Emergency consultations of foreign tourists visiting Paris in August. Fiveyears of prospective surveillance (1992-1996)

For five consecutive years, five major Parisian institutions in charge of e mergencies have participated in a prospective collection of medical data fo r foreign patients visiting Paris in August; 4093 subjects have been studie d. Gastronteritis represented the main cause in calling on emergency medical c are (14.5 to 27.9%) followed by traumatology ear-nose-throat problems syndr omes labelled as viral, skin problems: these five categories represented 60 to 64% of all the serious problems encountered by tourists. The statistica l frequency of different causes in calling on emergency care varied signifi cantly according to two variables: the tourists' age and nationality The incidence of gastroenteritis is estimated at between 13 and 30 per 100 000 visitors and the incidence of pathological problems taken all together - at 80 to 100 per 100000.