Search

Background: The use of digital devices has increased tremendously during recent years in Saudi Arabia. Many concerns were raised about the safety of this technology. Objective: To develop an instrument for determining the pattern of use of digital devices, and to investigate the link between the use of digital devices and visual symptoms among students of general education schools. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from the beginning of April 2017 to the end of September 2017 among students of general education schools in the Western region of Saudi Arabia. The study sample included 475 randomly selected participants. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire had two parts: the first part was about personal information of the study participants, while the second part was about the pattern of use of digital devices, associated visual complaints after use, and recommendations to decrease visual health hazards. IBM-SPSS version 22 was used to conduct the statistical analysis. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations with visual and muscular complaints; odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were generated. Chi square goodness-of-fit test was used to compare categorical variable frequencies across different groups. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 475 students completed the questionnaire. Nearly half the respondents were males aged more than 19 years old (p<0.001). Most respondents attended secondary schools (p<0.001). Most users experienced neck or shoulder pain (n=305, 64.2%, p<0.001), followed by headaches (n=301, 63.4%, p<0.001), and visual disturbances (n = 275, 57.9%, p=0.001). The majority of students used cellular phones or tablets (n=389, 83.8%). Half the respondents spent more than 4 hours daily using digital devices (p<0.001) and had 2 or more devices. Most students agreed that decreasing the duration of usage (n=217, 45.7%) and scheduling hours (n=214, 45.1%) are the best solutions to decrease the health hazards of digital devices. Logistic regression analysis identified female gender (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.6-4.8, p<0.001) and exposure to digital devices for more than 2 hours per day (OR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.4-6.3, p=0.006) as significant predictors of symptoms. Conclusion: A significant proportion of school students were aware that prolonged use of digital devices is associated with visual and muscular complaints. Females and individuals spending more than 2 hours a day using these devices are more prone to visual and muscular complaints. Decreasing the hours of usage is necessary to avoid digital device-related health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studying the prevalence of different types of neck masses can enhance the appropriate and timely diagnosis of the etiology of a neck mass, which is critical in maintaining good prognosis. However, there is a paucity of studies in Saudi Arabia evaluating the prevalence of different types of neck masses. Aim: This study was conducted to assess the etiologies of neck masses presenting to a large tertiary care hospital, and assess compliance with follow-up after diagnosis. Methods: This retrospective study was carried out on all patients diagnosed with neck masses over the period from January 01, 2016 to April 30, 2018 at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Demographic and clinical data were collected from the medical records (age at diagnosis, type of neck mass, size of mass, and the procedure undertaken) and recorded on a structured form. Data analysis was performed by IBMSPSS Statistics version 21, using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test of independence, independent samples ttest and one-way ANOVA. All p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 195 patients were included in our study. The mean age was 44.6 years. The average size of neck masses was 4 cm. A higher number of Non-Saudi patients received chemotherapy at our institution. Thyroid masses constituted 53.5% of the studied cases. Among patients diagnosed with lymphoma, 10.3% received chemotherapy treatment at our institution. The origin of the masses was significantly associated with gender (p<0.001, Cramer's V = 0.398), etiology (p=0.019, Cramer's V = 0.500) and malignancy (p<0.001, Cramer's V = 0.466). Conclusion: the majority of neck masses originated from thyroid or salivary glands. The rate of follow-up was low at our institution. The importance of follow-up cannot be over emphasized. Health education should be provided to all patients to raise their awareness about follow-up. Moreover, follow-up clinics should be provided, and written instructions as well as follow-up schedules should be handed to patients in need. We suggest having a dedicated endocrinology and oncology office and nurse to facilitate patient referral and follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]