Publications by authors named "Abdulrahman Alarfaj"

This study aimed to assess patient activation using patient activation measure 13 (PAM-13) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and axial spondyloarthritis (axSPA). A cross-sectional study was conducted involving patients with three rheumatological conditions (SLE, PsA, and axSPA). Patients were contacted either at the clinic or through social media platforms.

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COVID-19 was initially identified as a respiratory system disorder, but it has been reported to interact with and influence the cardiovascular system, in addition to many other body systems. Although COVID-19-associated cardiovascular (CV) complications are common, resulting in high acute phase mortality and a large number of morbidities in the chronic phase, thus severely impacting patients' quality of life and health outcomes, yet clinical, cellular, and molecular biological factors underlying the pathophysiology of cardiovascular complications associated with COVID-19 are poorly understood. This review investigates putative underlying clinical factors as well as cellular and molecular biological mechanisms by which COVID-19 leads to acute CV complications, including state-of-the-art genomic sequencing-based findings, and assessing the long-term CV consequences of COVID-19, aiming to shed light on developing strategies for differential diagnosis, risk prognostic stratification, prevention, and clinical management of CV sequels in COVID-19 patients.

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Background And Aims: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease. RA-induced immunological responses are coordinated by T-cell stimulation. The costimulatory signal CD28-B7 is essential for T-cell activation by interacting CD28 with CD80 and CD86 costimulatory proteins.

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The disease burden and mortality were estimated in Saudi Arabia between 2010 and 2017 but were unknown in 2018. This study aims to assess the 2018 national and regional rates of chronic diseases and all-cause mortality among the total and Saudi populations. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we obtained data from 24,012 households from the 2018 household health survey.

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Background: Safeguarding children and adolescents from unintentional injuries is a significant concern for parents and caregivers. With them staying more at home during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, more educational tools and valid educational programs are warranted to improve parental knowledge and awareness about childhood and adolescences' safety. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of childhood and adolescence safety campaigns on parents' knowledge and attitude toward preventable injuries.

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Systemic Lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multisystem, multifactorial inflammatory autoimmune disease. The SLE patients have 3 times increased risk of mortality based on international data with ethnicity playing an important impact on patients' morbidity and mortality. Descriptive studies from Saudi Arabia showed variation in clinical features from one region to another.

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Aim: The dynamics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become of special concern to the rheumatology community. Rheumatic patients are required to engage in effective health management but their behavior is often influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This cross-sectional study aims to examine patients' experiences during the current pandemic and its implication on their health perception and behavior.

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Background: Cyclophosphamide is an alkylating agent associated with significant toxicities, most importantly hemorrhagic cystitis. Many approaches including mesna use were established to reduce this toxicity. However, data on mesna efficacy are conflicting.

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Background And Aim: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is unexplored among Saudi rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and types of CAM used among patients with RA and factors associated with their use.

Experimental Procedure: A cross-sectional study was conducted at rheumatology clinics in two tertiary hospitals located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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Various types of hazards are present in all aspects of the economy. Training is an essential ingredient in the reduction and elimination of these hazards. The development of qualified safety professionals is necessary for solving the main problems facing and organizing a safe work environment.

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Over the past decade, a steady increase in the incidence of HPRT-related hyperuricemia (HRH) has been observed in Saudi Arabia. We examined all the nine exons of HPRT gene for mutations in ten biochemically confirmed hyperuricemia patients, including one female and three normal controls. In all, we identified 13 novel mutations in Saudi Arabian HPRT-related hyperuricemia patients manifesting different levels of uric acid.

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Purpose: To evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of infliximab therapy for refractory uveitis associated with Behçet's disease (BD).

Methods: We prospectively enrolled six patients who failed to respond to conventional immunosuppressive treatment. Infliximab infusions (5 mg/kg) were administered at weeks 0, 2, 6, and then every 8 weeks.

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Objective: To investigate the prevalence of articular chondrocalcinosis in subjects aged 50 years and above in a radiographic survey through 14 primary care clinics in North Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: Over a period of 7 months extending from September 1998 to March 1999, 153 patients attending 14 primary care clinics in North Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, were interviewed, examined and then requested to have radiographs of knees (anteroposterior and lateral), wrists and hands. The x-rays were read for the presence of chondrocalcinosis.

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