UNEXPLAINED SEPTICEMIA AND PNEUMOPERITONEUM IN VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE- A SELF-INFLICTED CONDITION

Background: Ten Vietnamese boat people with septicaemic shock or pneum operitoneum were admitted between April and July 1993. Methods: In ord er to investigate the cause of unexplained septicaemic shock and spont aneous pneumoperitoneum in Vietnamese boat people, and audit was carri ed out. Attention was paid to the mode of presentation, abnormal physi cal signs, presence of injection marks, radiological signs, subsequent progress and outcome. Results: The clinical and radiological findings were all in favour of self-inflicted conditions. A retrospective revi ew from the hospital record revealed that the emergency admission rate and disappearance rate of the Vietnamese boat people was higher than those of other patients (P < 0.001). Conclusion: It is concluded that self-inflicted conditions are a serious problem among the Vietnamese b oat people, who may use hospital admission to avoid the detention cent re.