Health problems among immigrant children in Norway

There are approximately 54,500 immigrant children (< 16 years) in Norway, half of them from non-western countries. The authors present an overview of different health problems that are more frequent in the migration population than in the general Norwegian population. Psychological problems are very frequent among immigrant children from war areas, and a special therapy programme should be designed for this group. A broad spectrum of diseases that are uncommon among Norwegians, are present in the migrant population, such as sickle cell disease, thalassaemia, malaria, typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Doctors dealing with migrant children should learn how to diagnose and treat these diseases. Iron deficiency and vitamin D deficiency are also prevalent among immigrant children. As many as 65 children with nutritional rickets have been treated at Norwegian hospitals in 1998 and 1999, 54 of them with an immigrant background. This demonstrates the need for a new programme against nutritional rickets in Norway.