One-sixth of inpatients in a Danish infectious disease ward have imported diseases: A cross-sectional analysis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to describe travel demographics and disease patterns of patients hospitalized with travel-related diseases, and assess risk factors to improve pre-travel information and post-travel diagnostics and treatment.

METHODS: The study included all patients hospitalized with travel-related diseases in 2015 at a Danish infectious diseases ward. Patient data was extracted from the in-patient hospital registry. was analyzed regarding diagnoses, destination, purpose of travel and pre-travel information.

RESULTS: 240 patients were hospitalized with a total of 289 travel-related diseases, accounting for 16.6% (240/1450) of all admissions. Febrile illnesses were the most common (39.5%, 114/289) followed by respiratory (19.7%, 57/289) and gastrointestinal diagnoses (19.0%, 55/289). Most of the diseases were acquired in Sub-Saharan Africa (35.6%, 103/289) followed by South East Asia (27.0%, 78/289), and 60.0% (144/240) of the patients were tourists. One-third (36.3%, 81/223) of the non-migrants had received pre-travel information. The lowest rate was seen in people visiting friends and relatives (18.2%, 6/32).

CONCLUSION: Travel-related diseases are common among patients admitted to this Danish infectious disease ward. Malaria is the most common disease among both travelers and immigrants. In approximately one third of all the patients in our study etiology was unknown.