The controversy of birth order as a risk factor for epilepsy: a study from Saudi Arabia.

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between people with epilepsy and birth order.

Methods: A case-control study of 336 epileptics, 15 years and above, and their 1961 full siblings. The data was analysed by birth order and then stratified by sibship size.

Phenytoin Intoxication: Burden and risk factors.

Objective: The aim of the study is to determine: 1) the frequency of patients admitted for phenytoin toxicity and their economic burden; 2) the clinical symptoms and signs of intoxication; 3) the causes or risk factors of intoxication, and 4) the ways to prevent phenytoin toxicity.

Methods: Retrospective review of hospital ICD coded database between 1987 and 1998. All patients with phenytoin intoxication were reviewed.

Clinical aspects of miliary tuberculosis in Saudi adults.

Objective: To review all cases of miliary tuberculosis (MT) over a period of 7 years in a Saudi Arabian population, to determine the clinical and laboratory characteristics and diagnostic methods, and to compare our data with others reported in the literature.

Design: A retrospective case review.

Results: Of 780 cases of active tuberculosis seen over period of 7 years, 47 (6%) had MT.

[Residual cerebellar ataxia following acute phenytoin intoxication].

A 30-year-old man was given high doses of phenytoin together with 4 antituberculous drugs for a seizure associated with a probable brain tuberculoma. He developed hepatic toxicity and his serum phenytoin reached the high level of 298 mumol/l (therapeutic range 40-79 mumol/l). All drugs were stopped and the biological parameters returned progressively to normal over the next 15 days.

Carpal Tunnel Sydrome: A prospective clinical study of one hundred cases.

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Angiographic patterns of carotid ischemic cerebrovascular disease in Saudi Arabia.

The angiographic findings in 100 Saudi patients with carotid ischemic cerebrovascular disease (CVD) (transient ischemic attacks (TIA) or strokes) were retrospectively reviewed. These patients were representative of all patients with similar disorders in the terms of sex, frequency of diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease. They were, however, significantly younger, smoked more, had more cervical bruits and less atrial fibrillation.

Gross haematuria in a Negro population: an analysis of 100 adult cases.

One hundred consecutive cases of gross haematuria seen at a Nigerian Urologic Clinic are analysed. The causes were identified in 95 cases. Benign prostatic hypertrophy was the commonest cause accounting for 27% of the cases, followed by trauma and infection.

Food poisoning from insecticide-treated beans.

Nine adults presented at the hospital with symptoms of food poisoning ten minutes to four hours after ingesting cooked beans. Investigation revealed that they came from three different households and had not eaten from the same source of prepared food. Rather they purchased raw insecticide-treated beans which was intended for planting but diverted to the market.

Pulmonary radiological findings in hepatoma.

Pulmonary radiological features of 27 patients with a diagnosis of hepatoma were reviewed and compared with 64 controls. Coin shadows, nodular, lymphangitic or hilar node metastases were observed in 50% of the hepatoma cases. Other radiological pulmonary findings in hepatoma included statistically significant elevation of the right hemidiaphragm, double contour of the diaphragmatic silhouette and discoid atelectasis.

Intravenous fructose for acute alcoholism: a double blind study.

To test the clinical efficacy of fructose intravenously for acute alcoholism, 20 acutely intoxicated patients were treated in a randomized, double blind fashion with 1000 cc of 10% fructose and 10% glucose over two hours. In the first hour of infusion, fructose was significantly superior to glucose (p less than 0.05) in improving the mental and neuromuscular status of the most impaired patients.