Unpublished Rock Arts of Jabal Ḍabʿ Northeastern of Asir Region in Southwestern Saudi Arabia Kingdom

The number of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) seen at the Asir Central Hospital (ACH) is remarkably low. This observation has raised the question of whether there is a low prevalence of PHP in the Asir region, whether it is underdiagnosed, or perhaps a combination of both factors. A survey of 15 hospitals in the Asir region was conducted for cases of PHP. All case notes of the patients with PHP seen at ACH were reviewed. Also, a sample of patients seen at ACH was chosen randomly. The charts of those found to have hypercalcemia were reviewed for the inclusion of PHP in the diagnostic work-up. Only 13 patients with PHP were discovered. The eight patients with PHP seen at ACH had advanced bone manifestations and seven of them had renal manifestations. Hypercalcemia was found in 39 out of 655 patients seen at ACH. None of these had been investigated for PHP. The number of patients with PHP seen in hospitals in the Asir region is very low. Underdiagnosis seems to be an important factor. Therefore, it is felt that there is a need for greater awareness of the disease in the region. Furthermore, there is a need for a national survey to measure the prevalence of PHP in Saudi Arabia.

Six hundred ninety-seven histologically confirmed cases of cancer were seen in the three-year period, 1987 to 1989, at Asir Central Hospital in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Percentage (crude relative) frequencies of cancer at various sites were determined. The most common cancer sites among males were skin, liver, lymphoid tissue (i.e., non-Hodgkin's lymphomas), bladder,, blood (leukemias), stomach, colon, esophagus, central nervous system, and prostate. Skin cancer was also the most common cancer among females, followed by breast, lymphoid tissue (non-Hodgkin's lymphomas), blood (leukemias), thyroid, stomach, colon, oral cavity, esophagus, and cervix.

Sandflies are the primary vectors of leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease of major public health concern in Saudi Arabia. While morphological identification remains the standard for species classification in the Jazan and Asir regions, distinguishing closely related taxa is often challenging and time‐consuming. This study assessed DNA barcoding as a complementary tool for accurate identification. Twelve species were identified, including seven Phlebotomus ( P. papatasi , P. bergeroti , P. alexandri , P. saevus , P. similis , P. arabicus , and P. tobbi ) and five Sergentomyia ( S. schwetzi , S. dreyfussi , S. fallax , S. baghdadis , and S. anodontis ). P. bergeroti and S. schwetzi were the most abundant species. Four species— P. similis , P . tobbi , S. anodontis , and S. baghdadis —were recorded for the first time in Saudi Arabia, while six others ( P. alexandri , P. arabicus , P. saevus , S. fallax , S. dreyfussi , and S. schwetzi ) were submitted as the first COI barcode records from the country, thereby making their sequences publicly available in GenBank. All species were morphologically identified, successfully barcoded using partial mitochondrial COI sequences, and validated through GenBank accessions. The DNA barcodes produced 100% matches to reference sequences, confirming the morphological identifications. Notably, P. tobbi and S. baghdadis may represent cryptic species, subspecies, or novel taxa in the region, requiring further investigation. The phylogenetic clustering of P. tobbi with Sergentomyia species further emphasizes the complex evolutionary history within sandflies. This study provides the first integrated morphological and molecular reference for sandfly fauna in southwestern Saudi Arabia. By establishing a genetic library and reporting novel records, it delivers a critical resource for accurate species recognition, strengthens leishmaniasis vector surveillance and control, and significantly advances understanding of sandfly biodiversity in the Kingdom and the Arabian Peninsula.

The Pattern of Skin Diseases in Hail Region, Saudi Arabia

A cross-sectional population-based survey employing a cluster sampling method and household visits by trained health teams investigated hypertension prevalence in the Kingdom among 13,700 individuals of both sexes in all age groups. The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of hypertension of = 160/95 mmHg was used; it was found that 9.1% and 8.7% of the total sample investigated were systolic and diastolic hypertensives, respectively. However, 12.4% and 7.9% of children younger than 18 years were systolic and diastolic hypertensive. Among adults aged 18 years and above, 5.3% were systolic and 7.3% were diastolic hypertensives; 87.5% of systolic and 79.4% of diastolic hypertensives were aged 40 years and over. Females had statistically significant elevated systolic hypertension compared with males (P < 0.01). However, if blood pressure = 140/90 mmHg is used as a criterion for hypertension definition, the prevalence among the latter age groups would be 20.4% for systolic and 25.9% for diastolic hypertension. The prevalence of Isolated Systolic Hypertension (ISH), Isolated Diastolic Hypertension (IDH) and Systolic Diastolic Hypertension (SDH) among adults above 18 years was 1.8%, 3.8% and 3.5% respectively. ISH was higher among females compared with males (2% vs 1.4%), while IDH was higher among males than females (4.4% vs 3.4%). There is a need for tracking childhood hypertension, which could provide long-term analysis for risk of adult hypertension.

Assessment of natural enemies of honeybee (Apis mellifera jemenitica) in the Asir region, Southwestern, Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study was to determine the causes of mortality from different malignancies in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia. The Asir region is an area of about 80,000 km 2 , with a population of about 1.2 million people. 1 Asir Central Hospital is the main referral hospital, and serves as the teaching hospital of the medical school in the region. All complicated and terminal cases from the 17 hospitals in the region are routinely referred to this hospital. As such, deaths from malignant conditions at the hospital provide a fair reflection of such deaths in this area. We decided, therefore, to study the causes of death from malignant conditions in a four-year period so as to identify the main malignant killers in the region.

We reviewed a total of 169 deaths among 969 infants referred from various health institutions in the Asir Region to the neonatal intensive care unit of Asir Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia, during a four-year period (January 1992 to December 1995). The results showed that the major causes of neonatal mortality in the region were low birth weight (LBW) (45%), congenital malformations (CM) (30.8%), infection (13.6%), and birth asphyxia (7.7%). The majority of the LBW infants died from respiratory insufficiency, sepsis, and necrotizing enterocolitis. The alimentary, central nervous and cardiovascular systems were the parts most commonly involved in CM, with cardiac defect accounting for the highest fatality rate due to lack of facilities for cardiac surgery in the region, and delay in effecting a transfer. Klebsiella, Serratia and E. coli are the predominant organisms causing neonatal sepsis, in contrast with the group B streptococcus dominating in America and the United Kingdom. Generally, factors causing neonatal deaths in the Asir region are similar to those reported in other tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia, and tally closely with observations in America and Europe, where the standard of health care is excellent. Nevertheless, the study indicates the need for upgrading of facilities, as well as for more trained personnel for obstetric and neonatal care in Asir region. It may be necessary to consider the need for the establishment of a regional cardiac surgery center in the region.

A study was carried out on two groups of Egyptian physicians to assess their continuing medical education (CME) needs regarding AIDS. The first group comprised 330 physicians working in Alexandria, Egypt, in Mother and Child Health Care Units, School Health Units and Health Offices. The second group included 144 physicians working in Primary Health Care Centres in the Asir Region, southwestern Saudi Arabia. The demographic and socio-cultural background of both groups was similar. The results revealed similar deficiencies in their knowledge about the disease, especially modes of transmission. These results indicate the urgent need to develop an AIDS-specific CME programme to deal with erroneous ideas. Lectures and periodicals ranked first as the preferred educational strategy.

The present study was undertaken to determine the fat indices in high and low altitude populations in Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Measurement of weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference, mid-upper arm muscle area, and skinfold thickness over the triceps region in 261 males living at high altitude (3150 meters above sea level) and 237 males living at low altitude (500 meters above sea level) in Southern Saudi Arabia are reported. The assessment of fatness by calculation of percent body weight is supported by correlation of triceps skinfold thickness with body mass index (BMI). In both high- and lowlanders the triceps skinfold thickness has significant correlation with BMI (P<0.001 for both). BMI also showed significant correlations with body weight, mid-upper arm circumference and mid-upper arm muscle area (P<0.001 for all). The findings show that the use of skinfold thickness in the prediction of degree of fatness in both groups seems to be a practical and useful method. However, it appears that there is a need for densitometric studies among Saudi populations to enable the derivation of valid regression equations for the calculation of body fat from skinfold thickness measurements. In the absence of skinfold measurements the BMI appeared to be a reliable indicator for assessment of body fat in Saudi high- and lowlanders.

Over a 20-month period (June 1988 to January 1990), 180 Saudi children with neurological disorders were seen at the Al-Majardah General Hospital, Asir Region. These constituted 7.5% of all the pediatric inpatients and outpatients. More than one-half of the children were under three years of age and 74% were six years and below. In the series, convulsive disorders accounted for 28.9% of cases, followed by cerebral palsy (18.9%), mental retardation (16.7%), infections (9.4%), trauma (8.9%), and disorders of the primary senses (6.7%). In 57% of the children, the lesions were due to acquired and mostly preventable etiological factors whereas approximately 24% of the children suffered from prenatal (congenital) disorders, some of which were also preventable. The need for continued appraisal of the maternal and child care services as well as extension of rehabilitative facilities to handicapped children in rural areas of the Kingdom is highlighted.

For centuries, local inhabitants of the southwestern highlands of Saudi Arabia appear to have managed successfully to balance population growth with natural resources under a local tribal self-government. The land management system came under centralized authority after the establishment of the Saudi state in 1932. The state witnessed the integration of various tribes and geographic regions into one unified government. Since 1932, Saudi Arabia has undergone tremendous population and economic growth following the implementation of six development plans. The changes affected the local institutions established by the tribes, which had once governed natural resources use. The breakdown of the old methods of land management now prevents indigenous residents of the area from protecting the forests of the region, and from exploiting them in sound ways as they have done traditionally. In this article, I propose that the current government approach to land management can be modified to return legal title to indigenous residents for the co-management of forests and local resources with pertinent governmental agencies. A new stewardship program could combine scientific knowledge and practice with traditional expertise.

Three hundred and thirty-four cases of confirmed malaria seen in the Asir Central Hospital, Abha, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, were studied retrospectively. Two hundred and eighty-two of these (84.4%) were Saudis and the majority (72.2%) were living in the lowlands of Tihama. Transmission was found to occur throughout the year, with peaks following the rainy season and in the summer. In Saudis, falciparum malaria is more common than vivax (97.2% vs. 2.8%), while vivax malaria is more commonly seen in expatriates (46.2%). Poor response of falciparum malaria to chloroquine was more prevalent in expatriates than in Saudis (46.4% vs. 23%). Most of the expatriates gave a history of recent travel to countries known to be endemic with resistant malaria. The possibility of the emergence of chloroquine-resistant malaria in the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia was discussed.

Environmental cognition in the vernacular landscape: assessing the aesthetic quality of Al-Alkhalaf village, Southwestern Saudi Arabia

Floods in southwestern Saudi Arabia, especially in the Asir region, are among the major natural disasters caused by natural and human factors. In this region, flash floods that occur in the Wadi Hail Basin greatly affect human life and activities, damaging property, the built environment, infrastructure, landscapes, and facilities. A previous study carried out for the same basin has effectively revealed zones of flood risk using such an approach. However, the utilization of the HEC–HMS (Hydrologic Engineering Center–Hydrologic Modeling System) model and IMERG data for delineating areas prone to flash floods remain unexplored. In response to this advantage, this work primarily focused on flood generation assessment in the Wadi Hail Basin, one of the major basins in the region that is frequently prone to severe flash flood damage, from a single extreme rainfall event. We employed a fully physical-based, distributed hydrological model run with HEC–HMS software version 4.11 and Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals of Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG V.06) data, as well as other geo-environmental variables, to simulate the water flow within the Wadi Basin, and predict flash flood hazard. Discharge from the wadi and its sub-basins was predicted using 1 mm rainfall over an 8-h occurrence time. Significant peak discharge (3.6 m3/s) was found in eastern and southern upstream sub-basins and crossing points, rather than those downstream, due to their high-density drainage network (0.12) and CNs (88.4). Generally, four flood hazard levels were identified in the study basin: ‘low risk’, ‘moderate risk’, ‘high risk’, and ‘very high risk’. It was found that 43.8% of the total area of the Wadi Hail Basin is highly prone to flooding. Furthermore, medium- and low-hazard areas make up 4.5–11.2% of the total area, respectively. We found that the peak discharge value of sub-basin 11 (1.8 m3/s) covers 13.2% of the total Wadi Hail area; so, it poses more flood risk than other Wadi Hail sub-basins. The obtained results demonstrated the usefulness of the methods used to develop useful hydrological information in a region lacking ungagged data. This study will play a useful role in identifying the impact of extreme rainfall events on locations that may be susceptible to flash flooding, which will help authorities to develop flood management strategies, particularly in response to extreme events. The study results have potential and valuable policy implications for planners and decision-makers regarding infrastructural development and ensuring environmental stability. The study recommends further research to understand how flash flood hazards correlate with changes at different land use/cover (LULC) classes. This could refine flash flood hazards results and maximize its effectiveness.