adoption

Adoption

The act of lawfully assuming the parental rights and responsibilities of another person, usually a child under age 18, typically due to infertility; 8,000 babies/year enter the US adoption pool, most from underdeveloped countries; about 2% of children < age 18 in the US are adopted.
Health profile Adoptees comprise 5% of children in psychotherapy, 6–9% of those with learning disabilities, 10–15% of those in residential treatment or psychiatric hospitals.
Medical problems in international adoptees
• Infections Giardia lamblia, Trichuris trichiura, Blastocystis hominis, tuberculosis, HBV, chronic diarrhoea, poor hygiene
• Medical problems Neurologic, haematologic, renal, metabolic
• Psychological Sensory deprivation and/or physical abuse by care-givers
• Nutrition Malnutrition, rickets

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

adoption

Social medicine The act of lawfully assuming the parental rights and responsibilities of another person, usually a child under the age of 18; the care and nurturing of a child by a non-blood-related adult who assumes the roles, rights, and obligations of a natural parent; 2% of children < age 18–US are adopted–± 1 million. See Cooperative adoption, Designated adoption, Independent adoption, Infant adoption, Informal adoption, Open adoption, Relative adoption, Semiadoption, Simple adoption, Traditional adoption, Transracial adoption, Wrongful adoption, Zygote adoption.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.