BACKGROUND: Very few studies regarding the health status of foreign brides in Taiwan are so far available. The purpose of this study was to analyze the health status of foreign brides in a community hospital setting in Taipei County. METHODS: We retrieved and analyzed 493 foreign brides' medical records recorded between November 1, 2002 and October 31, 2003. The records included a medical history, physical examination parameters, serological test data for infectious diseases, urinalysis for drug use, stool sample data for intestinal parasites, and chest radiography mainly to rule out tuberculosis. RESULTS: Of the 493 foreign brides included in this study, 247 were from China (50.1%); 122 from Burma (24.7%), 55 from Indonesia (11.2%), and 32 from Vietnam (6.5%). A small proportion of women, 69 (14%), were infected with intestinal parasites. Seven subjects (1.4 %) had tuberculosis, of which 4 (0.8%) were diagnosed as having old tuberculosis. None of the foreign brides was positive for the HIV antibody or on the syphilis screening. The seronegative rate of anti-rubella IgG among the foreign brides was 14.4%. Three percent of the brides had an elevated morphine level (> or = 300 ng/mL), but none of them was positive (> or = 500 ng/mL) for amphetamine. CONCLUSIONS: Future national statistics should include brides from China. The main concerns about foreign brides are the low vaccination rate against rubella virus, the high infection rate with intestinal parasites, and the high prevalence of tuberculosis. A nationwide survey should be carried out in order to assess the health status of all foreign brides in Taiwan.
BACKGROUND: Very few studies regarding the health status of foreign brides in Taiwan are so far available. The purpose of this study was to analyze the health status of foreign brides in a community hospital setting in Taipei County. METHODS: We retrieved and analyzed 493 foreign brides' medical records recorded between November 1, 2002 and October 31, 2003. The records included a medical history, physical examination parameters, serological test data for infectious diseases, urinalysis for drug use, stool sample data for intestinal parasites, and chest radiography mainly to rule out tuberculosis. RESULTS: Of the 493 foreign brides included in this study, 247 were from China (50.1%); 122 from Burma (24.7%), 55 from Indonesia (11.2%), and 32 from Vietnam (6.5%). A small proportion of women, 69 (14%), were infected with intestinal parasites. Seven subjects (1.4 %) had tuberculosis, of which 4 (0.8%) were diagnosed as having old tuberculosis. None of the foreign brides was positive for the HIV antibody or on the syphilis screening. The seronegative rate of anti-rubella IgG among the foreign brides was 14.4%. Three percent of the brides had an elevated morphine level (> or = 300 ng/mL), but none of them was positive (> or = 500 ng/mL) for amphetamine. CONCLUSIONS: Future national statistics should include brides from China. The main concerns about foreign brides are the low vaccination rate against rubella virus, the high infection rate with intestinal parasites, and the high prevalence of tuberculosis. A nationwide survey should be carried out in order to assess the health status of all foreign brides in Taiwan.