We review asymptomatic splenomegaly in Indochinese refugees and provide recommendations for evaluation of the problem. Prevalence of splenomegaly in newly arrived Indochinese refugees was 2.5%, three times more prevalent in the Hmong than in the non-Hmong than in the non-Hmong refugees. Male Hmong refugees aged 15 to 29 years had the highest prevalence (10%). For the 50 Hmong refugees studied, there was no evidence that their splenomegaly was caused by clonorchiasis, schistosomiasis, tuberculosis, syphilis, lymphoma, tropical splenomegaly syndrome, or clinical malaria. Cases were more likely to have hepatomegaly, hepatitis B surface antigen positivity, and a low mean corpuscular volume than a reference population of Hmong refugees. Malaria antibody titers were elevated in all but one of the 41 cases (98%) tested.

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Antibodies Laos human platelet count Refugees splenomegaly Malaria comparative study Minnesota Adolescent male female tuberculosis Infant Child, Preschool lymphoma Plasmodium Syphilis prevalence Support, Non-U.S. Gov't adult major clinical study schistosomiasis clonorchiasis tropic splenomegaly syndrome Sex Factors Age Factors spleen nervous system Hepatitis B Surface Antigens hepatitis B Asia, Southeastern Middle Age Child