RIYADH, 18 December 2006 — A study of 808 pilgrims hospitalized during Haj has revealed that infections accounted for over 36 percent of the illnesses followed by cardiovascular diseases.
The risk of complications and death increased with age, with the highest risk noticed among pilgrims aged over 80, according to the researchers led by Dr. Tariq A. Madani of the Department of Medicine, King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah. Their findings have been published in the latest issue of “The Annals of Saudi Medicine.”
The researchers found that nearly 85 percent of the patients had at least one acute medical problem, while 13 percent had two such problems. Cases of cardiovascular diseases were reported among 25 percent of the patients. The study found that surgical intervention was needed among 12 percent of the patients, while the incidence of acute trauma was reported among 10 percent of the pilgrims admitted to hospitals.
Trauma included stampede-related accidents, road accidents, falls, injuries resulting from motor cycle hits, etc. Of the 76 trauma cases, 68 percent of the victims were men and 24 percent women.
The survey revealed that 79 percent of the hospitalized patients were over 40 years and more than one-third older than 60 years.
The investigators found that a major reason was that this group becomes capable of meeting the expenses of Haj only after years of saving. Their advanced age thus renders them susceptible to infections due to their reduced resistance power.
Meningococcal disease is a major concern in Haj, with epidemics occurring periodically. The last meningococcal meningitis outbreak occurred in 2000-2001 with serogroup W135 emerging as a dominant etiological pathogen. The disease was notably rare this season because of better pilgrims’ coverage with the quadrivalent meningococcal vaccination that was made mandatory for both external and internal pilgrims.
