RIYADH, 3 May 2005 — The 28th medical symposium — sponsored by Pfizer — for the Pakistan Doctors Group, Riyadh, concluded that more women than men are prone to bouts of depression and migraine in the Kingdom, where a young population base, marital tension and changes in lifestyle have acted as a trigger in inducing these ailments.
Both Professor Mohammad Salah Abduljabbar, director of paramedical affairs and head of neurology division, Security Forces Hospital Program, and Dr. Amer Sheikh, consultant in family medicine at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, said migraine and depression were symptoms of a deeper malaise.
Dr. Riad J. Khawaja, general secretary of PDG, outlined the activities of the group which included the launch of a social welfare fund to help the poorest segment of Pakistani expatriates by defraying the tuition fee and extending support.
Pointing out that 17 percent of the patients who checked in at primary health care centers in Dammam showed symptoms of depression, Dr. Sheikh said the most common factor was marital disharmony.
“The cases of depression are increasing, reflecting a growth in public awareness of the problem,” Dr. Sheikh said. According to the “Annals of Saudi Medicine,” the female:male ratio for those suffering from depression stood at 1.8:1 in a study of 40 patients admitted to King Khaled University Hospital in Riyadh recently.
Dr. Abduljabbar said the factors that predispose a person to migraine include anxiety, stress and a hectic lifestyle. “However, these factors increase the headache and do not cause it,” he said, adding the incidence of severe headache in the Saudi society is on the upswing.
