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Health preparations and travel‐related morbidity of kidney transplant recipients traveling to developing countries
Author(s) -
Roukens A.H.E.,
Van Dissel J.T.,
De Fijter J.W.,
Visser L.G.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
clinical transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.918
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1399-0012
pISSN - 0902-0063
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2007.00691.x
Subject(s) - medicine , renal transplant , family medicine , nephrology , kidney transplant , travel medicine , health care , kidney transplantation , cross sectional study , transplantation , psychiatry , pathology , economics , economic growth
A cross‐sectional, descriptive study was conducted among Dutch kidney transplant recipients to investigate travel health knowledge, attitudes and practices while staying abroad. A total of 290 individuals visiting the nephrology outpatient clinic completed the questionnaires. Thirty four percent of the responders had traveled outside Western Europe (WE) and Northern America (NA); 22% of these travelers did not seek pre‐travel health advice. Transplant physicians were most frequently consulted for pre‐travel advice (53%). Of the responders traveling outside WE and NA 29% were ill during their most recent journey. Diabetic transplant recipients were at the highest risk. Four of seventeen ill recipients (24%) were hospitalized, reflecting the high morbidity of travel‐related disease in this patient group. Our data show that there is need for improvement of pre‐travel healthcare, and suggest an important role for transplant physicians in providing adequate counseling.