The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on the 11th of March 2020. Since then, many efforts are being carried out to contain the virus. Knowledge and attitude of people should ...be directed towards strict preventive practices in order to halt the spread of the virus. The aim of the current cross-sectional study is to assess the knowledge, practice and attitude of university students from medical and non-medical colleges in Jordan using a structured questionnaire involving a total number of 592 students. A positive response regarding the overall knowledge about the symptoms of COVID-19 was observed in more than 90% of the students. In response to the attitude and practice, a good number of students nearly 99.7% agreed that hand washing is necessary for prevention of infection whereas 68.4% believed that mask wearing would prevent the infection. Around 6-7% students considered the virus as a stigma hence would not visit hospital. Also, around 10% students believed that their religious beliefs and body immunity might protect them from infection. More dangerously, 20.6% and 19.2% students believed antibiotics and smoking to be a protective measure against the infection respectively. Also, 96.8% do avoid hand shaking, 98.8% wash their hands and 93.3% use alcoholic rub, 95.8% cough or sneeze in a tissue and dispose it in waste bin, 51% will drink ginger with honey and 42.7% eat garlic for infection prevention. The main sources of knowledge were social media, internet and television. No significant difference was noticed between medical and non medical colleges. Thus, there is a need for more detailed and directed measures and awareness campaigns to improve the knowledge, attitude and practice in some critical aspects to contain the virus. Keywords: COVID-19, Knowledge, practice, attitude, university, students, Jordan
Objective: Alkaptonuria (AKU) is a rare inborn error of metabolism that is characterized as a multisystem disease with specific ear, nose, and throat (ENT) manifestations. The present study reports ...ENT findings in pediatric and adult AKU patients from Jordan. Materials and Methods: A full ENT examination and audiological assessment were conducted among the patients attending the AKU Research Office in our University. Results: The results showed that 88% of both pediatrics and adult patients had ENT signs or symptoms; while, the pediatric age group had only one sign that is the discoloration of the cerumen. The adult group had more than one sign, including the discoloration of cerumen and pinna, hearing loss, and discoloration of the gum and teeth. Conclusion: Discoloration of the cerumen is a common sign in pediatric patients; therefore, it is considered as an important early clinical sign for the diagnosis of AKU. Annual follow-up of pediatric patients with audiological assessment is needed to clarify the association between AKU and hearing loss. Otolaryngologist should be aware of these signs for early diagnosis and provide patients early treatment with nitisinone.
Alkaptonuria is a rare metabolic disease characterised by accumulative deposition of homogentisic acid in the connective tissue of the body. This results in early degeneration of tendons, cartilages, ...heart valves, and other tissues. The main objective of the study is to examine the possibility of the nervous system involvement in patients with alkaptonuria The sample consists of two groups; 22 patients with AKU and 20 controls. A neurological assessment has been carried out including detailed medical history, neurological examination, and a nerve conduction study of the nerves of the dominant hand. The prevalence of any abnormality was compared between the two groups using chi square test. The mean values of the nerve conduction study were compared between the two groups using student t-test. There was a higher prevalence of low back pain, hearing problems and tinnitus, numbness and neuropathic pain in alkaptonuria patients. There was no significant difference between the two groups in other conditions such as seizures, headache, and syncope. The values of the nerve conduction study did not show significant difference between the two groups. Neurologically related symptoms in alkaptonuria mostly represent complications of the connective tissue degeneration rather than direct involvement of the nervous system. This has been supported further by the normal findings of the neurophysiology study in patients with alkaptonuria.
Sensitization to inhaled allergens in children with bronchial asthma significantly affects asthma pathogenesis, severity and persistence into late childhood and adulthood. The present study ...determined the prevalence of sensitization to inhaled allergens in children with bronchial asthma and wheezing episodes in order to investigate the effect of positive sensitization on the severity and control of asthma symptoms and to screen for other associated allergic conditions.
A cross-sectional study was conducted, including children between 6 months and 14 years of age attending the chest clinic of Al-Karak, south of Jordan, between November 2013 and February 2016. Skin prick tests (SPTs) using 11 standardized allergen extracts were conducted in 277 children. The severity of asthma was determined based on the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) assessment and the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) in addition to the history of use of systemic steroids and hospital admissions within the past 12 months.
Sixty-seven percent of children with bronchial asthma reported sensitization to one or more of the inhaled allergens. The most common allergens were olive pollens (18%), cat fur (13.5%), and
(11.9%). There was a significant increase in allergen sensitization with age (
< 0.001). The most common concomitant allergic condition among children was allergic rhinitis (71.5%); however, allergic conjunctivitis was the only allergic condition that correlated with the skin test reactivity (
= 0.01). A family history of bronchial asthma was confirmed in 40.4% of children. Children with positive SPTs had lower ACT scores and reported more frequent use of systemic steroids and admissions to hospital within the past 12 months; however, this effect was not statistically significant (
> 0.05).
Sensitization to inhaled allergens is highly prevalent in children with asthma and wheezing episodes in southern Jordan and may be correlated with the severity of the disease. Therefore, appropriate measures to recognize and avoid these allergens are highly recommended. Most children in our study suffered from concomitant allergic rhinitis, indicating that an appropriate diagnosis and treatment of allergic rhinitis could significantly improve asthma control and thus the quality of life of these children.
This study is not a clinical trial.
We report a case of nitisinone-induced keratopathy in a 52-year-old male patient with Alkaptonuria (AKU) disease in Jordan. The patient presented with slight drop of left eye vision for the last four ...weeks, associated with a foreign body sensation in his left eye. On examination, it was found that his left eye vision was reduced to 6/12 and there were left dendrite-like corneal opacities in the left eye. He was given 10 mg of nitisinone per day, two years before his visual complaint. Three months following discontinuation of nitisinone, his visual acuity and corneal opacities disappeared completely. This is the fifth reported case of nitisinone-induced keratopathy, due to secondary tyrosinaemia in alkaptonuria.
We reported a Jordanian case of Cogan’s Syndrome (CS). A 22-year old male patient presented with interstitial keratitis. The patient was treated successfully with topical steroids but over the ...following months, he developed vertigo, sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and generalized vasculitis. This is the first reported case of CS in Jordanian population.
Background
There is controversial information about the sequelae of COVID-19 after recovery, or post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS). Despite the considerable number of studies on COVID-19, proportionally, ...there is a scarcity of literature addressing PCS, particularly the risk factors causing this syndrome. Determining the prevalence, most common manifestations of PCS, and the possible related risk factors is an important issue.
Objective
To fill these gaps, the aim of this study was to detect the prevalence and risk factors for the development of PCS, and to identify the symptoms and their relation to the sociodemographic and medical characteristics of patients who survived COVID-19 after more than 3 months from onset of illness throughout Jordan.
Methods
A cross-sectional, online questionnaire–based study was conducted. This questionnaire was posted to the association of “My experience with COVID-19” in Jordan. Sociodemographic and COVID-19 illness information was collected from 657 patients who had recovered from COVID-19 at least 3 months after the illness started.
Results
The PCS prevalence was 71.9%, including patients who experienced at least one PCS symptom. The most common symptoms included dyspnea, fatigue, taste and smell impairment, cough, and depression. Six factors were found to significantly increase the risk of PCS: being female (odds ratio OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.409-2.856), aged ≥30 years (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.16-2.33), diabetes mellitus (OR 2.978, 95% CI 1.08-8.21), hypertension (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.118-4.423), respiratory disease (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.21-4.501), and neuropsychological disturbance during illness (OR 3.79, 95% CI 2.574-5.573). These patients also showed a significantly higher rate of PCS than their counter groups. Therefore, females, aged ≥30 years, comorbidity, and neuropsychological disturbance during illness are considered to be risk factors for PCS.
Conclusions
The PCS prevalence is high in Jordan, particularly among certain populations such as females; aged ≥30 years; those with a neuropsychological disturbance during illness; and having a comorbidity such as diabetes, hypertension, and respiratory diseases, which were associated with a significantly higher risk for the development of PCS manifestations. In other words, these populations should be considered as a risk group for PCS occurrence. Therefore, COVID-19 infection treatment should not only be administered during the acute episode but should continue for several months after recovery of the patient. In addition, the PCS period will require further scientific study and investigation along with early interventions, including rehabilitation. Therefore, we now have to start the steps in preparing for this unavoidable problem to improve the health care system and enhance the management of patients during the PCS period. Psychological and medical support is highly recommended during and after a COVID-19 episode, particularly for the high-risk groups.
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