title: [Eye disease in international adoption: Importance of the region of origin].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To describe the ophthalmological conditions seen in children adopted internationally by Spanish families, and to assess the influence of the world region of origin and the preadoption period of institutional care on these conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted on 232 children divided into 4 groups according to world region of origin: Group 1, eastern Europe (n=95); Group 2, Asia (n=95); Group 3, Central and South America (n=26); and Group 4, Africa (n=16). A complete ophthalmological study was carried out and the groups were compared for the prevalence of ophthalmological conditions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the total, 57.8% (134) of children presented ophthalmological abnormalities. The prevalence of ametropia was strongly correlated with the world region of origin, and was significantly higher in Group 3 (65.4%) compared to the remaining groups. Strabismus and optic nerve hypoplasia (15.8% and 3.2%, respectively) were more prevalent in Group 1. The preadoption institutional care period was longer in children in Groups 1 and 3 (24.5 and 27.7 months, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children adopted from Central and South America had the highest prevalence of ametropia. Adopted children from eastern Europe showed a weak tendency to present strabismus and optic nerve hypoplasia. Adoptive parents, pediatricians and ophthalmologists should be aware of the high prevalence of ophthalmologic conditions in internationally adopted children and provide the means for a prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Oftalmología, Fundació Hospital de Nens de Barcelona, Barcelona, España. Electronic address: lluisianna@msn.com.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cavero-Roig
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Pediatría, Fundació Hospital de Nens de Barcelona, Barcelona, España; Unidad del niño viajero y adoptado, Fundació Hospital de Nens de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Á
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Díaz-Conradi
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermería, Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Negre-Loscertales
authors.affiliation: Optometría, Fundació Hospital de Nens de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrero-Rosanas
authors.affiliation: Optometría, Fundació Hospital de Nens de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salvador-Valle
authors.affiliation: Área Básica del Carmel, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Burch-Piñol
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Pediatría, Fundació Hospital de Nens de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Urraca-Martínez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Pediatría, Fundació Hospital de Nens de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Massaguer-Cabrera
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption / Q000208:ethnology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Internationally adopted children; Niño procedente de adopción internacional; Ocular pathology; Patología ocular; Región geográfica de origen; World region of origin