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Genetic disorders among Palestinian Arabs. 4: Genetic clinics in the community
Author(s) -
Zlotogora Joël,
Barges Saleh,
Bisharat Bishara,
Shalev Stavit A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
american journal of medical genetics part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.064
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1552-4833
pISSN - 1552-4825
DOI - 10.1002/ajmg.a.31342
Subject(s) - genetic counseling , family medicine , population , medicine , preference , genetic testing , consanguinity , demography , pediatrics , environmental health , biology , genetics , sociology , economics , microeconomics
Genetic disorders are frequent in the Arab population of Israel, mainly because of the preference for consanguineous marriages. Many of the inherited diseases are present with a high frequency only in a limited region or a single village. It is therefore not surprising that, in each of the villages, a different distribution of genetic diseases is found; thus, a detailed knowledge of the genetic disorders present in each village is of utmost importance for genetic counseling. As a direct consequence of these observations two community genetics clinics were opened as a pilot project to study their impact on the population to be served. The use of a computer database allowed for easier and more accurate genetic counseling. There were almost 1,500 visits in the 4‐year period since the introduction of the services. During the years an increase in the mean number of consultations per clinic as well as a change in the type of referrals was observed. There was an increasing proportion of clinics that were made at a time in which genetic counseling allow for primary prevention. The presence of a genetic counselor in the village clinic allows for better and closer contacts with the family physician. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.