Articles
Kevin B. Spicer, MD, PhD, MPH; Dwight A. Powell, MD
- Pediatric Annals
- August 2010 - Volume 39 · Issue 8: 517-524
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DOI: 10.3928/00904481-20100726-10
Abstract
From 2000 to 2009, nearly 200,000 children were adopted from outside the United States.1 Although numbers have decreased over the past few years, an average of approximately 18,500 children were adopted each year from 2005 to 2009. Medical status of these children is generally not optimal, as many have experienced abandonment and have been residents of large group facilities (eg, orphanages) with limited resources. These children may have experienced significant perinatal stresses, including exposure to tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, and low birth weight. Given the living environment, nutrition has likely been compromised and environmental stimulation has been limited, while infectious disease risk has increased.
AUTHORS
Kevin B. Spicer, MD, PhD, MPH, is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases; and Physician Director, Antibiotic Stewardship Program, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH. Dwight A. Powell, MD, is Professor of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine; and Director, International Adoption Clinic, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH.
Dr. Spicer and Dr. Powell have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Address correspondence to: Dwight A. Powell, MD, ED154 Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Dr., Columbus, OH 43205; fax: 614-722-4458; e-mail: .Dwight.Powell@NationwideChildrens.org
doi: 10.3928/00904481-20100726-10