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Chronic Disease Management in Refugees

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Refugee Health Care

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Abstract

The medical literature regarding refugee populations in developed countries has predominantly focused on infectious communicable diseases and mental health; however, with changing lifestyles in developing countries and the process of acculturation within developed countries, refugees are facing an increased risk of non communicable diseases either by having a pre existing condition or acquiring it once in a developed country. Amongst industrialized countries, the United States accounts for nearly 75% of all permanently settled refugees. Most recently, sixty-five percent of refugees resettling in the USA originate from Iraq, Burma and Bhutan. Of the refugees being tested within the first eight months of arrival, 51.1% had some chronic disease and 18.4% had two or more. Such prevalence rates support the need to address chronic conditions in refugees, but the literature provides little guidance for care of common non-communicable disorders in refugees. The objectives of this chapter are to synthesize the medical literature so as to offer clinicians an evidence-based approach for the care of common non communicable disorders in adult refugees and cite the systems challenges that caregivers face when providing chronic care to refugees.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Upstate Medical University, 90 Presidential Plaza, Syracuse, NY, 13202, USA

    Peter Cronkright M.D.

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 East Adams Street, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    Astha K. Ramaiya M.Sc.

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  1. Peter Cronkright M.D.
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  2. Astha K. Ramaiya M.Sc.
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Correspondence to Peter Cronkright M.D. .

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  1. Depts. of Internal Medicine & Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Aniyizhai Annamalai

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Cronkright, P., Ramaiya, A.K. (2014). Chronic Disease Management in Refugees. In: Annamalai, A. (eds) Refugee Health Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0271-2_10

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