title: Health preparations and travel-related morbidity of kidney transplant recipients traveling to developing countries.
abstract: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among Dutch kidney transplant recipients to investigate travel health knowledge, attitudes and practices while staying abroad. A total of 290 individuals visiting the nephrology outpatient clinic completed the questionnaires. Thirty four percent of the responders had traveled outside Western Europe (WE) and Northern America (NA); 22% of these travelers did not seek pre-travel health advice. Transplant physicians were most frequently consulted for pre-travel advice (53%). Of the responders traveling outside WE and NA 29% were ill during their most recent journey. Diabetic transplant recipients were at the highest risk. Four of seventeen ill recipients (24%) were hospitalized, reflecting the high morbidity of travel-related disease in this patient group. Our data show that there is need for improvement of pre-travel healthcare, and suggest an important role for transplant physicians in providing adequate counseling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden Unviersity Medical Center, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A H E
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Roukens
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: van Dissel
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: de Fijter
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Visser
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel