Context: Herpes zoster (HZ), or shingles, is one of the most common infectious diseases. HZ can be associated with other diseases, such as cancer and immunocompromised conditions. Thus, early recognition of the disease characteristics and clinical manifestations is critical to decrease the disease burden and to avoid further complications. Aim: To assess the epidemiology of HZ disease, its clinical manifestations, coexisting and post-existing conditions, complications, and management among patients in a primary care setting. Subjects and Methods: This was a retrospective, single-armed, cohort study. Data of all patients diagnosed with HZ, aged 18 years and older, who visited the Family Medicine Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center from January 2014 to August 2021 were reviewed from their medical records. All data analyses were performed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software, version 20.0. Results: A total of 330 cases were included over the study period. The male-to-female ratio was 1:2, with a higher occurrence of HZ (44.5%) in those aged ≥ 50 years. Only 4.5% of the patients were recipients of zoster vaccines. Thoracic dermatome was the most affected dermatome (38%). The most common coexisting disease was diabetes (21.5%). The most common post-existing disease was cardiovascular disease (3%), and the most common complication was postherpetic neuralgia (15.2%). Suboptimal dosage of acyclovir was the most commonly used treatment for HZ infections (69.7%). Conclusions: Zoster vaccination uptake was low. A national program for adult vaccination, including zoster vaccination, should be developed, and a guideline to direct primary health-care professionals in the management of HZ infections should be implemented.

Background: Occupational hazards are extremely pervasive and preventive community-related incidents occurring in occupations all over the world. In fact, the majority of developed countries impose national policies to provide their employees with Occupational Health and Safety (OHAS) guidelines and recommendations to avoid these hazards. Maintaining and monitoring employee health through following (OHAS) laws in turn has a positive impact on the economic status of the country. Our study was conducted in Riyadh, KSA to fill a research gap on OHAS in the country, and to collect evidence-based OHAS recommendations by focusing on three main occupational health domains: stress, musculoskeletal and respiratory symptoms.Methods: A validated structured questionnaire was administered on a cross-section of 319 randomly selected employees aged 18 - 64 years in Riyadh for two weeks in Oct 2018. The survey was conducted on site of 11 locations for different occupations. Information was sought on their socio-demographic characteristics, first aid training and their awareness of major occupational illnesses; stress, respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders. Factors such as underlying diseases and confounding factors such as smoking were also taken into consideration.Results: A total of 319 employees were surveyed from eleven occupational backgrounds. Among all the involved workplaces only 51.3% of them offered First Aid training for the employees. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was 24.1% for weakness followed by 16% for pain. Around 70% of respondents denied suffering from stress at work, neither experiencing stress- related symptoms such as headache, sleeplessness or anxiety attacks as a result of their work.Conclusion: This student-led community engaging study aimed to evaluate employees’ awareness of illnesses related to their occupations and their practices to prevent them. Under the supervision of College of Medicine faculty members at Alfaisal University,1st and 3rd year medical students visited different worksites including schools, dental clinics, car shops, airport terminals, and others to present a brief presentation to promote occupational health and safety proceeded by the distribution of a brief survey. Although musculoskeletal, respiratory and mental illnesses are commonly observed occupation- related complaints, yet this wasn’t evident in our study. This could be explained by employees’ lack of awareness or fear of reporting their health concerns. This observed gap in our study will help in recommending national guidelines to promote occupational health and safety across different occupations.

Pulmonary renal syndrome (PRS) is a combination of rapid progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) caused by a variety of immunological and non-immunological etiologies. The difficulty in identifying and reporting seronegative PRS cases could be attributed to the lack of specific immunological markers. Thus, we report a rare case of a 13-year-old boy who was initially diagnosed with idiopathic pauci-immune pulmonary capillaritis (IPIPC). A year later, his condition became complicated, and was referred for further workup. During his hospital stay, he underwent a renal biopsy that showed stage II membranous nephropathy (MN). He tested negative for immunological markers and a diagnosis of seronegative PRS was established. He responded well to the immunosuppression therapy with monthly follow-ups. As in our patient, PRS may manifest as acute renal failure symptoms and non-specific respiratory symptoms that require extensive workup. The severity of the disease is inferred from the renal function at the time of presentation. Management involves immunosuppression and treatment of the underlying condition, with dialysis dependency occurring in a significant percentage of patients and a high mortality rate, especially in critically ill and older patients. In conclusion, timely diagnosis and treatment are essential given the condition’s rapid progression and high mortality rate.

Background and Aims The COVID‐19 pandemic and the resultant change in sedentary behaviors have had immense health, economic, and social implications globally. As governments worldwide imposed lockdowns and curfews, the amount of time spent indoors greatly increased. This lead to a dramatic change in physical activity (PA) levels and profound consequences on daily routines. Our study aimed to investigate patterns of PA during the COVID‐19 pandemic among adults residing in Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross‐sectional survey‐based study aimed to investigate patterns of PA during the COVID‐19 pandemic among adults residing in Saudi Arabia. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was utilized to measure participants' PA levels between April 2021 and May 2021. Participants were then classified into three groups according to their PA level, and their PA levels and sedentary behaviors were analyzed. Results We surveyed 463 participants, 315 (68%) of which were female and 134 (32%) of which were male with a median age of 23 (interquartile range, 21–35) years. Moderate‐to‐high PA was reported by 257 (55.7%) of the participants. There was a significant decrease in PA during the COVID‐19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns among the participants ( p = 0.04), with higher rates of sedentary behavior among males than females ( p = 0.14). Conclusions The decline in PA is a profound challenge of the COVID‐19 pandemic that needs to be addressed by health practitioners and policymakers. Our study highlights the decline in PA levels seen during the COVID‐19 pandemic and the importance of promotional programs and interventions to increase PA among the Saudi Arabian population without compromising the essential health restrictions and social distancing.