Background and Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and the associated risk factors among medical students at Jazan University in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 228 medical students from their second to sixth academic years at the Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, dietary habits, comorbidities, medication use, family history, and lifestyle factors. Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, and waist circumference were recorded. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to identify the risk factors associated with obesity. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the participants was 13.3% and 15%, respectively. Hence, the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity is 28.3%. The mean weight was 63.39 ± 18.93 kg, and the mean height was 163.48 ± 9.78 cm. On the other hand, 17.3% of participants were underweight, whereas 54.4% had normal BMI. Most of the participants (61%) did not engage in regular exercise. A high proportion consumed fruits (82.9%) and vegetables (58.8%) 3 or fewer days per week, and 84.2% consumed 3 or fewer meals per day. Fast-food consumption more than 3 days per week was reported by 42.1% of participants. Obesity was not significantly associated with sociodemographic factors, physical activity, dietary habits, comorbidities, medication use, or family histories. However, those with a monthly family income of SAR 15,000–24,999 had significantly lower odds of obesity than those in the lowest income group (OR 0.230, p = 0.045). Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among medical students at Jazan University is high. Although no significant associations were found between obesity and most risk factors, this study highlights the need for interventions that promote healthy lifestyles among medical students. Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for preventing and managing obesity in this population.

Background: Obesity is a global health crisis with a rapidly increasing prevalence among university students. Medical students are a unique population that may be at a higher risk of obesity due to the demanding nature of their studies and the associated stress. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and the associated risk factors among medical students at Jazan University in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 228 medical students from their 2nd to 6th academic years at the Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, dietary habits, comorbidities, medication use, family history, and lifestyle factors. Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, and waist circumference were recorded. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to identify the risk factors associated with obesity. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the participants was 13.3% and 15% respectively. Hence, the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity is 28.3%. The mean weight was 63.39 ± 18.93 kilograms, and the mean height was 163.48 ± 9.78 centimeters. On the other hand, 17.3% of participants had underweight whereas 54.4% had normal BMI. Most of the participants (61%) did not engage in regular exercise. A high proportion consumed fruits (82.9%) and vegetables (58.8%) 3 or fewer days per week, and 84.2% consumed 3 or fewer meals per day. Fast food consumption more than 3 days per week was reported by 42.1% of participants. Obesity was not significantly associated with sociodemographic factors, physical activity, dietary habits, comorbidities, medication use, or family histories. However, those with a monthly family income of 15,000-24,999 riyals had significantly lower odds of obesity than those in the lowest income group (OR 0.230, p = 0.045). Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among medical students at Jazan University is high. Although no significant associations were found between obesity and most risk factors, this study highlights the need for interventions that promote healthy lifestyles among medical students. Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for preventing and managing obesity in this population.

Background and aim: Primary care physicians are central to the early detection and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet knowledge gaps in this setting remain a global concern. This study assessed CKD-related knowledge and self-reported competence among primary healthcare physicians in Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 233 physicians. Knowledge was evaluated using an 11-item questionnaire, and self-reported confidence was measured using a numerical rating scale. Results: The median number of correctly answered knowledge questions was 5 out of 11 (IQR 4–6), reflecting considerable variability in knowledge levels across the study population. While most participants correctly identified diabetes as the leading cause of CKD (91%) and recognized its asymptomatic nature (82.8%), significant deficiencies were identified in nephrology referral criteria (35.6%), microalbuminuria-based diagnosis (50.2%), and metformin discontinuation thresholds (58.8%). Notably, only 6.4% correctly identified finerenone as an approved agent for reducing CKD progression in diabetic kidney disease. The median self-reported confidence score was 7 (IQR 5–8). Higher confidence was significantly associated with greater CKD patient exposure (p = 0.001) and with higher knowledge scores (τ = 0.207; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: These findings highlight critical gaps and variability in CKD knowledge among primary care physicians and underscore the need for targeted educational interventions and system-level support to improve early CKD detection and management.

Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy has dramatically transformed the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Severe renal impairment and dialysis dependence are no longer considered major barriers to virologic cure. The main difficulties have shifted toward efficient diagnosis, choosing the regimen in the presence of cirrhosis and drug interactions, coordinating treatment with kidney transplantation, managing HCV-associated immune-complex kidney disease, and providing treatment in dialysis and resource-limited settings. This narrative review aims to discuss these issues in a decision-oriented manner, using verified guidelines, systematic reviews, important clinical trials, transplant cohorts, and studies of cryoglobulinemic disease, while explicitly comparing the strength and consistency of the underlying evidence and highlighting areas of genuine clinical uncertainty. Present evidence supports using the recommended DAA regimens without renal dose adjustment, while ribavirin needs dose modification when kidney function is reduced and can result in hemolytic anemia. Kidneys from HCV-viremic donors can be transplanted to recipients without HCV infection when proper informed consent, rapid access to DAA treatment, and organized post-transplant monitoring are available, although the minimum effective duration of peri-transplant antiviral prophylaxis remains unresolved. Antiviral therapy is the first-line treatment for HCV-associated glomerular disease, while rituximab-based immunosuppression is largely reserved for severe, rapidly progressive, or persistent cryoglobulinemic vasculitis. Future progress will depend less on proving antiviral efficacy and more on closing the gaps between screening, confirmatory testing, starting treatment, transplantation pathways, and long-term follow-up, gaps that stem from inequities in diagnostic infrastructure, drug reimbursement, and healthcare-system organization as much as from any remaining biomedical uncertainty.