Background: Palpitations can be defined as the accelerated or irregular pulse sensations of the heartbeat and can be of physiological or pathological origins. This study aimed to evaluate the perception of palpitations and their risk factors among the general population residing in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Material and Methods: This study has a cross-sectional, descriptive, community-based design. A total of 990 willing participants were enrolled. The necessary information was meticulously collected utilizing an electronic online questionnaire via Google Forms, which consists distinctly of four sections: Participant consent, specific demographics, accurate perception of palpitations and the associated risk factors. Results: Most of the participants, 763 (77.1%) were females. Regarding the level of awareness, 924 (93.3%) participants exhibited sufficient knowledge about the definition of palpitations. The vast majority were college-educated, 768 (77.6%). Out of all participants 909 (91.8%) believed there is an association between palpitations and caffeinated drinks. The association between the demographics and the perception of palpitations were found to be significant with Gender (P = 0.000), stress (P = 0.000) marital status (P = 0.026) and educational level (P = 0.021). Conclusion: The level of awareness about palpitation in the western region of Saudi Arabia is adequate and impacted by various factors like gender, stress, marital status and level of education. We advocate more education on diseases that may manifest as palpitations, raising awareness of risk factors like caffeinated drinks and stress, recommending healthier alternatives and conducting more research for possible hidden associations.
Introduction: Many people infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have developed post-COVID-19 symptoms, which are defined as symptoms and signs (e.g., anosmia and ageusia) that persist for more than 12 weeks after getting infected with COVID-19. These symptoms may appear after or during the infection and cannot be explained by any alternative disease. In this study, we aim to investigate the factors that affect the duration of anosmia and ageusia in Saudi Arabia.Methods: We conducted a nationwide, cross-sectional study using an online survey in Saudi Arabia from 14 February 2022 to 23 July 2022. The electronic survey was distributed using social media platforms, such as Twitter, WhatsApp, and Telegram.Result: The study enrolled 2497 individuals who were infected with COVID-19. A total of 60.1% of the participants showed symptoms of anosmia, ageusia, or both after getting infected with COVID-19. According to our data, we found that being a female and not having a repeated COVID-19 infection were risk factors (independent predictors) of the long duration of anosmia after COVID-19 recovery (p = <0.05). While being a male patient, a smoker, and being admitted to the ICU were risk factors (independent predictors) of long duration of ageusia after COVID-19 recovery (p = <0.05). Conclusion:In conclusion, the prevalence of chemosensory dysfunction symptoms, both olfactory and gustatory, after COVID-19 infection among the Saudi population was high. However, several factors can influence their duration, including gender, smoking, and severity of the infection.
Background and aim Constipation can be defined as unsatisfying defecation characterized by difficult stool passage, infrequent stools, or both. Complications include hemorrhoids, anal fissures, and prolapse of pelvic organs. Unfortunately, there needs to be more data available regarding awareness on this subject. Thus, in this study, we aim to measure the level of understanding of constipation and its complications in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a valid and reliable questionnaire was used in data collection. In addition, SPSS (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used for the analysis of collected data. Results The present study included a total of 778 participants from the general public, 75.6% of whom were female and 24.4% of whom were male. We found that 70% of participants had an overall good awareness of constipation, with significant variation in levels of awareness among different groups; levels of awareness increased with age (P-value < 0.001), higher education also positively affected the level of understanding (P-value = 0.04), and participants who reported personal experience had higher levels of awareness than participants who did not have personal experience (P-value = 0.002). There was no significant association between the level of awareness and gender or city of residence. Conclusion Much of our population was well aware of constipation and its complications, with significant variation in awareness among different age groups, educational levels, and personal experiences.
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