The Prevalence and Severity of Dyspnea in Young Saudi Female Adults: A Cross-sectional Study

Dyspnea impacts daily activities; women tend to report a higher perception of dyspnea and experience greater emotional distress compared to men. Therefore, the study aims to assess the prevalence and severity of dyspnea among Saudi women aged 18 to 35 years and explore associated risk factors.

A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia. The data were collected using an electronic online questionnaire survey. The questionnaire consisted of participants’ demographic data, and the status of factors associated with dyspnea, such as body mass index, physical activity, and smoking status. Using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale is another option. The modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale was used in a descriptive analysis to characterize the prevalence and score of dyspnea.A Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square tests were conducted to determine the differences and associations according to the dyspnea risk factors. A p-value of <0.05 determined the statistical significance.

A total of 554 participants were recruited. The overall prevalence of dyspnea was reported by 115 (21%) participants, with a mean score of 1.42 (SD 1.38) on the MRC Dyspnea Scale. The majority of participants were from the central region (74%) and aged 18 to 24 years (65.5%). No statistically significant differences were found between participants with and without dyspnea in terms of body mass index (22.6 [19.6-25.6] vs 22.8 [20.1-26.2], p=0.68, respectively), passive smoking status (p=0.07), or physical activity level (p=0.37).

The study concludes that approximately one in five young females experienced dyspnea, suggesting that this symptom may be quite prevalent. However, no significant association was found between dyspnea and factors such as body mass index, passive smoking, or physical activity levels.