title: Health conditions of inmates in Italy.
abstract: Several studies have shown that prison is characterized by a higher prevalence of chronic diseases than unconfined settings. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and health of inmates, focusing on internal diseases.
  
  
  
  We designed a specific clinical record using the Python programming language. We considered all of the diagnoses according to the ICD-9-CM.
  
  
  
  Of a total of 17,086 inmates, 15,751 were enrolled in our study (M = 14,835; F = 869), corresponding to 92.2% of the entire inmate population (mean age of 39.6 years). The project involved a total of 57 detention facilities in six Italian regions (for a total of 28% of all detainees in Italy), as counted in a census taken on February 3, 2014. From the entire study sample, 32.5% of prisoners did not present any disorders, while 67.5% suffered from at least one disease. The most frequent pathologies were psychiatric (41.3%), digestive (14.5%), infectious (11.5%), cardiovascular (11.4%), endocrine, metabolic, and immune (8.6%), and respiratory (5.4%).
  
  
  
  The findings showed that a large number of detainees were affected by several chronic conditions such as hypertension, dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus, with an unusually high prevalence for such a young population. Therefore, a series of preventive measures is recommended to strengthen the entire care process and improve the health and living conditions of prisoners.
authors.affiliation: Observatory of Epidemiology, Regional Health Agency of Tuscany, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Voller
authors.affiliation: Observatory of Epidemiology, Regional Health Agency of Tuscany, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Silvestri
authors.affiliation: Observatory of Epidemiology, Regional Health Agency of Tuscany, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianrocco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.affiliation: Observatory of Epidemiology, Regional Health Agency of Tuscany, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fanti
authors.affiliation: Primary Care Unit, District North, Local Social and Health Care Units, Treviso, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bazzerla
authors.affiliation: Disabled Health Service "Spezzino", National Healthcare Company, La Spezia, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Healthcare Company of Umbria, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grignani
authors.affiliation: Medical House Unit in prison and the third House of Rebibbia, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Libianchi
authors.affiliation: Unit for the Overcoming of the Judicial Psychiatric Hospitals and for Mental Health in Prisons, Local Health Salerno, Salerno, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pagano
authors.affiliation: "Health in Prison" Complex Unit, Empoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scarpa
authors.affiliation: Observatory of Epidemiology, Regional Health Agency of Tuscany, Florence, Italy. cristina.stasi@gmail.com.|Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. cristina.stasi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stasi
authors.affiliation: General Directorate for Health Prevention, Ministry of Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Di Fiandra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011330:Prisons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*