Review of health problems among foreign travelers presenting to the hospital for tropical diseases, Bangkok, Thailand between 2009 and 2014

Abstract

© 2019, Medical Association of Thailand. All rights reserved. Objective: Because of the increasing number of international travelers in Thailand and the different characteristics of people from different geographic areas, the present study aimed to determine the spectrum of health problems among foreign travelers who came to Thailand. Materials and Methods: The medical records of the foreign travelers that attended the Travel and Fever Clinics at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Bangkok, Thailand between October 2009 and October 2014 were retrospectively reviewed to determine the health problems among foreign travelers. It was a cross-sectional descriptive study Results: Among the 339 eligible foreign patients, 63.4% were male, 61.9% were Europeans/North Americans, and 55.8% visited Thailand for tourism. Sixty-one various health problems were encountered. The three most common health problems were acute diarrhea, dengue infection, and febrile viral infection. Europeans/North Americans and Australians/New Zealanders had twice the number of gastrointestinal disorders than Asians. Tourists were more likely to have diarrhea than expatriates (p=0.044), while Australians/New Zealanders were more likely to have diarrhea than Asians (p=0.012). Europeans/North Americans and Australians/New Zealanders were less likely to have dengue than Asians (p=0.033 and 0.035, respectively). Dengue was also less commonly found in the research/education group than expatriate group (p=0.031). Conclusion: Most diseases among study subjects were similar to diseases commonly found in Thailand. Geographical origin and travelling purpose of the travelers were associated with some disease incidences.