Background: Albanian immigrants in Greece comprise a highly mobile population with unknown health care profile. We aimed to assess whether these immigrants were more or less likely to undergo laparotomy for suspected appendicitis with negative findings (negative appendicectomy), by performing a controlled study with individual (1:4) matching. We used data from 6 hospitals in the Greek prefecture of Epirus that is bordering Albania. Results: Among a total of 2027 non-incidental appendicectomies for suspected appendicitis performed in 1994-1999, 30 patients with Albanian names were matched (for age, sex, time of operation and hospital) to 120 patients with Greek names. The odds for a negative appendicectomy were 3.4-fold higher (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-9.31, p = 0.02) in Albanian immigrants than in matched Greek-name subjects. The difference was most prominent in men (odds ratio 20.0, 95% CI, 1.41-285, p = 0.02) while it was not formally significant in women (odds ratio 1.56, 95% CI, 0.44-5.48). The odds for perforation were 1.25-fold higher in Albanian-name immigrants than in Greek-name patients (95% CI 0.44-3.57). Conclusions: Albanian immigrants in Greece are at high risk for negative appendicectomies. Socioeconomic, cultural and language parameters underlying health care inequalities in highly mobile immigrant populations need better study.

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cultural anthropology immigrant hospitalization Albania risk minority group sex ratio human risk assessment sex difference Odds Ratio statistics Names health service surgical technique controlled study health status language ethnology laparotomy Confidence interval Humans human tissue Adolescent Treatment Outcome male Minority Groups female Socioeconomic Factors risk factor Risk Factors socioeconomics Greece high risk population population research Article Retrospective Studies major clinical study adult migration data analysis Utilization Review age distribution Emigration and Immigration Appendicitis diagnostic error hospital retrospective study Health Services Misuse nomenclature appendectomy perforation Diagnostic Errors