Of these, 35 patients (32%) experienced a problem related to a chronic condition. In comparison, 24 (22%) patients experienced an acute infection. Sixty percent of patients

were nonadherent to medications during travel. An average increase in diastolic blood pressure of 3.6 mmHg among patients with hypertension was the only statistically significant change in a chronic disease marker when values before and after travel were compared. Subgroup analysis revealed that travel to Africa and nonadherence to medications were also associated with worsening blood pressure control, and patients traveling to Africa experienced a decrease in body MK0683 mass index. This study identified a high proportion of problems related to chronic conditions experienced during VFR travel, while pre-travel appointments tended to focus on infectious disease prevention. A greater emphasis on medication adherence and chronic disease management during VFR travel is also needed selleck screening library during pre-travel preparations. International tourist arrivals were estimated to reach 1 billion for the first time in 2012, with nearly half

of all traveler arrivals in emerging economies.[1] In 2011, 46% of individuals traveling internationally by air from the United States were visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travelers.[2] Although the definition of VFR travelers varies throughout the literature, this term 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase generally refers to immigrants currently residing in high-income countries returning to their homelands for a temporary visit, particularly when there is a gradient of epidemiologic risk between home and destination.[3] VFR travelers are generally considered to have higher travel-related health risks than tourists and business travelers. They typically have longer durations of travel, have more intimate contact with the host population, and travel to regions of the world with higher prevalence of communicable disease. They generally live and share meals with local hosts, with potentially greater exposure to unsafe food, water, and vector-borne diseases.

VFR travelers have been consistently found to experience an increased burden of travel-related infectious diseases including malaria, viral hepatitis, typhoid fever, and sexually transmitted infections relative to tourists and business travelers.[4-10] Unfortunately, VFR travelers may underestimate their travel-associated health risks and may be less likely to seek pre-travel health advice or be appropriately vaccinated prior to travel.[4-7, 9, 10] While the available literature demonstrates that VFR travelers have increased risk of travel-related infectious diseases relative to other travelers, little is known about the impact of VFR travel on chronic disease. Pre-travel health consultations often emphasize diarrhea prevention and treatment, vaccine-preventable diseases, and malaria prophylaxis.