BackgroundReligious gatherings like the Hajj, an Islamic pilgrimage, attract millions of people to one place during the same time frame. Due to crowding, infectious diseases, specifically tuberculosis (TB), are very common during such events. This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the public in the western region of Saudi Arabia related to TB to better understand the situation. MethodologyAn observational, questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study was conducted over two months between January and March 2022. A survey of 29 questions was used to collect data from the general population. The study included any person who was a resident of Makkah. Individuals under 18 years of age and health workers were excluded. We used OpenEpi, version 3.0, for sample size calculation, which gave a result of 604 participants, and SPSS version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for data analysis. ResultsA total of 604 participants were included in this study; 64.7% of respondents showed poor overall knowledge, and 14.1% had good knowledge of TB. Concerning attitude, 89.9% of the respondents showed poor attitude, and only 2.3% had a good attitude. As for practice, 59.4% of respondents had poor knowledge of proper practices, and only 10.4% knew the right practices regarding TB. Upon further analysis of our results, women exhibited better knowledge of TB than men (0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.44-0.87). Participants over 50 years old had the lowest knowledge about TB compared with participants aged 18 to 28 years old (7.61, 95% CI,). Non-Saudi residents had less knowledge compared with Saudi residents (45.849, 95% CI,. Level of education also played a substantial role; university graduates had the most knowledge about TB compared with participants with below university or no formal education (0.052, 95% CI, 0.01-0.40). ConclusionsParticipants with lower educational backgrounds were the most lacking in knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding TB. This lack of knowledge was more common among non-Saudi men over 50 years old. Information campaigns are needed to help reduce the prevalence of TB.

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IntroductionSelf-medication (SM) is defined as consuming pharmaceutical drugs without the advice of a physician for either diagnosis or treatment. Reliance on self-medication has become a more common worldwide issue and now plays a major role in self-care. However, the practice is linked to many risks for patients and the whole community. This study assesses knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with self-medication in the western region of Saudi Arabia. MethodsThis is an observational questionnaire-based cross-sectional study conducted over two months, between January and March 2022. The survey comprised 29 questions adapted from similar studies and was translated into Arabic to fit the study population. All residents of the three major cities, Makkah, Jeddah, and Taif, were included; the population under 18 years of age and health workers were excluded. We used OpenEpi version 3.0 (www.OpenEpi.com) for sample size calculation and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM Corp, Armonk, USA) was used for data analysis. ResultsMost of the participants (67.7%) declared that they practiced self-medication: (28.6%) men and (39.1%) women. Self-medicating for different indications showed differences between men and women but without statistical significance. Major indications for self-medicating were headache (45.3%), cough, cold/flu (42.7%), and fever (34.0%). The primary reasons participants gave for choosing to self-medicate were easy availability of the medicines (41.4%) and that they were treating a minor illness (40.8%). Many types of medicines were used, most commonly analgesics (44.0%) and antipyretics (43.6%). ConclusionThe practice of self-medication is high among the population in Makkah, Jeddah, and Taif. Educating the public on the consequences and adverse effects is necessary.

Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome (POS) is a rare condition characterized by dyspnea and hypoxia worsening in the upright position and relieved in the recumbent position. POS can result from anatomical or functional conditions that cause interatrial communication or deformity of the atrial septum. Investigations with imaging and cardiac catheterization can aid in the evaluation. In cases where POS is caused by intracardiac shunting without pulmonary hypertension, closure of the intracardiac shunt can be curative. We report a case of POS in a 54-year-old male who was treated successfully with percutaneous closure of a patent foramen ovale (PFO).