Mapping the Diverse Genetic Disorders and Rare Diseases Among the Syrian Population: Implications on Refugee Health and Health Services in Host Countries.

The aim of this systematic review is to provide physicians and researchers with a comprehensive list of reported genetic disorders in patients of Syrian origin-those who have become part of the largest displaced population globally-and to highlight the need to consider migrant population-based risk for the development of genetic disease control and prevention programs. This review was performed based on the 2015 PRISMA and the international prospective register of systematic reviews. The present review reports on a total of 166 genetic disorders (only 128 reported on OMIM) identified in the Syrian population. Of these disorders, 27% are endocrine-, nutritional- and metabolic-related diseases. Second to metabolic disorders are congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities. Diseases of the blood and the blood-forming organs accounted for 13% of the total genetic disorders. The majority of the genetic disorders reported in Syrian patients followed an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. These findings are a reflection of the high rates of consanguineous marriages that favor the increase in incidence of these diseases. From the diseases that followed an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, 22% are reported to be only present in Syria and other regional countries. Twelve of these genetic diseases were identified to be strictly diagnosed in individuals of Syrian origin. The present systematic review highlights the need to develop programs that target genetic disorders affecting Syrian migrants in host countries. These programs would have potential financial and economic benefits, as well as a positive impact on the physical and mental health of members of the Syrian refugee community and those of their host societies. In turn, this would decrease the burden on the health systems in host countries.