Lenz Katja, Bauer-Dubau Karolin, Jelinek Tomas
Berlin Institute of Tropical Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
J Travel Med. 2006 May-Jun;13(3):133-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.2006.00030.x.
Migrants form 9% of Germany's population and 13% of its capital Berlin. Only limited data are available regarding general health status and prevalence of tropical diseases among migrants in Germany. This study was conducted to investigate the spectrum and frequency of tropical diseases among migrants in Berlin and to evaluate the quality of the medical care provided. The necessity of a routine screening for tropical diseases among migrants was assessed.
Anonymized data of migrants presenting to the Berlin Institute of Tropical Medicine between 1999 and 2004 with a stay in Germany below 1 year (n= 153) were analyzed.
Of all examined migrants, 48% needed immediate medical treatment and 38% carried an infectious disease, mainly nematodes and intestinal protozoa. 19% suffered from a noninfectious disease, mainly anemia, and 12% were transferred to other specialists for further investigation. These figures were similar among asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. The median duration of stay in Germany until presentation was 42 days. While 40% of the migrants were examined within the first 4 weeks of their stay, 20% had not received a medical examination after 6 months. Of this population, 50% required treatment upon presentation.
The high proportion of delayed diagnosis and treatment indicates a lack of medical service for migrants. While this clearly translates into increased health risks for the individual patient, it also indicates a potential risk for transmission of communicable diseases in the community. The lack of a correlation between symptoms and detected infectious disease indicates the need for a standardized routine screening examination in all migrants.
移民占德国人口的9%，占首都柏林人口的13%。关于德国移民的总体健康状况和热带疾病患病率，仅有有限的数据。本研究旨在调查柏林移民中热带疾病的种类和发病率，并评估所提供医疗服务的质量。评估了对移民进行热带疾病常规筛查的必要性。
分析了1999年至2004年期间前往柏林热带医学研究所、在德国停留时间不足1年的移民（n = 153）的匿名数据。
在所有接受检查的移民中，48% 需要立即接受治疗，38% 患有传染病，主要是线虫和肠道原生动物。19% 患有非传染病，主要是贫血，12% 被转介给其他专科医生进行进一步检查。无症状和有症状患者的这些数据相似。就诊前在德国的中位停留时间为42天。40% 的移民在停留的前4周内接受了检查，20% 的移民在6个月后仍未接受医学检查。在这一人群中，50% 在就诊时需要治疗。
延迟诊断和治疗的比例很高，表明移民缺乏医疗服务。这显然会增加个体患者的健康风险，也表明社区中传染病传播的潜在风险。症状与检测到的传染病之间缺乏相关性，表明需要对所有移民进行标准化的常规筛查检查。
