Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Neurological disorders in Iraqi refugees in Jordan: data from the United Nations Refugee Assistance Information System

  • Original Communication
  • Published:
Journal of Neurology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recognizes 43.7 million forcibly displaced persons and asylum seekers due to conflict and persecution worldwide. Neurological disorders have rarely been described in displaced persons but likely pose a significant burden of disease. We describe the disease spectrum and health service utilization of Iraqi refugees and asylum seekers with neurological disorders using an information system developed by the UNHCR. Neurological disorders were actively monitored among the 7,642 UNHCR-registered Iraqi refugees and asylum seekers who received health and humanitarian assistance using a pilot, centralized, database called the Refugee Assistance Information System (RAIS) in the Kingdom of Jordan in 2010. There were 122 neurological diagnoses reported in 1,328 refugees (mean age 41 years, 49% female, 10% disabled, 43% with pending resettlement applications) in 2,659 health visits, accounting for 17% of all refugees who sought health assistance in RAIS. Referral to a neurologist occurred in 178 cases (13.4%). The most frequent ICD-10 neurological diagnoses were dorsalgia (back pain) (29.7% of individuals with neurological disorders), headache (13.1%), and epilepsy (12.6%). Approximately 1 in 20 Iraqi refugees with a neurological diagnosis self-reported a history of torture, which was higher than Iraqi refugees without a history of torture [66/1,328 versus 196/6,314, odds ratio (OR) = 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21–2.18]. Neurological disease affects a high proportion of Iraqi refugees, including victims of torture and the disabled. Refugees require dedicated care for treatment of neurological disease with a focus on pain disorders and epilepsy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2010) Global trends 2010. Geneva, Switzerland. Available at http://www.unhcr.org/statistics

  2. Mateen FJ (2010) Neurological disorders in complex humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters. Ann Neurol 68:282–294

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2009) “Iraq Situation.” UNHCR Global Report

  4. Mowafi H, Spiegel P (2008) The Iraqi refugee crisis familiar problems and new challenges. JAMA 299:1713–1715

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2011) Country operations profile—Jordan. Working environment. http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e486566. Accessed 10 May 2011

  6. Doocy S, Burnham G (2009) On behalf of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Statistical Information Technologies, UNICEF, WHO, and the Government of Jordan. The Iraqi Population in Jordan

  7. Doocy S, Burnham G (2009) On behalf of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) and The Center for Refugee and Disaster Response at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH). The Iraqi population in Syria

  8. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (2011) 10th Revision. http://apps.who.int/classifications/apps/icd/icd10online. Accessed 13 May 2011

  9. Spiegel PB, Salama P (2001) Emergencies in developed countries: are aid organisations ready to adapt? Lancet 357:714

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Al-Shimmery EK, Bzaini AS (2008) Multiple sclerosis in Jordan and Iraq: clinical and social overview. Neurosciences (Riyadh) 13:276–282

    Google Scholar 

  11. Benamer HT, Ahmed ES, AL-Din AS, Grosset DG (2009) Frequency and clinical patterns of multiple sclerosis in Arab countries: a systematic review. J Neurol Sci 278:1–4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Al-Shimmery EK, Amein SH, AL-Tawil NG (2010) Prevalence of silent stroke in Kurdistan, Iraq. Neurosciences (Riyadh) 15:167–171

    Google Scholar 

  13. Al-Mahdawi AM (2005) Transient ischemic attack and ischemic stroke, risk factors and preventive roles of the first contact physicians. Neurosciences 10:56–60

    Google Scholar 

  14. Al-Fahad SA, Al-Araji AH (1999) Neuro-Behcet’s disease in Iraq: a study of 40 patients. J Neurol Sci 170:105–111

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. al-Saad SK, al-Khayat JQ, al-Nooman NN (2001) Frequency of unemployment among epileptic patients in Tikrit, Iraq. East Mediterr Health J 7:531–535

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Hartmann JE (2006) Neurology in operation Iraqi freedom: risk factors for referral, clinical presentations and incidence of disease. J Neurol Sci 241:83–90

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Burnham GM, Lafta R, Doocy S (2009) Doctors leaving 12 tertiary hospitals in Iraq, 2004–2007. Soc Sci Med 69:172–177

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. UNHCR The UN Refugee Agency (2010) Jordan fact sheet July 2010. http://www.unhcr.org/4c90819a9.html. Accessed 31 May 2011

Download references

Acknowledgments

Dr. Mateen is supported by the 2010 American Academy of Neurology Foundation Practice Research Fellowship Grant.

Conflict of interest

All authors declare no disclosures and no competing interests.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of International Health, The Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Farrah J. Mateen & Gilbert Burnham

  2. Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Farrah J. Mateen

  3. Division of Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Marco Carone

  4. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Beirut, Lebanon

    Sayre Nyce & Jad Ghosn

  5. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Amman, Jordan

    Timothy Mutuerandu & Huda Al-Saedy

  6. Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Daniel H. Lowenstein

  7. Department of Neurology, Room 627 Pathology Building, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Farrah J. Mateen

Authors
  1. Farrah J. Mateen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marco Carone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sayre Nyce
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jad Ghosn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Timothy Mutuerandu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Huda Al-Saedy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Daniel H. Lowenstein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Gilbert Burnham
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Farrah J. Mateen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mateen, F.J., Carone, M., Nyce, S. et al. Neurological disorders in Iraqi refugees in Jordan: data from the United Nations Refugee Assistance Information System. J Neurol 259, 694–701 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-011-6248-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-011-6248-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation