[Health problems of foreign adopted children in Spain].

BACKGROUND

We decided to assess the health problems of internationally adopted children in Spain.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Retrospective study of 135 medical records from the Hospital Niño Jesus, Madrid. The prevalence of malnutrition, anemia, parasitosis and other acquired and congenital diseases was studied.

RESULTS

18.9% of children were considered completely healthy; 37.8% children had a single disease and 43.3% had two or more. 32.3% were found to have anemia, 30.2% parasitosis and 25.2% malnutrition.

CONCLUSIONS

The high morbidity figures observed in our study reinforces the need of special medical care in this group of children.