Abstract

Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics, treatment and outcomes of Mpox as experienced in a tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: This retrospective study was conducted at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It included cases seen from May 2022 till the study date. Administrative and electronic medical records were analyzed.
Results: Of 33 patients suspected to have Mpox since May 2022, 16 tested positive. In total, 18.8% patients (3/16) had a personal history of recent travel, and 62.5% (10/16) reported some form of recent sexual contact. All the patients presented with rash, and 93.8% had anogenital rash. Mean number of skin lesions was 6.69, and no one had coexisting sexually transmitted diseases. Five (31.25%) received antivirals and no mortality was recorded.
Conclusions: All Mpox infections presented with dermatological manifestations. The spread of this disease in our region exhibited some dissimilarities in the clinical presentation and coexisting infections. This highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion and a low threshold for testing in order to halt further spread.

Key words: Emergency cases, infectious disease, Monkeypox, Saudi Arabia.