Browsing by Author "Salih, Samer"

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    Clinical Characteristics of Non-Intensive Care Unit COVID-19 Patients in Saudi Arabia: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study
    (Elsevier, 2020-11-13) Al-Omari, Awad; Alhuqbani, Waad N.; Zaidi, Abdul Rehman Z.; Al-Subaie, Maha F.; AlHindi, Alanoud M.; Abogosh, Ahmed K.; Alrasheed, Aljwhara K.; Alsharafi, Aya A.; Alhuqbani, Mohammed N.; Salih, Samer; Alhedaithy, Mogbil Abdullah; Abdulqawi, Rayid; Ismail, Alaa Fariz; Alhumaid, Saad; Hamdan, Noura; Saad, Fares; Olhaye, Fahad Abdullah; Eltahir, Tarig Ali; Alomari, Mohammed; Alshehery, Maied; Yassiri, Aziz; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Al Mutair, Abbas; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction: The ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health concern. It has affected more than 5 million patients worldwide and resulted in an alarming number of deaths globally. While clinical characteristics have been reported elsewhere, data from our region is scarce. We investigated the clinical characteristics of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Data of 401 confirmed COVID-19 patients were collected from 22 April 2020 to 21 May 2020 at five tertiary care hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The patients were divided into four groups according to age, Group 1: 0-<18 years, Group 2: 18-<50 years, Group 3: 50-60 years, and Group 4: >60 years; and their clinical symptoms were compared. Results: The median (IQR) age in years was 10.5 (1.5-16) in group I, 34 (29-41) in group II, 53 (51-56) in group III, and 66 (61-76) in group IV. Most patients were male (80%, n = 322) and of Arabian or Asian descent. The median length of stay in the hospital was 10 (8-17) days (range 3-42 days). The most common symptoms were cough (53.6%), fever (36.2%), fatigue (26.4%), dyspnea (21.9%), and sore throat (21.9%). Hypertension was the most common underlying comorbidity (14.7%), followed by obesity (11.5%), and diabetes (10%). Hypertensive patients were less likely to present with shortness of breath, cough, sputum, diarrhea, and fever. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the symptoms among different age groups and comorbidities were mostly seen in the older age group. Interestingly, hypertensive patients were found to have milder symptoms and a shorter length of stay. Further larger collaborative national studies are required to effectively understand clinical characteristics in our part of the world to efficiently manage and control the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
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    Clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory characteristics of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia: an observational cohort study
    (BMC, 2020) Al Mutair, Abbas; Alhumaid, Saad; Alhuqbani, Waad N.; Zaidi, Abdul Rehman Z.; Alkoraisi, Safug; Al-Subaie, Maha F.; AlHindi, Alanoud M.; Abogosh, Ahmed K.; Alrasheed, Aljwhara K.; Alsharafi, Aya A.; Alhuqbani, Mohammed N.; Alhowar, Njoud A.; Salih, Samer; Alhedaithy, Mogbil A.; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Al-Shammari, Haifa; Abdulqawi, Rayid; Ismail, Alaa F.; Hamdan, Noura; Saad, Fares; Olhaye, Fahad A.; Eltahir, Tarig A.; Rabaan, Ali A.; Al-Omari, Awad; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) emerged from China in December 2019 and has presented as a substantial and serious threat to global health. We aimed to describe the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory findings of patients in Saudi Arabia infected with SARS-CoV-2 to direct us in helping prevent and treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across Saudi Arabia and around the world. Materials and methods Clinical, epidemiological, laboratory, and radiological characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of pediatric and adult patients in five hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were surveyed in this study. Results 401 patients (mean age 38.16 ± 13.43 years) were identified to be SARS-CoV-2 positive and 80% of cases were male. 160 patients had moderate severity and 241 were mild in severity. The most common signs and symptoms at presentation were cough, fever, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, aspartate aminotransferase, C-reactive protein, and ferritin were higher in the COVID-19 moderate severity patient group. Mild severity patients spent a shorter duration hospitalized and had slightly higher percentages of abnormal CT scans and X-ray imaging. Conclusions This study provides an understanding of the features of non-ICU COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. Further national collaborative studies are needed to streamline screening and treatment procedures for COVID-19.
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    MERS coronavirus outbreak: Implications for emerging viral infections
    (Elsevier, 2018) Al-Omari, Awad; Rabaan, Ali A.; Salih, Samer; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Memish, Ziad A.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    In September 2012, a novel coronavirus was isolated from a patient who died in Saudi Arabia after presenting with acute respiratory distress and acute kidney injury. Analysis revealed the disease to be due to a novel virus which was named Middle East Respiratory Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). There have been several MERS-CoV hospital outbreaks in KSA, continuing to the present day, and the disease has a mortality rate in excess of 35%. Since 2012, the World Health Organization has been informed of 2220 laboratory-confirmed cases resulting in at least 790 deaths. Cases have since arisen in 27 countries, including an outbreak in the Republic of Korea in 2015 in which 36 people died, but more than 80% of cases have occurred in Saudi Arabia.. Human-to-human transmission of MERS-CoV, particularly in healthcare settings, initially caused a ‘media panic’, however human-to-human transmission appears to require close contact and thus far the virus has not achieved epidemic potential. Zoonotic transmission is of significant importance and evidence is growing implicating the dromedary camel as the major animal host in spread of disease to humans. MERS-CoV is now included on the WHO list of priority blueprint diseases for which there which is an urgent need for accelerated research and development as they have the potential to cause a public health emergency while there is an absence of efficacious drugs and/or vaccines. In this review we highlight epidemiological, clinical, and infection control aspects of MERS-CoV as informed by the Saudi experience. Attention is given to recommended treatments and progress towards vaccine development.