Browsing by Author "Al-Maqati, Thekra N."

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    Dynamic Patterns and Predominance of Respiratory Pathogens Post-COVID-19: Insights from a Two-Year Analysis
    (Springer, 2024) AlBahrani, Salma; AlZahrani, Samira Jamaan; Al-Maqati, Thekra N.; Almehbash, Atheer; Alshammari, Anfal; Bujlai, Refan; Ba Taweel, Sarah; Almasabi, Fares; AlAmari, Abdullah; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) stand out as the most frequent causes leading to visits to the emergency department and hospitalizations. This study aims to assess the types and prevalence of respiratory infections across two years following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Patients presenting with an influenza-like illness (ILI) were tested using multiplex RT-PCR (QIAstat-Dx, Qiagen). The multiplexed RT- PCR test detects 21 respiratory viruses and bacteria. Results: During the study period, PCR test was done on a total of 1,790 samples were tested, and 712 (40%) were positive for a total of 796 pathogens. The mean age (± SD) of the participants was 20.1 ± 28.4 years in 2022 and 21.9 ± 27.6 years in 2023. Among the detected pathogens, the most prevalent were Rhinovirus/Enterovirus 222 (12.4%), followed by RSV A&B (103 cases, 5.7%), and H1N1 Influenza (77 cases, 4.3%). Additionally, Influenza A/B constituted 172 (9.6%) while parainfluenza constituted (58, 3.2%). SARS-CoV-2 was identified in 3.97% of the samples. Over the two-year period, the monthly pattern of the identified pathogens exhibited fluctuations in the prevalence. Furthermore, variations were observed in the detected pathogens across different age groups. Conclusion: In addition to adding significant knowledge to the field of respiratory viral infections, this study emphasizes the necessity of ongoing research and surveillance for the detection and characterization of respiratory viruses, particularly those with the potential for emergence. Such studies would also require setting up a strategy for genotyping and/or sequencing of viruses.
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    Self-reported long COVID-19 symptoms are rare among vaccinated healthcare workers
    (Elsevier, 2023) AlBahrani, Salma; AlBarrak, Ali; AlGubaisi, Nawal; Alkurdi, Hamoud; Alburaiki, Dalia; AlGhamdi, Abdulrahaman; AlOthaiqy, Mohammed; Tayeb, Sarah; Tayeb, Nesreen; Abdraboh, Salimah; Khairi, Amani; Alshareef, Lujain; AlHarbi, Asma; AlRabeeah, Saad; Alqahtani, Abdullah S.; Alqahtani, Jaber S.; Hakami, Fatimah Hassan; Al-Maqati, Thekra N.; Alkhrashi, Sausan Abdulrahman; Almershad, Meshael Musaed; AlAbbadi, Asmaa; Hakami, Mariam Hassan; Faqihi, Osama; Altawfiq, Kauthar Jaffar A.; Jebakumar, Arulanantham Zachariah; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected healthcare workers (HCWs). Here, we evaluate the occurence of long-COVID-19 symtoms among HCWs. Methods: This is a questionnaire-based study of HCWs who had COVID-19 in two medical centers in Saudi Arabia and were mostly vaccinated. Results: The study included 243 HCWs with a mean age (+ SD) of 36.1 (+ 7.6) years. Of them, 223 (91.8%) had three doses of COVID-19 vaccine, 12 (4.9%) had four doses, and 5 (2.1%) had two doses. The most common symptoms at the start of the illness were cough (180, 74.1%), shortness of breath (124, 51%), muscle ache (117, 48.1%), headache (113, 46.5%), sore throat (111, 45.7%), diarrhea (109, 44.9%) and loss of taste (108, 44.4%). Symptoms lasted for< one week in 117 (48.1%),> one week and< 1 month in 89 (36.6%),> 2 months and< 3 months in 9 (3.7%), and> 3 months in 15 (6.2%). The main symptoms present> 3 months were hair loss (8, 3.3%), cough (5, 2.1%), and diarrhea (5, 2.1%). A binomial regression analysis showed no relationship between persistence of symptoms for> 3 months and other demographic or clinical symptoms characteristics. Conclusion: The study showed a low rate of the occurence of long-COVID> 3 months during the Omicron-wave among mostly vaccinated HCWs with no significant comorbidities. Furhter studies are needed to examine the effect of different vaccines on long-COVID-19 among HCWs.