1. Medical check-up of newly arrived unaccompanied minors: A dedicated pediatric consultation service in a hospital.
- Author
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Bergevin A, Husain M, Cruz M, Blanc CL, Dieme A, Girardin ML, Toujouse C, Tkhayat RB, Slabab S, Corseri O, Maglorius M, Vercamer C, Eskander E, Desselas E, Lachaume N, Garraffo A, Sorge F, Roux EL, Gaschignard J, Caseris M, and Faye A
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Child, Female, Hospitals statistics & numerical data, Humans, Male, Minors psychology, Paris, Pediatrics methods, Pediatrics statistics & numerical data, Referral and Consultation classification, Retrospective Studies, Referral and Consultation statistics & numerical data, Refugees statistics & numerical data
- Abstract
Background and Aims: Healthcare for the increasing number of migrants in Europe, and particularly of unaccompanied minors (UMs) seeking asylum, has become a major challenge. We aimed to describe the health issues of UMs managed in a dedicated pediatric consultation service in a care center in Paris., Methods: All UMs attending a dedicated migrant medical consultation service in Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France, were included in a single-center retrospective observational study from September 1, 2017, to September 30, 2018., Results: Out of the 107 UMs who were included, 87% had a health problem (n=93) and 52% had an infectious disease (n=56). The main infectious diagnoses were schistosomiasis (22%), latent tuberculosis (22%), intestinal parasitosis (16%), and chronic hepatitis B (8%). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and overweight were common (35% and 20%, respectively). The median age was 15 years old (IQR, 14-16), the male/female ratio was 95/12. Most of the children were from sub-Saharan Africa (n=67), 46% had crossed Libya (n=49) and, when compared to the other migration routes, faced an increasing risk of violence (69%, p=0.04), imprisonment (53%, p=0.03), and forced labor (48%, p=0.02). The median duration of the trip before reaching France was 6 months (IQR, 2-13), the median time to consultation was 2 months (0-5) and was not associated with an increased risk of health problems. A total of 43 UMs were lost to follow-up., Conclusion: Health problems, particularly infectious diseases and PTSD, are common among UMs and should prompt an early medical consultation with psychiatric evaluation. Follow-up is problematic and could be improved by an on-line health book., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2021 French Society of Pediatrics. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2021
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