Abstract
Seven simple screening tests - hepatitis B profile, urine culture for cytomegalovirus, Mantoux test for tuberculosis, stool examination for ova and parasites, VDRL, complete blood cell count, and vision and hearing screening - were used to evaluate 52 consecutive children at a pediatric clinic for international adoptees. In 63% of these children, unsuspected medical diagnoses were made by a combintion of history, physical examination, and appropriate screening tests. When only those children previously examined by a physician in the United States were included in our analysis, the rate of unsuspected diagnosis remained high (67%). Omission of screening tests was the single most frequent cause of missed diagnoses, of which the majority were infectious diseases. More than 50% of our newly established diagnoses carried the potential for long-term sequelae without proper treatment. These data emphasize that internationally adopted children should receive a thorough screening evaluation for medical problems that may adversely affect their growth and development.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 559-564 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Pediatrics |
Volume | 83 |
Issue number | 4 |
State | Published - 1989 |