Ahmed A Bahnassy

King Fahad Medical City | KFMC · Faculty of Medicine

Background: Stress and its psychological manifestations are currently a major source of concern. Medical education poses challenging and potentially threatening demands for students throughout the world. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with perceived stress in medical students in the College of Medicine, King Saud...

Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Although the occurrence of leprosy has declined in Saudi Arabia, it has not yet been eradicated. To our knowledge, this descriptive retrospective study is the first to assess the clinical presentation of leprosy at the time of diagnosis in Saudi Arabia. All study subjects were leprosy pat...

Job satisfaction is of interest to both people who work in organizations and people who study them. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the health care delivery system relies heavily on expatriate human resources; hence their job satisfaction is crucial for patient satisfaction and quality of care. The objectives of this study are to: determine the ove...

Exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy, whether as active smoking or by exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS), is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age infants due to the effect of tobacco on the anthropometric measurements of the newborn. This effect might be masked by maternal o...

Despite the relatively high expenditure on healthcare in Saudi Arabia, its health system remains highly centralized in the main cities with its primary focus on secondary and tertiary care rather than primary care. This has led to numerous ethical challenges for the healthcare providers. This article reports the results of a study conducted with a...

This cross-sectional study aimed at estimating prevalence, awareness, treatment, control, and predictors of hypertension among Saudi adult population. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select 4758 adult participants. Three blood pressure measurements using an automatic sphygmomanometer, sociodemographics, and antihypertensive modalities we...

Smoking is the most important avoidable cause of premature morbidity and mortality in the world. The estimated annual death rate of 4.9 million people in 1999 is expected to rise to 10 million by the 2020s and 2030s, 7 million of which will occur in developing countries. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of smoking and ass...

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and to study its relationship with socioeconomic factors. The study targeted all Saudi subjects aged 30 years and above who resided in the Eastern Province in 2004. DM screening was conducted by taking the capilla...

The main objective of this study was to assess the level and correlates of patients' satisfaction with ambulatory health services provided for pilgrims during Hajj period in 2008. This was a facility-based, cross-sectional study conducted in the Makkah region during the Hajj season in December 2008. A two-stage technique was used to select 500 pati...

Background and objectives: Quantifying the magnitude and risk factors of Diabetes Mellitus in the community is essential for all intervention strategies. The objective of this study is to assess physical activity as a risk factor of diabetes mellitus by comparing physical activity patterns of diabetics and non diabetics. Methods: A community-base...

Although the risk factors for atherosclerosis have been identified, their impacts on the extent of arterial occlusive disease among Arabian population have never been studied before. A case control study was undertaken on consecutive series of Arabian patients over one year. The study comprised 2 patients groups: atherosclerotic group which include...

C-peptide, insulin, and glucagon levels were measured in the cord blood of 112 nondiabetics controls and 63 diabetic mothers. The cord blood levels of insulin and C-peptide were significantly higher in the diabetic compared to the control group. In the control group, C-peptide levels were positively correlated with fetal birthweight. In the diabeti...

Although the risk factors for atherosclerosis have been identified, their impact on the presentation of arterial occlusive disease has not been studied among Arabs. To determine the correlation between atherosclerotic risk factors and the extent and presentation of atherosclerotic disease in different arterial systems. The present case-control stud...

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important health outcome, representing one of the most important goals of all health interventions. The objectives of this study were to determine HRQOL and the factors affecting it in type 2 diabetic patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted in five primary health care (PHC) centers in the Al-K...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important health outcome, representing one of the most important goals of all health interventions. The objectives of this study were to determine HRQOL and the factors affecting it in type 2 diabetic patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted in fi...

Unlabelled: Congenital neural malformations are complex anomalies, which stem from an abnormality in the embryological development of the nervous system. The development of the nervous system begins by the formation of the neural tube and its subsequent closure. The failure of closure results in neural tube defects (NTD). Defect in the formation o...

The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors of skin disorders among female schoolchildren in primary and intermediate schools in Al-khobar city, Eastern Saudi Arabia. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Al-Khobar city during the period of January to March 2003. It involved 2239 female schoolchildren randomly selected from 30 re...

The aim of this study was to determine the most frequent skin disorders in obese female schoolchildren in primary and intermediate schools in the Al-Khobar area, Eastern Saudi Arabia. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Al-Khobar area. It involved 2239 female schoolchildren randomly selected from 30 regular public and private primary...

The objective of this present survey was to look into the attitudes of medical laboratory technology (MLT) graduates towards the internship training period of the MLT Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Faisal University. A self-administered questionnaire was designed and distributed for this purpose. The study period was from Dec...

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the socioeconomic risk factors associated with obesity among female school-aged children and adolescents in primary and intermediate schools in Al-Khobar city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Al-Khobar city, which is located in the eastern part of Saudi...

To determine the prevalence and pattern of skin disorders among female schoolchildren in primary and intermediate schools in Al-Khobar city, Eastern Saudi Arabia. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Al-Khobar city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period from January-March 2003. It involved 2239 female schoolchildren randomly selected fr...

To determine the lipid profile complete blood count and other biochemical parameters in normotensive and hypertensive individuals. Cross-sectional population-based epidemiological household survey. Population sample of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Hypertensive individuals had significantly higher mean levels of glucose, Tc, LDL-c, HDL-c, t...

We aimed to test the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of physicians towards erectile dysfunction in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. At a scientific meeting about erectile dysfunction, 159 physicians from both government and private sectors answered a 34-item questionnaire in private. The mean total KAP score for the group was below the...

To evaluate the relation between snoring and the presence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in terms of relevant health parameters and questionnaire responses. Selective random sampling within a household survey in the cities of Al-Khobar and Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over a 3 month period during the year 2000, was carried out. One hundred and...

To describe the types and pattern of treatment-related misconceptions among Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) registered diabetic patients in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A sample of 1039 PHCCs registered diabetic patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire, concerning diabetic treatment-related misconceptions. This cross-secti...

The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the conservative treatment of idiopathic detrusor instability in elderly women. It describes the clinical and urodynamic features of the over-active bladder and the role of physiotherapy as well as the various physiotherapeutic techniques in the management of this condition. This is a prospective, unc...

To evaluate changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements by Goldmann applanation tonometry after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for myopia and myopic astigmatism, and to assess the accuracy of Goldmann applanation tonometry measurements after LASIK in these eyes. LASIK was performed on 166 eyes of 93 patients for correction of myopia an...

To study the epidemiological, clinical and hematological profile of laboratory-diagnosed malaria cases at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, during the period from January 1990 to December 1999, and to provide suitable recommendations accordingly. This was a clinical case series study of confirmed cases presenting to Kin...

To determine the incidence of different complications of the apparently healthy full-term infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs) and whether these complications could be predicted early. A prospective study was performed in the Nursery Unit of King Fahd Hospital of the University in Al-Khobar over an 18-month period. Eligible neonates were those full-t...

To study the reported practices of knowledge about and attitude towards smoking among nursing and medical laboratory technology (MLT) students, College of Medicine, King Faisal University at Dammam and Al-Khobar. College of Medicine, Dammam and King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia A cross-sectional approach involving a samp...

To audit the care offered to diabetic patients attending the Family and Community Medicine Clinic (FAMCO), King Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A cross-sectional study of medical records of 45 diabetic patients who regularly visited the clinic during a one-year period from June 1997 to May 1998. Patients who presented at the clini...

Objectives: Controversial issues in the diagnosis and management of inguinal hernia in children, with a relatively high rate of reported postoperative complications (up to 8%), suggested the examination of our current policy in the management of pediatric inguinal hernia. The determination of risk factors, predisposing to postoperative complication...

A rapid increase in the rate of cholecystectomy was reported in eastern Saudi Arabia between 1977 and 1986. The aim of this study was to determine whether the rate of cholecystectomy in the same region was still rising after the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. From 1987 to 1995 a total of 24 hospitals in eastern Saudi Arabia were surv...

Objective: Low back pain is a common complaint in many industrialised countries. Its prevalence is not yet verified in Saudi Arabia. The objectives of this study is to measure the prevalence of low back pain among Jeddah Saudi school workers and to detect the possible risk factors implicated in its development. Methods: A case-control study design...

To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted during 1994 on a sample of students selected from 49 public schools using a multistage stratified random sampling technique. For all students, an interview was conducted and anthropometric and blood pressure measu...

Objectives: To evaluate the nutritional status of vitamin D in relation to calcium-regulating hormones and related minerals. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 264 Saudi pregnant females and their babies (at term) living in the Jeddah area. Maternal and fetal concentrations of serum calcidiol and calcitriol were determined together w...

Objectives: To evaluate the nutritional status of vitamin D in relation to calcium-regulating hormones and related minerals. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 264 Saudi pregnant females and their babies (at term) living in the Jeddah area. Maternal and fetal concentrations of serum calcidiol and calcitriol were determined together w...

We studied the use of aminoglycosides at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, including prescriptions, dosage, serum levels, toxic factors and treatment outcome. Two hundred and fifty-six patients on aminoglycosides were involved in the study period November-December 1994: 24 (9.4%) patients were on amikacin and 232 (90....

Eighteen male patients underwent endoscopic management of urethral obliterations and severe strictures of the subprostatic urethra. Thirteen patients who performed clean urethral self-dilatation after endoscopic repair had a lower incidence of recurrent strictures (P = 0.03) and required fewer visual internal urethrotomies than the initial five pat...

We prospectively studied 266 patients with indwelling double-pigtail ureteral stents to determine the incidence of stent colonization and associated bacteriuria. A urine culture was obtained just prior to stent insertion and was repeated at the time of its removal. The stent itself was also cultured. Of the 237 evaluable patients, 71 (29.9%) develo...

Objective: The purpose of the present study is to describe some normal and standard anthropometric values of schoolgirls (aged 6-16 years) living in the Jeddah area. These norms and standards will be used as a comparison for other populations. They will provide baseline data for establishing national norms in Saudi Arabia. Design: A cross-sectional...

The concentration of 13 elements has been determined in finger nail and scalp hair of 4 groups representing normal and infected Schistosoma mansoni subjects. Samples were irradiated by thermal neutrons from a Triga Mark III Reactor, for 10 min. Measurements were made using a HPGe detector coupled with ADC and PDP 1134 data processing equipment. The...

Objective: To evaluate the nutritional status of vitamin D in relation to calcium-regulating hormones and related minerals. Methods: A prospective study was conducted of 451 Saudi subjects (172 males, 279 females) living in theJeddah area. Serum calcidiol and calcitriol concentrations were measured together with concentrations of serum intact-parat...

Diarrhoeal disease continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in many developing countries. This study demonstrates the importance of behavioral risk factors as determinants of diarrhoeal disease. The study design used is incidence-base, case-control design. The cases were obtained from Primary Health Care Centers (PHCC) in Makkah a...

Objective: To determine the efficacy of the Lithostar lithotriptor for the in situ treatment of primary ureteric stones. Methods: We reviewed, retrospectively, our experience with 283 patients with primary ureteric stones treated with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) using the Lithostar lithotriptor. No attempts were made to manipula...

The relationship between glycated haemoglobin (an index of long-term diabetic control), fructosamine (an index of intermediate-term diabetic control), and serum IgA, IgG, and IgM was studied in 110 diabetic patients (41 Type 1 and 69 Type 2) and compared with 111 healthy non-diabetic subjects. Significant increases in serum IgA (by 82.7%, p < 0.001...

The effect of various grades of obesity on serum fructosamine concentrations was studied in Type 2 diabetic (n = 105) and non-diabetic (n = 128) subjects. In obese diabetic and non-diabetic subjects (body mass index > or = 30 kg m-2), the concentration of fructosamine was markedly lower than that obtained for lean diabetic and non-diabetic subjects...

Impaired hearing in dental practitioners has been the subject of various investigations. Although individual age and susceptibility can play a significant role, the intensity of the noise, distance from the noise source, and total duration of the noise are the important factors in hearing. In this study the noise levels of different handpieces and...

A study of episodes of asthma was conducted in patients attending the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department of King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) from August 1989 to July 1990. The total number of cases reporting to the A&E Department during this period was 89,178; of which 5,101 presented with episodes of asthma. The estimated prevalence...

A prospective study was made of 1418 surgical wounds at the 250-bed King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Daily examinations of wounds, cultures of all suspicious wounds and 28 days outpatient clinic follow-up were performed. The overall infection rate was 9%. The infection rate after clean surgery was 9.5%. High rates of infe...

Patient referral system is considered to be an important element in achieving the objectives of the Primary Health Care services. Patients attending the Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) expect basic medical care and appropriate follow-up services. Thus, patients requiring further evaluation and treatment are referred to a secondary health care fac...

A study was conducted to demonstrate factors influencing duration of breastfeeding in Al-Jamoom Western region of Saudi Arabia. Information was obtained on 476 children under the age of three years and their mothers in nine of the villages in this area. A predesigned questionnaire was administered to the mothers to obtain information on age, educat...

This study on leprosy includes information obtained from the Ibn Sina Hospital, a specialized centre established 27 years ago for treatment and management of the disease in Saudi Arabia. A total of 792 patients with leprosy were reported during the period of the study (1986-89). A steady decline was observed in the number of patients reported: 432...