STATE OF
INDIAN AND AFROCOLOLOMBIAN CHILDREN HEALTH OF ISOLATED COMMUNITIES IN
COLOMBIA
Nunez-Leon, F.1,
Zarante, I. M.1, Serrano, P.2, Bernal, J. E.1
1 Human Genetics Institute,
Medicine School, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia, S.A.
2 Nutrition Department, Fundacion
Santa Fe de Bogota, Bogota, Colombia, S.A.
Objective: This study described the
frequency of common illnesses, nutritional status, ocular health,
pathological antecedents and relatives of the children belonging to 37 indian,
afrocolombian and isolated groups in Colombia.
Methods: This studies were performed
during the field work (1992 – 1993) in a project called “Gran Expedición
Humana” (Great Human Expedition). We carried out 19 trips, before these
trips was carried out visits to each one of the places in order to inform
the objective of the mission, obtain the consent of the community, evaluate
the conditions of work and agree the date of their realization. The
election of each community was carried out according to the previous
knowledge of the ethnos and to the operative accessibility. The trips were
carried out multi disciplinary professionals groups. Professionals in
Microbiology, Nursery, Ophthalmology, Dentistry and Medicine. During the
consultation Interpreters worked in those places where the inhabitants
didn't speak the Spanish. We used a format of clinical history preset for
the minor of 18 years. Upon concluding the stage of field, we checked the
clinical histories and standardized the diagnoses with ICD-9 of the Health
World Organization. The analyzed sample included 4,498 individuals
distributed in 31 native, 5 afro-colombian and 1 isolated group.
Results: In the native communities
studied 3,464 individuals, 32% (1.679) they were of male and 68% (1.768)
female. Similar distribution exhibited the other studied populations. The
distribution for ages exhibited that most of the children were in the group
of 5 to 9 years (28%) followed by the group of 1 to 4 years (26%). The
afrocolombian communities and isolated they behaved from similar way. The
most frequent diagnoses were in their order: Intestinal Parasitism: 30.4%
(1394), healthy Individuals 20.2% (927), breathing Infection 11.1% (508),
dental Cavities 8% (368) and diarrhea Illness 6.1% (278). In the first 15 diagnoses
in order of frequency prevailed the infectious illnesses in the 3 analyzed
groups. after the pathologies of infectious origin appear Lumbalghia,
Migraine and bronchial Asthma. In the ophthalmologic analysis was that the
66% (1.648) it of the studied population was hemithrope. The following
ophthalmologic diagnoses was in their order: Hipermethropy 13.1% (330),
bacterial Conjunctivitis 3.6% (90), allergic Conjunctivitis 3.5% (87),
Astigmatism 3.4% (86) and Myopia 2.2% (56). The 70% of the interviewees
relate to have not had previous illnesses. The antecedents more frequently
reported corresponds to pathologies of infectious type.
Conclusion: For the first time in the
worldwide literature an investigation describes, using the same instrument,
the state of health of about 5,000 children belonging to communities
native, afrocolombian and isolated groups of the second country in human
diversity which is Colombia. The pathology found in these groups is similar
to the discoveries found in other populations isolated in countries of the
third world and differs of them enunciated in rural or urban zones with
accesses to the services of organized health.