TOPLINE:
Exposures before, during, and after migration significantly affect skin health outcomes among US migrant populations, with infections, inflammatory conditions, and traumatic wounds being the predominant dermatologic concerns.
METHODOLOGY:
- Researchers conducted a scoping review of 87 articles, which included 12,633 participants and were published from 2000 to 2022, focusing on dermatologic conditions affecting migrant populations in the United States and US territories.
- Overall, cross-sectional studies accounted for 42.5% of the articles, case reports and series for 41.4%, qualitative studies for 3.4%, and a mixed-methods study for 1.1%.
- Data collection methods included medical records review (56.3%), interviews (25.3%), surveys (24.1%), and other approaches (21.8%), with clinical settings spanning outpatient (14.9%), community (10.3%), inpatient (5.7%), and emergency departments (5.7%).
- Gender distribution analysis of 75 articles revealed 2671 female participants and 7044 male participants, with seven articles focusing exclusively on migrant women.
- Of 65 studies reporting the origin of migrants, most were from Mexico (43%), Guatemala (21.5%), and Vietnam (12.3%). North Carolina (28.7%), California (12.6%), and New York (8%) were the most common study locations.
TAKEAWAY:
- Infections were the commonly most reported (51.7%), followed by inflammatory skin conditions (37.9%), traumatic wounds (18.4%), pigmentary disorders (11.5%), and neoplasms (11.5%). Parasitic infections were the most frequent infectious category.
- Premigration and transit exposures were linked to infectious conditions like mycetoma, leishmaniasis, leprosy, erythema induratum, chromoblastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, anatrichosomiasis, onchocerciasis, Dermatobia hominis infection, cutaneous amebiasis, Roussoella percutanea infection, scabies, molluscum contagiosum, and human T-cell lymphotropic virus 1–associated T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.
- Occupational risks, particularly among farmworkers, nail salon workers, and poultry processing workers, were associated with contact dermatitis, parasite infestations, and other skin diseases.
- Structural barriers limited access to quality dermatologic care for migrant populations. Educational interventions targeting healthcare providers and migrants were identified as opportunities for improving skin health.
IN PRACTICE:
“This scoping review found that exposures before, during, and after migration and structural factors were associated with the skin health of US migrant populations,” the authors wrote. They identified critical literature gaps that represent opportunities, including “research focused on a broad spectrum of dermatologic diseases countries of birth, occupations, and vulnerable populations, such as women and children, as well as implementing and evaluating policy that addresses structural barriers migrants face in accessing quality health care.”
SOURCE:
The study was led by Herbert B. Castillo Valladares, MD, MHS, Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. It was published online on April 9 in JAMA Dermatology.
LIMITATIONS:
The review’s findings may be limited by the heterogeneity of migrant populations and potential publication bias, as many studies originated from specific states like North Carolina, California, and New York.
DISCLOSURES:
The authors received support from the Dermatology Foundation Public Health Career Development Award, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, and the University of California San Francisco Inquiry Funding Office. No other disclosures were reported.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.