%0 Journal Article %J Clin Exp Gastroenterol %D 2011 %T Celiac disease and immigration in Northeastern Italy: the "drawn double nostalgia" of "cozonac" and "panettone" slices. %A Parco, Sergio %A Città, Angelo %A Vascotto, Fulvia %A Tamaro, Giorgio %X

Many investigators consider children's drawings to be an important test in the evaluation of stress and anxiety, but few studies have examined the reliability and validity of indicators of emotional distress in children's projective drawings. In this report, we describe screening tests in children coming to the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in Northeastern Italy from non-European Union regions and suspected to have celiac disease, the problems involved in diagnosis of the disease, and the "drawn double nostalgia" of Romanian children for both Italian food and traditional Romanian foods. Of 3150 Western European cases, we found 712 with positive antibodies for IgA/IgG antitransglutaminase, 174 with a positive antiendomysium antibody confirmation test, and 20 with an IgA deficit. Of the children examined, 93% were children native to Western Europe, 4% were immigrants from Eastern Europe, and 1.6% originated from Africa. Among these, four Romanian children with celiac disease brought in their drawings, as requested in a hospital questionnaire. The prevalence of celiac disease is destined to increase among immigrants. Economic problems are common, and the twin nostalgia of immigrant children for foods and tastes that are "cozonac" (from the native country) and "panettone" (Italian cake flavor) represents a problem that will be difficult to resolve. Only some children's hospitals in Italy, ie, Burlo Garofolo and Gaslini, public and private foundations, or volunteer associations would be able to deal with this problem.

%B Clin Exp Gastroenterol %V 4 %P 121-5 %8 2011 %G eng %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21753894?dopt=Abstract %R 10.2147/CEG.S19225 %0 Journal Article %J Risk Manag Healthc Policy %D 2011 %T Management of immigration and pregnancy screening in northeastern Italy. %A Tamaro, Giorgio %A Parco, Sergio %X

This study assesses the impact of immigration in Friuli Venezia Giulia, a region of northeastern Italy, on the epidemiological features of hemoglobin patterns and on prothrombotic and trisomy risk in pregnancy for patients of non-Italian origin. This study follows a series of studies on the incidence of thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies with reduced globin chain synthesis, that were performed during the postwar (1939-45) period in Friuli Venezia Giulia following immigration into the region from Istria and Sardinia (regions of northern and central Italy). Current data show that today's constantly growing immigration into the region differs from previous decades, in terms of origin and quantity of migrants, who mainly come from third world countries. This has a significant impact on health care issues, and more specifically on prospective health screening for foreigners. The authors conclude that scholastic education and hospital services, either public or private, and voluntary associations, may contribute to solving the problem, but only in terms of training and organization, for non-European Union citizens arriving in northern Italy and neighboring areas, especially those from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and eastern Europe.

%B Risk Manag Healthc Policy %V 4 %P 9-13 %8 2011 %G eng %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22312223?dopt=Abstract %R 10.2147/RMHP.S16150