摘要:

Recent epidemiological surveys indicated that the rate of morbidity and mortality from motor neuron disease (MND) has increased worldwide. We evaluated whether the incidence of the disease has also changed in Padua, Italy, using a retrospective method to study all MND cases hospitalized in the Padua district from 1980 to 1991. As in other regions of the world, we also found an increased incidence of the disease.

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000109905

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Mortality rates from motor neuron disease (MND) in Spain were analysed for the years 1960–1989, a period in which 3,530 deaths were recorded from the disease and during which the crude annual mortality rate ranged between 0.35 and 0.95 deaths per 100,000 persons. Whilst the crude mortality rate fell by 54% during the decade 1960–1969, there was a net increase of 26% over the entire period. The influence of three sets of variables – the increasing mean age of the population, changing environmental factors, and changing competition between diseases – upon mortality rates were investigated through Gompertzian analysis of crude and age-adjusted mortality rates. The increased mean age of the population contributed significantly to the overall rise in mortality from MND over the whole period, a feature that has previously been demonstrated to occur in the majority of industrialised countries. The unusual pattern of a decline and subsequent rise in mortality appears to be due to the influence of changing environmental factors on a sub-population susceptible to the

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000109906

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

In this study, we determined the relationship between Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and pregnancy. By taking advantage of several nationwide registers and the availability of personal identification numbers, we calculated person-years for Swedish females aged 15–49 years in the following categories: (1) neither pregnant nor postpartum; (2) pregnant; (3) in the first month postpartum, or (4) in the first 3 months postpartum during 1973–1983. For these women, we determined the corresponding exposure status of hospital-registered GBS cases. Medical records were examined for GBS cases hospitalized during the 2-week period postpartum and 1-month period after the last menstruation. Poisson regression analysis yielded age-adjusted relative risks (RRs) of 0.86 (95% CI 0.40–1.84) for pregnant women, and 1.47 (0.54–3.99) and 2.21 (0.55–8.94) for females during the 3-month and the 30-day period after delivery. The risk for GBS seems to be lower during pregnancy and increases afte

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000109907

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

A study of the prevalence of Parkinson''s disease (PD) was conducted in a Japanese city in 1992, and the data compared with those of a similar study performed in 1980. On the prevalence day, April 1, 1992, a total of 156 patients (46 males and 110 females) were found to be living in the investigated area, which had a population of 132,315. The prevalence per 100,000 population was 117.9 (72.8 in males and 159.1 in females), and the incidence during the period 1989 through 1992 was 15.0 per 100,000 population per year. The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence per 100,000 population was 99.5 in 1992 and 103.9 in 1980, as calculated using the 1990 Japanese population as the standard. The age-adjusted prevalence in the population under 60 years of age and the incidence in those under 55 years of age in 1992 were lower than in those under 55 in 1980. These results revealed that changes in the age structure of the population were the main contributors to the increased incidence of PD.

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000109908

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The prevalence of all neurological disorders in a Japanese town was calculated, with a result of 91.1 per 1,000 population. The prevalence of cerebrovascular disease was 28.8; myelopathy and/or radiculopathy caused by deformity of the spine or disc herniation, 23.9; neuralgia, 11.5; dementia, 10.4; peripheral nerve disturbance, 5.5; epilepsy, 4.4; Parkinson''s disease, 2.0; mental retardation, 2.9; brain/spinal tumor, 1.4; headache, 10.8, and vertigo/dizziness, 4.4. The prevalence of headache and vertigo/dizziness was also calculated from the results of the questionnaires sent to inhabitants: headache, 79.6, and vertigo/dizziness, 60.8. Neurological disorders are common in Japan and likely to continue to increase.

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000109909

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Several studies have reported a lower prevalence of Parkinson''s disease (PD) in populations of African origin than in populations of European origin, raising the possibility that the former are protected against PD. However, the confounding effects of low case ascertainment and high selective mortality on PD prevalence estimates in populations of African origin cannot be ruled out at this time. One hypothesis consistent with available data is that populations of African origin are vulnerable to vascular parkinsonism, which is associated with high mortality.

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000109910

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

This paper presents an exploratory study based on occupational mortality statistics for Great Britain. It examines disease concordance between marital partners for multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous studies have revealed that a married woman''s life expectancy and her specific cause of death is reliably associated with the occupational mortality of her husband. This relationship exists across a wide range of occupations but is particularly marked in the case of MS. The present study examines the mortality rates for MS for a large number of occupations (taking into account possible sources of statistical bias) and considers the relationship of these findings with existing hypotheses about the aetiology of MS. It is suggested that there should be more consideration of occupational and psychological factors in multicausal explanations of the disease.

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000109911

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger