Background and Aims: Autoimmune diseases (ADs) are a state where the immune system starts to attack body self-antigens. The prevalence of autoimmune diseases (ADs) is increasing globally. However, the awareness concerning these diseases is still understudied. The present study aims to assess the awareness level and explore sources of information related to ADs among Saudis living in the Western region of Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 701 participants that collected data related to socio-demographics, awareness level (good vs. limited), and sources of information. The data were collected using online questionnaire that was distributed via multiple social media applications.
Results: A total of 373 male and 329 female respondents participated in the study. Only 10.1% (n= 71) had good knowledge about ADs, while the majority of participants had very limited knowledge concerning these diseases.
Conclusions: Level of knowledge and awareness about ADs were low among Saudi western region community. The most frequent source of information was social media. This weakness of awareness may have a great impact on human life quality standardization. Therefore, these results can alert the concerned authorities such as the Ministry of Health about this weakness, especially for the ADs patients, which this knowledge can impact some treatment programs.
Key words: Autoimmune diseases, awareness, microbiota, non-genetic triggers, Saudi Arabia, Western region
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