Browsing by Author "Kashgari, Rashad"

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Breast cancer: Attitude, knowledge and practice of breast self examination of 157 Saudi women
(1996) Kashgari, Rashad; Ibrahim, Abdulbari
Introduction : Breast cancer is the commonest cancer in Saudi females. Breast self examination (BSE) is a practical screening method for early detection of breast cancer. Objectives : The aim of the study is to find out knowledge and practice of BSE among Saudi women and their attitude towards breast cancer. Methods: 157 Saudi women were randomly selected and interviewed in the general clinics of King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, and a questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: The age range of the women was from 15 to 69 years with mean age of 32.5 years and median of 30 years. 80 (51 [0] 1o) out of 157 women were illiterate. 19 (12%) women were found to conduct BSE, 8 (5%) regularly and 11 (7%) irregularly. 145 (92%) showed willingness to seek medical advice if they discover lumps in their breasts. The motives of these women were, a desire to reach a diagnosis at an early stage in the hope of cure in 120 (76%) and fear of cancer in 25 (16%). 11 (7%) women were unwilling to seek medical advice and the motives of these women were fear of cancer in 5 (3%) and shyness in 6 (4%). Conclusions & recommendations: The proper technique of BSE should be taught to all Saudi women using all means of education either through books and magazines for literate women or through video films and self explanatory charts for illiterate women. A national campaign aimed at raising women's awareness about breast cancer and BSE is recommended.
Seroepidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) and relationship to alanine transferase (ALT) in Saudi workers at Yanbu industrial city
(1997) Kashgari, Rashad; Mohamad, Adel
Objectives : To study the epidemiology of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCP) in a relatively new industrial community in Yanbu, and to find out whether any relationship exists between increased serum Alanine Transferase (ALT) and HBV infection. Method : .4 group of Saudi male workers (n=332) (mean age = 32 years) were screened for Hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), Hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV), and Alanine Transferase (ALT) level and the results were correlated with age and marital status. Results: Overall, the prevalence of anti-HBc, HBsAg, and anti-HCV were 23.2%, 7.7% and 0.6% respectively. Age-related HBsAg carrier rates were 7.8%, 6.4% and 9.4% for age groups 18-20, 21-30 and over 30 years respectively. Anti-HBc positivity rates lucre 7.8%, 24.3% and 23.1 M for the same age groups. Anti-HCV was positive in only two cases (0.6%) of all subjects. Considering marital status, HBsAg and anti-HBc positivity rates were 7.8% and 20.5% for single subjects compared wi t h 7.4% and 24.5% for married subjects (P=> 0.5 and > 0.5). Twenty-two percent of all subjects had ALT levels above 35 U/L with no correlation between the increase of ALT and anti-HBc or HBsAg positivity. Conclusions : The findings of this work: (1) Support the notion of relatively low prevalence of HCV in the Saudi Population as compared to HBV. (2) Provide clues regarding possible routes of transmission of HBV in Saudis that may help in vaccination policies for control of HBV infection. (3) Emphasize the fact that ALT level is an independent factor of HBV infection, and (4) Signify the need to screen industrial workers fir non-viral causes of liver disease.