Treatment Camp and Patients in Arbaeen Pilgrimage in 2019

Introduction: One of the largest religious gatherings in the world is the Arbaeen pilgrimage, which takes place on the 40th day after the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the third Shiite Imam. This study was aimed to investigate how to set up the Sahib-al-Zaman treatment camp on the Arbaeen walking route in 2019 and the patients referring to it. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on all patients referring to the Sahib-al-Zaman camp of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran in the Arbaeen Walking plan in 2019. In this study, how to set up camp was described. Patients’ data and drugs used by the medical team were collected, and then were analyzed. Results: Totally, 3477 patients were enrolled. The mean±SD of patients’ age was 33.77±16.19 (ranging from 1 to 96) years, and 2,183 patients (62.78%) were male. Most patients were Iranian (84.5%) and then Iraqi (13.66%), and only 1.84% were from other nationalities. Upper respiratory tract infection (60.2%), low back pain and muscle cramps (17.6%), and blister and need for dressing (12.3%) were the most common chief complaints in the patients. Adult cold pills, acetaminophen (325 mg), and cetirizine (10 mg) were the most commonly prescribed drugs for the patients. Conclusion: Although the data used in this study are not sufficient due to the lack of a pre-created data recording system, the results of this study showed that in addition to the importance and necessity of holding such ceremonies, health issues and facilities should also be considered.