Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37730280›Full record

ArticleBMJ open respiratory research2023

Impact of the Syrian conflict and forced displacement on respiratory health: an analysis of primary data from a humanitarian organisation.

Lena Basha, Alex Socarras, Mohammed Waseem Akhter, Mohamed Hamze, Ahmad Albaik, Imad Hussein, Ahmad Tarakji, Mufaddal Hamadeh, Randa Loutfi, Mazen Kewara and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open respiratory research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lena BashaSchool of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK lenabasha123@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-7598-6471
Alex SocarrasResearch Department, Syrian American Medical Society, Washington, DC, USA.
Mohammed Waseem AkhterResearch Department, Syrian American Medical Society, Washington, DC, USA.
Mohamed HamzeInformation Department, Syrian American Medical Society, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Ahmad AlbaikInformation Department, Syrian American Medical Society, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Imad HusseinInformation Department, Syrian American Medical Society, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Ahmad TarakjiResearch Department, Syrian American Medical Society, Washington, DC, USA.
Mufaddal HamadehResearch Department, Syrian American Medical Society, Washington, DC, USA.
Randa LoutfiResearch Department, Syrian American Medical Society, Washington, DC, USA.
Mazen KewaraInformation Department, Syrian American Medical Society, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Aula AbbaraResearch Department, Syrian American Medical Society, Washington, DC, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite a decade of conflict, there has been little exploration of respiratory health in Syria, notwithstanding the known impacts of conflict on lung health. Our aim is to explore the burden and trends of respiratory consultations in Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) facilities in northwest Syria through an ecological analysis.

methodsWe performed a retrospective review of routinely collected data relating to respiratory presentations in SAMS' facilities between March 2017 and June 2020; we compared data by facility type, infectious versus non-infectious aetiologies and age.

resultsData were available for 5 058 864 consultations, of which 1 228 722 (24%) were respiratory presentations, across 22 hospitals, 22 primary healthcare centres, 3 mobile clinics and 1 polyclinic. The median number of respiratory consultations per month was 30 279 (IQR: 25 792-33 732). Key findings include: 73% of respiratory consultations were for children; respiratory presentations accounted for up to 38% of consultations each month, seasonal variation was evident; respiratory tract infections accounted for 91% of all respiratory presentations. A steep decrease in consultations occurred between the end of 2019 (160 000) and the first quarter of 2020 (90 000), correlating with an escalation of violence in Idlib governorate.

conclusionThis study presents the largest quantitative analysis of respiratory data collected during the Syrian conflict. It supports the need for improved measures to aid the prevention, diagnosis and management of respiratory conditions during conflict as well as further research to explore the impact of conflict on respiratory health.

Indexed as

HospitalsRespiratory Tract InfectionsChildHumansReferral and ConsultationSeasonsSyriaAsthmaCOPD epidemiologyRespiratory Infection

Identifiers

PMID37730280
PMCPMC10510865

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.