According to March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Report 2006, prevalence of birth defects in the Arab countries is the highest in the world. Within the GCC, Qatar and Bahrain has the lowest prevalence of birth defects of 73.4 per 1,000 live births. Saudi leads as second in the world after Sudan with 81.3. UAE has a prevalence of 75.9 birth defects per 1000 live birth, followed by Kuwait (74.9) and Oman (74.8).

"Studies in the region have shown more than expected new and rare genetic disorders," said Dr Ahmad S Teebi, Professor of Pediatrics and Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. "The region has a population of 35 to 40 m with consanguinity rates between 40 to 70 percent. There is high incidence of disorders linked to the chromosomes and genes. Most of the disorders found here are mostly specific and hence an Arab disease," he said at the second Qatar Genetic Symposium, recently

Some of the common disorders in the region are Bardet-Biedl syndrome, Meckel-Gruber syndrome, Microcephaly and CNS anomalies, Multiple Pterygia syndrome, Chondrodysplasias, Down syndrome and some other genetic diseases.

In Qatar, increased maternal age has been documented as to an important cause for high incidence of Downs syndrome.

In UAE alone, lethal malformations due to genetic disorders were the second cause of death and reason for 70 percent of death in normal weight infants, according to Lihadh Al Gazali of UAE University.

"More than 80 recognized syndromes were first described from the Gulf countries. Most of these are inherited as both the parents are carriers. The region can be said to the hot spot for doing homozygosity mapping," Dr Teebi said. Homozygosity is the state of possessing two identical forms of a particular gene, one inherited from each parent, which at times can be defective.

"The region needs better research to understand the basis and origins of prevalent disorders. Prevention measures should be taken to reduce the risk and impact, and they should be tailored according to the needs of people within the limits of culture and religion," he said.

© The Peninsula 2009

 

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