OBJECTIVES:The objectives of this study are to estimate the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics in King Khalid University Hospital population and evaluate the factors affecting this behavior.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This was a cross-sectional study conducted at King Khalid university hospital from April to May 2016. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was handed to a random selection of 519 patients attending the primary care clinics . Data were entered into Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and sent to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were applied.RESULTS:The prevalence rate of self-medication with antibiotics was 40.8%. Older patients and males were most likely to use antibiotics without a prescription. The most common illnesses that made patients use antibiotics was upper respiratory tract infections (73.2%). Commercial pharmacies were the major source 82.8%. Only 27.8% patients consulted their physicians for the correct dosage . The previous experience with a similar illness (67.2%) and difficulty in obtaining medical help (29.3%) were the most common reasons for self-administration of antibiotics. Improved health condition (57.8%) was the main reason for stopping the use of antibiotics while lack of improvement in health status led to a shift to another antibiotic in 62.5% of the respondents.CONCLUSION:The prevalence of using antibiotics without a prescription is relatively high. Proper education of the public on the dangers of the misuse of antibiotics through the media might help to reduce this practice.

Objectives:To investigate the epidemiology of pediatric hand fractures and to provide recommendations regarding prevention.Methods:Medical records and x-rays were retrospectively reviewed for age at the time of injury, gender, fracture pattern, place where the injury occurred, and mechanism of injury. The study was conducted at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between January 2005 and December 2011.Results:Of 361 cases reviewed, there were 291 (80.6%) male and 70 (19.4%) female patients. Most (46.2%) were in the age group of 13-18 years. For age group 1-4 years, the most common place of occurrence was at home (81.3%) and for the group 13-18 years, outdoors was the place of occurrence (64.7%). Females were mostly injured at home while males had similar distribution of indoor and outdoor injuries. The most common causes of fractures were: door slams in the 1-8 years age group; falls at home, in the 9-12 years age group; and both falls at home and sports in the oldest age group (13-18 years). The little finger ray are the most frequently injured part of the hand followed by the middle finger.Conclusion:Our series showed that most hand fractures in children occurred at home, which requires reevaluation of home settings. Implementation of safety measures during sports activities are relevant in the oldest age group.

The infection rate of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Saudi Arabia is among the lowest in the world. However, it is likely that poor knowledge and awareness of HCV infection could minimize the effectiveness of prevention and control programs in the kingdom. Thus, the study objective was to estimate the prevalence of HCV infection, and to assess current knowledge about it, in the targeted population. Data on 5482 Saudi people attending primary healthcare centers in Jeddah City in 2014/2015 were analyzed in this cross-sectional study. Questions that covered the natural history, risk behavior, and prevention, and treatment of HCV were collected using a predesigned questionnaire. HCV seroprevalence was assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HCV prevalence of 0.38% (95% confidence interval: 0.22-0.54) was found. The level of knowledge of the natural history, risk behavior, and prevention and treatment of HCV was poor among the participants. The lowest level of knowledge for all participants pertained to its prevention and treatment. The prevalence of HCV was low in Saudi Arabia (0.38%). However, adequate knowledge of HCV was lacking. Thus, the need to increase knowledge and awareness of HCV in the Saudi population is warranted.

Introduction: Despite solid preventive strategies to reduce the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, recent reports about its prevalence and predictors are lacking in several Saudi cities at the community level. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of HBV and to identify the most important predictors among the Saudi population in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 5,584 Saudi people attending primary health-care centers in Jeddah city during 2012/2013. Sociodemographic and hepatitis-related data were collected. HBV was diagnosed by ELISA test. The seroprevalence of HBV was estimated, and appropriate statistical analyses were performed, including univariate and multivariable regression analyses. Results: The seroprevalence of HBV was 2.2% (95% CI = 1.82-2.58) in the studied participants. The prevalence was higher among nongovernmental workers (3.5%), male participants (3.4%) and those aged ≥ 25 years (2.4%). The most important predictors for increasing the risk of HBV in this study were HBV contacts, male sex, history of dental procedures and blood transfusion. The significant positive risks associated with these predictors were 3.3, 2.5, 2.0 and 1.65, respectively. HBV vaccination, on the other hand, was associated with a significant risk reduction of 88% (OR = 0.12; 95% CI = 0.03-0.51). Conclusions: The seroprevalence of HBV was relatively low among the Saudi population in Jeddah city reflecting the actions taken by health authorities to control HBV infection. However, more efforts, particularly in relation to health education programmes, strict control of blood banks and dental clinics, are still needed.