Profile of Syrian Asylum-Seekers from Neurological Clinic in a Tertiary Center

Abstract

Background: The humanitarian response for Syria has been largely managed either from within Syria or from neighboring countries, particularly Turkey. This study was aimed at determining the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of Syrian asylum-seekers admitted to our clinic, changes in patient number across years, and the percentage of patients on follow-ups. Methods: Syrian patients who were admitted to the neurology outpatient clinics, neurology emergency department (ED), and hospitalized in the neurology clinics were included in the study. Age, gender, number of admissions, year of admissions, chief complaints, diagnoses, and follow-up percentages of patients were recorded. Results: The total number of Syrian patients who were first admitted to our hospital and consulted from other clinics, were found to be 763 (ED: 609 [79.8%], outpatient: 134 [17.6%] consultation: 20 [2.6%]). A total of 543 (96.1%) of the patients with a neurological disorder did not come to the follow-ups even though their conditions required regular follow-ups. The most common complaints were headache (24.2%), fainting (16.1%), weakness (11.9%), and dizziness (10%). Conclusion: Most of the patients admitted to our hospital did not come to the follow-ups and information regarding their treatments could not be obtained. Even though the Republic of Turkey provided the Syrian asylum-seekers with free medical care, utilization of these resources may be limited because of socioeconomic issues.