Days ago, The Head of the Department of
Pediatrics, The genetic and metabolic pediatric consultant in King Fahad Hospital,
The chairman of the International Forum of genetic diseases in the eastern province
of Dammam, and Dr. Joseph Hawsawi stated a catastrophic statement that the Kingdom has reached the
highest rates of genetic diseases with a rate between 3.5 to 4 percent, as the average rates
of diseases in the world are between 1 to 3 percent, and he said this was result to inbreeding, which constitutes the 60% of
the total cases of marriage in the Kingdom.
Dr. Joseph Hawsawi said during the
opening of the International Forum of genetic diseases in the Eastern Province, that was organized by King Fahd Hospital in
Dammam under the Minister of Health auspice: "Most prevalent genetic
diseases in the Kingdom are Sickle-Cell Anemia (SCA), and Thalassemia, which are
both have been incorporated into the examination before marriage, pointing out
that early marriage Examination reduces the rates of injuries of this diseases
between 15 to 20 percent. King Fahd Hospital in Dammam is currently establishing
a special register for genetic and metabolic diseases to provide accurate
statistics of the rates of genetic diseases in the various provinces of the
region."
Blood diseases such as Thalassemia
and Sickle-Cell Anemia (SCA) is prevalent more in the eastern and southern
regions, and there are other areas where there are other metabolic diseases like
Acidosis, which abound the largest in
the central region, he assured that they are studying the increasing rates of other
genetic diseases to include them in the program examination of marriage in the
future, as well as there are hospitals in the Kingdom send reports of high
levels of Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in some areas.
Hawsawi said that the highest
rates of deaths of metabolic diseases occur with Spinal muscular, as the rate
of death with Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), at the age of two is 1%, as well
as the acidity of the blood has achieved high rates of mortality.
He noted that the conference will
discuss other points, including identifying genetic diseases and genetic and
spread awareness about between doctors and patients because of the scary number
of cases in the Kingdom due to
inbreeding , and keeping abreast of scientific developments in genetics and
heredity around the world, and keeping up with methods of diagnosis and
prevention of most genetic diseases as there is no definitive cure. also will discuss
ways to prevent genetic diseases through what is called early diagnosis of the pre-cultivation
of the fetus in the uterus (IVF), where the scan cells of the fetus, and if the
sound is taken from the tubes and implanted in the mother's womb, this method reduce
the ratios bed occupancy in hospitals.