Qatar Medical Journal - Volume 2015, Issue 2

Background: Research on the attitudes of Saudi adults towards consanguinity is scarce. The study aimed to explore the attitudes towards consanguinity and its associations with socio-demographic characteristics in a sample of Saudi adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 386 outpatient waiting-area attendees at King Abdul-Aziz Medical City-Riyadh were included. Participan Read More

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the bones. It leads to increased risk of fractures as a result of decreased bone mineral density. The goal of this study was to assess the general perception of osteoporosis as well as knowledge of lifestyle, risk factors, and preventive measures among patients in Qatar. The study was conducted between September 2013 and September 2014. The study subjects (n = 93) were patients diagnosed with o Read More

Background: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is an inherited blood disease with known complications as a result of certain pathophysiological dysfunctions. It has been suggested that an increase in oxidative stress contributes to the incidence of these changes. Objectives: This study investigated the oxidant/antioxidant status of patients with SCA, and evaluated the effect of SCA on antioxidant enzymes and their cofactors. Methods: The st Read More

Primary headache disorders account for the majority of the cases of headache. Nevertheless, the primary objective of a physician, when encountered with a patient with headache is to rule out a secondary cause the headache. This entails a search for specific associated red-flag symptoms or signs that may indicate a serious condition, as well as a heightened suspicion of and evaluation for a don't miss diagnosis. We present a case of a high-s Read More

Background: Multivessel cervical dissection with cortical sparing is exceptional in clinical practice. Case presentation: A 55-year-old man presented with acute-onset neck pain with associated sudden onset right-sided hemiparesis and dysphasia after chiropractic manipulation for chronic neck pain. Results and Discussion: Magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral internal carotid artery dissection and left extracranial vertebral artery dissecti Read More

Introduction: Filariasis is an endemic disease with worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. It is uncommon in Qatar. The conventional diagnostic procedure is the demonstration of microfilaria in blood smears. Even with its high incidence, it is unusual to detect microfilaria in fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) smears. Although the ‘filarial dance sign’ is rarely documented, it remains a classical ultrasonographic sign in lymp Read More

Background: The exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major factor for the high mortality associated with the disease. There is a paucity in the lung-specific biomarkers which diagnose these exacerbations. Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a promising biomarker in predicting clinical outcomes for patients with COPD, is lung-specific and can be detected in serum. However, the profile in which serum concentrations Read More

We describe an elderly gentleman with end stage renal disease on haemodialysis who presented with ophthalmic zoster infection and was discharged on oral acyclovir. He presented again a few days later with confusion and expressive dysphasia. Differential diagnosis was mainly between varicella-zoster virus (VZV) associated encephalitis versus acyclovir toxicity. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis confirmed the diagnosis of VZV associated encephalit Read More