Introduction: Birth defects are a significant concern since they can lead to permanent disability and death. This study comprehensively reviews the prevalence and patterns of birth defects in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A systematic analysis of the literature retrieved from three databases (Pub Med, Science Direct, and the Saudi digital library) published between 1989 and 2022 was performed. Observational studies that addressed the prevalence and patterns of birth defects in Saudi Arabia were chosen based on the eligibility criteria, while systematic reviews, review articles, non-relevant articles, and studies that did not fulfill the eligibility criteria were excluded. Quality and risk of bias were evaluated based on the JBI and GRADE tools, respectively. Results: We identified 26 eligible publications of 1277 records that included 297,668 patients from different regions of Saudi Arabia. The highest overall prevalence of birth defects was 46.5 per 1000 live births compared to a lowest rate of 8.6 per 1000 in one study. Several studies have reported positive associations of consanguinity, maternal folic acid supplementation, family history of birth defects or genetic abnormalities, and maternal co-morbidities. The most frequent birth defects include cardiac, genitourinary, craniofacial, and nervous system defects. Conclusion: Robust findings have improved our understanding of the prevalence and pattern of birth defects in Saudi Arabia. Importantly, future studies will likely require multicenter collaboration to arrive at appropriate sample sizes in the context of the effects of risk factors on elevated prevalence. Furthermore, quantitative data require careful evaluation in more complex statistical models.

Background Caffeine is the most popular product consumed globally in different types and amounts by various age groups. This study aimed to identify caffeine consumption patterns among adolescents in Jazan and explore related health effects. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jazan on adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age. The consumption of coffee and caffeinated products and their potential health effects were evaluated using a self-reported online questionnaire. The data were analyzed using software for descriptive and inferential statistics. Results A total of 718 participants were enrolled in this study, with the age group of 16-18 years constituting the highest percentage (48.9%). Nearly 94% of the participants consumed coffee or caffeinated products, with 57% consuming the products infrequently. About 6.6% consumed coffee or caffeinated products more than three times daily, and about half of the participants used medium-sized cups. The most consumed type of caffeinated beverage was Arabic coffee, followed by tea, soft drinks, and Nescafe. Education level and age group showed a significant correlation with consumption patterns. The most common health effects of caffeine consumption were headaches, irregular sleep, and nausea, which were statistically related to age group, gender, and comorbid conditions. Conclusions Consumption of coffee and caffeinated beverages was relatively high among adolescents in this study. Further research on the habits of Saudi adolescent consumers, particularly across different areas of the country, is required.

Background: Given the increase in the rate of cesarean sections (CSs) globally and in Saudi Arabia, this study was conducted to assess the maternal and perinatal complications after repeat cesarean sections in the studied population. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the records of all women who underwent CSs between January and July 2023 in three hospitals in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Results: Of the 268 women studied, 195 (72.7%) had a CS for the first or second time and 73 (27.3%) had two, three, or four previous CSs (repeat CS). The most common maternal intra-operative complications reported by the repeat CS group were intra-peritoneal adhesions (7.5%) and fused abdominal layers (7.1%) while the most common postoperative complications were the need for blood transfusion (22%) and UTIs (3%). The most common neonatal complications were a low Apgar score (19%), needing neonatal resuscitation (2.6%), and intensive care admission. In addition, 3.7% of mothers failed to initiate breastfeeding in the first 24 h. Conclusions: The frequent complications were intra-peritoneal adhesions, fused abdominal wall layers, blood transfusion, and postoperative infections which were overcome by the optimal hospital care. However, the frequent neonatal complications were a low Apgar score, needing neonatal resuscitation, and intensive care admission.

Background: In certain developing countries neonatal mortality rates still showed a slower decline. Many factors were attributed to neonatal mortality that varies from one country to another. This study investigated factors attributed to neonatal mortality in Sudan.Methods: Data was collected from 72 neonatal deaths records at Albuluk pediatrics' teaching hospital, and then it was analyzed using a modified three delays model to determine contributing delays.Results: 31.9% of neonatal mortality occurred on the first day after birth and 86.1% thereafter. Newborn characteristics showed that more than half of dead newborn were male and more than 80% admitted in the age of more than 2 days although there was 26% of involved newborn were preterm. About two third of deliveries were home deliveries and only 52% of the mothers were in regular antenatal care. The leading causes of death were sepsis and pneumonia in 83% followed by birth asphyxia in 11% of total neonatal mortality. Regarding the three delays audit; delay in decision making were present in 54.2% and that was due to inability of the mothers to recognize danger signs, delay in reaching the health care facility was present in 9.8% of the neonatal mortality, while delay in initiation of treatment in the healthcare facility was present in only 6.9%.Conclusions: Maternal knowledge of neonatal danger signs and decision to seek medical care is a major contributor for neonatal mortality in this study. Further efforts should be exerting to raise knowledge of the mothers about danger signs of neonatal illness.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelets-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and red cell distribution width (RDW) and the length of hospital stay (LOS) in children with bronchial asthma Methods: This hospital-based study examined the records of children with asthma admitted to Jazan Hospitals, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data were extracted at the time of admission. Length of hospital stay and laboratory parameters were acquired from blood. Results: This study involved 489 children, with a mean age of 5.8±3.5 years, of which 59.7% were male. Notably, 77.7% of the patients resided in rural areas of Jazan. The mean LOS was 3.38±0.35 days, with 2.9% having a short stay (<24 hours) and 64.2% categorized as having a medium stay (1−3 days). The mean NLR was 5.33±1.20, with 46.8% falling within the normal range. Similarly, the mean PLR was 184.84±16.55, with 42.7% classified as normal. The PLR and LOS were shown to be significantly correlated (p=0.021), while no such association existed for NLR or RDW with LOS. Among the blood biomarkers assessed, PLR demonstrated the highest predictive value for LOS in children with asthma, yielding an area under the curve of 0.664 (confidence interval: 0.606−0.723; p=0.000). Conclusion: The findings showed no significant association between NLR and RDW with LOS. Conversely, a notable correlation was observed between PLR and LOS, suggesting that PLR may serve as a valuable predictive marker for LOS in pediatric patients with asthma.

Background Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a significant public health problem that causes morbidity and mortality in low and middle-income countries. Therefore, this study aims to assess mothers' knowledge of acute rheumatic fever and their attitudes in the Jazan region. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between the mothers using an online survey. The knowledge level was ranked as poor, fair, and good. In contrast, the attitudes were ranked as positive or negative. Association with sociodemographic variables was assessed, and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results Four hundred thirty-six (436) mothers were included; 39.9% of them were aged 21-30 years, 68.8% were married, 57.3% were non-workers, and 72.2% were university-educated. Most of the mothers had a poor level of knowledge (53%); however, positive attitudes toward the disease were reported in 79.1% of mothers. The poor knowledge levels were related to age, marital status, occupation, and monthly income. Conclusion Despite having positive attitudes toward diagnosing and managing ARF, most of the mothers showed poor knowledge of acute rheumatic fever. This study highlights the situation in the Jazan region, which could be an essential basis for constructing an educational program to raise awareness and knowledge of acute rheumatic fever in the community.