[Imported diseases in African immigrants in Spain: study of 1,321 patients].
BACKGROUND
Immigrants can carry diseases characteristic from their countries of origin. These are known as imported diseases (ID) and can be classified into tropical diseases (TD) or cosmopolitan diseases (CD). The aim of this study was to analyse the ID in African immigrants and evaluate their repercussion in the Spanish Public Health.


METHODS
Observational study, retrospective protocol, carried from 1984 to 1994 in African immigrants seen in a reference Hospital. Not infectious chronic ID were excluded. The repercussion in public health was divided in 3 categories according to transmission risk to the host population: a) ID without current risk; b) ID with potential risk and, c) ID of risk.


RESULTS
1,321 African immigrants were considered. Most of them were from Sub-Saharan Africa. The most frequent TD were helminthiases and among CD, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases and parasitoses. ID without transmission risk were 26.7% (2.4% CD and 24.3% TD), ID with potential risk 35.2% (33.6% CD and 1.6% TD) and ID with risk 38% (all CD).


CONCLUSIONS
The CD and their association with poverty suppose a higher risk of transmission to the host country population. Global policies of helping social and economic insertion of immigrant populations, combined with international health collaboration, will rebound positively in the general population's health.
Roca
Carme
C
Comissió de Cooperació i Salut Internacional. Societat Catalana de Medicina Familiar i Comunitària. Area Bàsica de Salut El Clot. Institut Català de la Salut. Barcelona. Spain. 27543lvs@comb.es
Balanzó
Xavier
X
Fernández-Roure
Josep Lluís
JL
Sauca
Goretti
G
Savall
Roser
R
Gascón
Joaquín
J
Corachán
Manuel
M
D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D044383:Black People; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000208:ethnology*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011634:Public Health; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014195:Travel; D014330:Tropical Medicine