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Vol 69, No 4 (2018)
Review article
Published online: 2018-12-20

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The older traveller

Marcin Woś1, Krzysztof Korzeniewski2
DOI: 10.5603/IMH.2018.0045
Pubmed: 30589069
IMH 2018;69(4):285-296.

Abstract

All over the world there has been a sudden increase in the number of international travels, mostly for
touristic purposes. According to the World Tourism Organisation, the number of international journeys
exceeded 1.323 billion in 2017 and it continues to grow. Of the growing number of travellers more and
more are the elderly (> 65 years), this fact can be attributed to longer life expectancy and a better quality of
life, especially in the developed countries. The article lists the main destinations chosen by senior tourists
and their reasons for travel, it also discusses physiological changes in organs and systems affecting the
elderly, which are the result of travelling across time zones and to areas with different environment. The
article looks at various groups of patients affected by chronic diseases and examines health-related consequences
of travel, including the most common complications. The general health prevention measures,
with emphasis on vaccinations and antimalarial chemoprophylaxis, have also been discussed.

Keywords: older travellertravel-related diseasehealth prevention

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