• Franziska Bertram, André Hajek, Katharina Dost, Wiebke Graf, Anna Brennecke, Veronika Kowalski, Victoria van Rüth, Hans-Helmut König, Birgit Wulff, Benjamin Ondruschka, Klaus Püschel, and Fabian Heinrich.
• Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
• Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2022 Feb 16; 119 (50): 861868861-868.

BackgroundThe health status of homeless individuals in Germany has been described incompletely. Mental and somatic illnesses seem to contribute to the high mortality in this cohort.MethodsIn this national, multicenter, cross-sectional study, data were collected on the health of 651 homeless individuals in the metropolitan regions of Hamburg, Frankfurt, Leipzig, and Munich metropolitan regions. The lifetime prevalences of physician-diagnosed mental and somatic illnesses were determined with interviewbased questionnaires. Furthermore, clinical and laboratory examinations were carried out. Multivariable regressions were performed to identify determinants of health status and access to care.ResultsHigh prevalences of both mental and somatic illnesses were confirmed. Particularly, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases were highly prevalent. Evidence for possible unrecognized arterial hypertension and possible unrecognized hypercholesterolemia was found in 27.5% and 15.6% of homeless individuals, respec - tively. 23.1% of study participants reported having received a diagnosis of a mental illness. Evidence for a possible unrecognized mental illness was found in 69.7%. A history of immigration from another country to Germany was found to be an important determinant of the summed scores for mental, somatic, and possible unrecognized illness. Homeless individuals of non-German origin were more likely to be living without shelter (p = 0.03) and to lack health insurance (p < 0.001).ConclusionHigh prevalence rates for mental and somatic illnesses and limited access to mainstream medical care were found. Homeless individuals appear to receive inadequate care for mental illness. Healthcare programs for homeless individuals in Germany should pay particular attention to homeless migrants.

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