Contact : A. Arnaud

Survey in process.

Dermatologic disease is the most common health problem found in the homeless, due to living condition and sometimes alcoholism, drug abuse and/or psychiatric troubles. So skin diseases could often have many overlapped beginnings.

The study will describe the difficulties of homeless people to take care of their personal hygiene, estimate the prevalence of parasitic dermatoses (scabies, lice), the seroprevalence of Bartonella quintana and the prevalence of foot-related problems like fungal and bacterial infections.

During spring 2011 a study will take place in different kind of shelters and in camps in the Ile-de-France region. Study places and persons would be drawn lots. After consent, nurses will collect socio-demographic information, perform a clinical exam, draw capillary blood samples, take skin scrapings and collect lice.

Furthermore a standardized questionnaire would be send to the shelters to identify preventive and management practices.

This epidemiological and clinical study with direct personal benefit since people will be directed according to the exam results, would lead to establish guidelines for the prevention and the treatment of the diseases of interest and reduce their prevalence.

Work in process

Protocol