Chief Complaints and Diagnosis of Patients Visited by Caravan Physicians During Hajj 2010

Abstract

Background:The primary data on the patient's status are articulated by the patient and consist of conditions that force the patient to seek treatment. Such data helps the physician effectively to make an appropriate list of differential diagnoses to establish a treatment protocol. Objectives: The objective of this study was to review the frequency of patients' chief complaints in Hajj to plan and develop medical protocols for expected problems in Hajj. Patients and Methods: In this short-term past-oriented study, all medical files of the Hajj pilgrims were reviewed and all data regarding the diagnoses were extracted. Results: In general, medical data of 107074 cases had been registered in this software. Cough with the frequency of 24083 (22.45%) was the most frequent complaints of the patients. Respiratory tract infections diseases with 66197 persons (61.82%) were the most frequently diagnosed diseases in times of annual Hajj of 2010. Conclusions: Respiratory disease, musculoskeletal pain, headache, and digestion problems were among the most important reasons of patients' referral to physicians in times of Hajj. The mentioned complications could be prevented through correct trainings and conforming to health recommendations in times of Hajj.

The Prevalence and Factors Associated with Musculoskeletal Pain Among Pilgrims During the Hajj

“… 42 Another study was conducted during the Hajj in 2010 and reported that the prevalence of limb pain among pilgrims was 7%. 43 The findings of both studies were inconsistent with the findings of the present study as we found a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal pain. This difference in prevalence rates could be explained by the fact that the two studies collected data only from healthcare facilities/systems, whereas the majority of data in our study was from outside of healthcare facilities/systems since many pilgrims may not seek treatment or health services for mild musculoskeletal pain during the Hajj.…”

Infectious Diseases and Mass Gatherings

“…RTIs are among the leading causes of admission to hospitals in Mina, Mecca, and Medina during the Hajj period (Table 2). Most cases are upper respiratory tract infections [10][11][12][13][14][15][16], but severe respiratory tract infections [17] and pneumonia are not uncommon among pilgrims [18, 19, 20•]. Respiratory diseases were the second cause of mortality in Indonesian pilgrims during the Hajj (following cardiovascular diseases) [35].…”