Benign acute childhood myositis in the eastern region of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; a 5-year experience

Abstract Objective To assess the epidemiological, clinical and laboratory characteristics, and outcomes of BACM in children diagnosed at a teaching hospital in the eastern province of the KSA. Methods A retrospective study of 28 patients admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of BACM was carried out at King Fahd Hospital of the University, AlKhobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), from January 2008 to December 2012. Demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory findings and patients' responses were analyzed. Results Thirty episodes were reported over 5 years with incidence of 3.17 per 100,000. The male to female ratio was 6:1. The mean age was 6 years. A seasonal peak during the winter months was observed. The major symptoms were fever, inability to walk in all the patients (100%) and symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections found in 70%. Major clinical findings were the normal deep tendon reflex and calf muscle tenderness in 76.6% and 100% respectively. The prominent laboratory findings were the high creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and leukopenia in 100% and 60%, respectively. Conclusion Our findings showed that the clinical and epidemiological features associated with BACM, in the KSA, have the similar pattern of other studies from different regions in the world. A nationwide survey, however, is necessary to investigate the overall incidence, risk factors and the outcome of BACM in the KSA.