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Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in Saudi Arabia

Hussein A Algahtani1, Abduljaleel P Abdu, Abdulrahman M Shami

  • 1Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah 21483, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. halgahtani@hotmail.com

Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
|October 11, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) in Saudi Arabia predominantly affects women and is linked to pregnancy. Prompt anticoagulation treatment leads to high recovery rates for this serious neurological condition.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Vascular Neurology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a rare but serious neurological condition with varied clinical presentations and etiologies.
  • Understanding local patterns of CVST is crucial for timely diagnosis and effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the clinical characteristics, causes, treatments, and outcomes of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) in Jeddah and Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.
  • To compare findings with existing international and local data on CVST.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective analysis of 111 patients diagnosed with CVST between 1990 and 2010.
  • Data collected from King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, and King Fahad Hospital, Al-Baha.
  • Literature review and comparison with global CVST studies.

Main Results:

  • The study included 92 adults (predominantly female) and 19 children (more boys affected).
  • Common symptoms included headache, focal neurological deficits, seizures, and altered consciousness.
  • Key risk factors identified were pregnancy/puerperium, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, oral contraceptives, malignancy, and infections. Multiple sinuses were involved in 45.9% of cases.
  • Complete or partial recovery was achieved in 87.4% of patients with prompt anticoagulation.

Conclusions:

  • Pregnancy/puerperium emerged as the most frequent etiological factor for CVST in this Saudi Arabian cohort.
  • Clinical features align with international observations, though Behcet's disease was not a significant factor.
  • Effective treatment with anticoagulation is associated with favorable outcomes in the majority of CVST patients.
Abstract

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