PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Bashamakh, Lujain F.
AU  - Alsharif, Shouq M.
AU  - Wayyani, Lamis A.
AU  - Alghamdi, Alaa E.
AU  - Fatani, Ghaida M.
AU  - Alnajashi, Hind A.
AU  - Alshamrani, Foziah J.
TI  - Awareness of patients with multiple sclerosis in Saudi Arabia regarding the relationship between smoking and multiple sclerosis
AID  - 10.17712/nsj.2019.4.20190027
DP  - 2019 Oct 01
TA  - Neurosciences Journal
PG  - 278--283
VI  - 24
IP  - 4
4099  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/24/4/278.short
4100  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/24/4/278.full
SO  - Neurosciences (Riyadh)2019 Oct 01; 24
AB  - Objectives: To assess the awareness of patients with multiple sclerosis about the relationship between smoking and multiple sclerosis in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 2018 for 162 patients who are attending a tertiary hospital in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Self-administered questionnaire and telephone-based interview were used to collect the data. The Analysis was carried out through a statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) software version 21 by using chi-square.Results: A total of 162 patients responded to the questionnaire (response rate, 58.1%). Among the respondents, 56 were current smokers, and 41 of them were males. Thirty-nine patients had a previous cessation attempt, and in 64.1% of the cases, it was mainly a self-made decision. Doctors counseled only 52.7% of the active smokers regarding the effect of smoking on the progression of their disease.Conclusion: Results indicate that there a is low level of awareness regarding the risk of smoking on multiple sclerosis. Therefore, educational programs and campaigns would be beneficial to fulfill the gap. Moreover, Health institutions and health care workers should take this issue into account when counseling the patient.