Throughout the last decade, thousands of refugees arrived on a daily basis at the Mediterranean coast of Southern European countries. Because this influx is not expected to slow down, the development of national and European strategies is required to ensure appropriate and accessible health care to these vulnerable populations.1,2 The vast majority of these migrants come from areas in which sickle cell disease (SCD) and other hemoglobinopathies are highly prevalent. Limited data are available on the burden of these disorders in populations of refugees. Here, we present 2 pieces of evidence supporting the need for specific strategies for the early identification of SCD in refugees. First, we carried out a retrospective study of data collected from 2014 to 2017 across 13 Italian reference centers for SCD and hemoglobinopathies. The primary outcome of this study was to identify events associated with the new diagnosis of SCD in refugees; the secondary outcome was to evaluate the impact of hemoglobinopathies in refugees coming from endemic areas.

Access to emergency departments for acute events and identification of sickle cell disease in refugees

Lucia De Franceschi
;
Monica Rizzi;Filippo Mazzi;
2019-01-01

Abstract

Throughout the last decade, thousands of refugees arrived on a daily basis at the Mediterranean coast of Southern European countries. Because this influx is not expected to slow down, the development of national and European strategies is required to ensure appropriate and accessible health care to these vulnerable populations.1,2 The vast majority of these migrants come from areas in which sickle cell disease (SCD) and other hemoglobinopathies are highly prevalent. Limited data are available on the burden of these disorders in populations of refugees. Here, we present 2 pieces of evidence supporting the need for specific strategies for the early identification of SCD in refugees. First, we carried out a retrospective study of data collected from 2014 to 2017 across 13 Italian reference centers for SCD and hemoglobinopathies. The primary outcome of this study was to identify events associated with the new diagnosis of SCD in refugees; the secondary outcome was to evaluate the impact of hemoglobinopathies in refugees coming from endemic areas.
2019
Adolescent
Anemia, Sickle Cell
Child
Child, Preschool
Emergency Service, Hospital
Female
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Infant
Italy
Male
Mass Screening
Pilot Projects
Young Adult
Refugees
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/1047599
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