Yazeed Mbbs Almutairi

Background/aim: Statin medications (hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors) are the agents most commonly used to lower lipids in people with dyslipidemia but are well known to exert unfavorable side effects such as myalgia, which may result in medication discontinuation. In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between statin use and the development of gastric acid reflux symptoms. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2022 and December 2023 at King Saud University Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, among individuals diagnosed with dyslipidemia who had used statin medications regularly for a minimum of 3 months. A simple random sampling technique was utilized. Patients were asked for demographic information, statin type, dose, duration, past medical history, and gastroesophageal reflux symptoms using the Ar-GerdQ tool. Results: A total of 386 participants enrolled in our study. Participants’ mean age and standard deviation was 55.4 ± 13.4 years, and the most used statin medication was atorvastatin (69.9%). The total mean GerdQ score was 6.40 (standard deviation 1.90), whereas only 11.4% of participants had gastric reflux symptoms. Different statin types, intensity, and duration were not statistically significantly correlated with gastric reflux symptoms (all P > 0.05). In comparison with those not using proton pump inhibitors, those who were using proton pump inhibitors were more frequently predicted to have an increased risk of developing gastroesophageal reflux disease (adjusted odds ratio = 2.991; 95% confidence interval: 1.359–6.585; P = 0.007). Conclusion: Statin medications were not associated with gastroesophageal symptoms, regardless of the statin type, dose, or intensity. Multicenter studies on a national level are warranted to affirm this conclusion further.

Traveling physicians will likely be called for medical assistance on board. In-flight medical emergencies (IMEs) are common and occur in a complex environment with limited medical resources. This study evaluated senior medical students’ willingness, understanding, confidence, and attitudes toward IMEs and their willingness to respond to them. This cross-sectional study was conducted among senior medical students in the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. These medical students were sent a self-administered online questionnaire, which consisted of basic demographic data, a survey to evaluate IME experiences, and a 10-item questionnaire to assess the attitude of students. Among 302 medical students, 52.3% were males, while 66.9% were over 22 years old. The prevalence of students who attended life support training was 62.6%, which was highly significant among the 5th-year level (p = 0.001). Neutral attitudes were found in most students (87.7%); 4.6% had positive attitudes, while 7.6% had negative ones. Being at the 5th-year level and having previous participation in life support training were associated with an increased attitude toward in-flight medical emergencies. The attitude of senior medical students toward IMEs was less than desired. However, the attitude was better among 5th-year medical students who attended training courses on managing IMEs. Thus, participation in training courses influenced the willingness to manage such cases. Subsequently, longitudinal studies are needed to extract more data on the knowledge and confidence of medical students toward IMEs.