The Epidemiology of Cystic Fibrosis in Arab Countries: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic autosomal recessive disease that involves multiple systems. Both life quality and expectation are affected by the debilitating multi-system involvement of the disease which includes pulmonary, gastrointestinal, reproductive, and endocrine symptoms. Very few studies have covered the epidemiological aspects of the disease among Arab countries. To systematically review the available epidemiological literature on cystic fibrosis in order to describe the epidemiological state of this disease in the Arab world, this review used PubMed to search for relevant articles related to patients with cystic fibrosis, with no restriction on gender or age. Google scholar and the snowballing technique were used to locate further articles. A total of 17 articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. These articles were from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates. The articles scored 1.5–6.5 out of 8 on the quality assessment. The epidemiological data reported varied based on country and type of study. The establishment of CF registries is definitely a priority in the region, as well as the need for more research involving CF patients particularly those involving the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of these patients.

CFTR gene mutation spectrum among 735 Iranian patients with cystic fibrosis: A comprehensive systematic review

“…As one of the most common inherited life‐threatening disorders, cystic fibrosis (CF) affects multiple systems, especially lungs and digestive system, in patients with the disease 1–3 . The highest prevalence rate of the disease has been reported in the European population; its incidence in newborns varies from 1 in 1353 in Ireland to 1 in more than 7000 in Portugal, Norway, and Russia 4 …”

“…As one of the most common inherited life-threatening disorders, cystic fibrosis (CF) affects multiple systems, especially lungs and digestive system, in patients with the disease. [1][2][3] The highest prevalence rate of the disease has been reported in the European population; its incidence in newborns varies from 1 in 1353 in Ireland to 1 in more than 7000 in Portugal, Norway, and Russia. 4 CF is caused by pathogenic variants in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, resulting a defective ion channel responsible for chloride transport.…”

Prevalence and Characteristics of Cystic Fibrosis in Omani Children: A Multi-center Cross-sectional Study

“…While in Kuwait it was estimated to be 0.7–1.0 per 100 000 population, in Bahrain it was 3 per 100 000. 16 - 18 A Saudi Arabian study reported a higher prevalence at 23.7 per 100 000. 18 , 19 UAE reported an estimated prevalence of 6.3 per 100 000.…”

“… 16 - 18 A Saudi Arabian study reported a higher prevalence at 23.7 per 100 000. 18 , 19 UAE reported an estimated prevalence of 6.3 per 100 000. 20 , 21 Comparatively, the prevalence of CF in Oman, at 10.3 per 100 000, seems moderate.…”

Molecular targets for cystic fibrosis and therapeutic potential of monoclonal antibodies

“…According to an International Worldwide Consortium of Molecular Genetics Institutes, over 2,000 sequence variations have been found to date, with at least 200 linked to CF ( Dechecchi et al, 2018 ). The incidence of CF among Saudi children has been estimated to be 1 in 4243, based on recorded instances ( Hammoudeh et al, 2021 , Zielenski, 2000 , Mathew et al, 1991 ). Table 1 shows the prevalence of CFTR gene mutations and treatment implementation in Saudi Arabia.…”