5(1), 966-974Background: Although adherence to prescribed medications is a key dimension of healthcare quality, there is no information about the magnitude of compliance of the diabetic patients in Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to measure the rate of adherence and the factors contributing to compliance among the diabetic patients in Jazan region.Methods: A total of 273 Type 2 diabetic patients who fulfill the inclusion criteria were recruited in the study. Adherence to the treatment was evaluated during patients' attending to the usual appointment in the randomly selected Primary Health Care centers and Diabetic Centers in Jazan region. The medication adherence was assessed during a personal interview using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8).Results:Twenty Three Percent of patients reported good medication adherence, 38.8 % medium adherence and 37.6 % poor medication adherence. The factors significantly associated with adherence in univariate analysis were socio-demographic factors: residence ( p = 0.02) and distance from the health care center ( p = 0.023 ); disease and health care related factors: Regularly attending to the appointments (p= 0.038) and HbA1c >8 ( p= 0.06 ).Conclusion: The findings indicate that there is a high rate of non-compliance among the diabetes patients in Jazan region of Saudi Arabia and there is a definite need for improvement in the healthcare system, health education, and training of diabetic patients.

Highlights We examined knowledge of and attitudes toward epilepsy among university students in Saudi Arabia. Knowledge of and attitudes towards epilepsy were more favorable among students of health specialties. One fifth linked epilepsy to spirits possession and mental disorders, but almost half prefer spiritual ritual treatment. Social interactions with people with epilepsy were more favorable among women except toward marriage. Universities should make efforts to correct misconceptions and reduce the social burden of epilepsy.

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