Disorders In Population Research Articles

Evaluation of the Influence of Alcohol Dehydrogenase Polymorphisms on Alcohol Elimination Rates in African Americans

The relationship between alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) polymorphisms and alcohol use disorders in populations of African descent has not been clearly established. This study examined the effect of ADH1B polymorphisms on alcohol metabolism and subjective response, following intravenous (IV) alcohol administration, and the influence of gender, recent drinking history, and family history of alcoholism (FHA), in nondependent African American drinkers. The sample included eighty-seven 21- to 35-year-old, light social drinkers of African descent. Participants included 39 sib pairs, 2 sibships with 3 siblings each, and 3 individuals who were not part of a sibship. Participants received infusions via the use of the clamp method that refers to the goal of controlling breath alcohol concentration in 2 randomized sessions at 0.06 g% ethanol and 0 mg% (placebo), and a battery of subjective scales at predefined time points. Dependent measures included alcohol elimination rates (AERs), alcohol disappearance rates (ADRs), subjective measures peak scores, and area under the curve. General linear model and mixed models were performed to examine the relationship between ADH1B genotype, dependent measures, and influence of covariates. Participants with ADH1B1/1 genotypes showed higher number of drinks (p = 0.023) and drinks per drinking day (p = 0.009) compared with the persons with ADH1B1/3 genotype. AER (adjusted for body weight) was higher in ADH1B*1 homozygotes (p = 0.045) compared with ADH1B1/3 heterozygotes. ADR differed significantly between males and females (p = 0.002), regardless of body weight (p = 0.004) and lean body mass (p < 0.001) adjustments. Although a few subjective measures differed across genotype, all measures were higher in alcohol sessions compared with placebo sessions (p < 0.001). These observations were mediated by drinks per drinking day, gender, and FHA. ADH1B polymorphism had a marginal effect on alcohol pharmacokinetics following IV alcohol administration in nondependent drinkers of African descent. Session (alcohol vs. placebo) and ADH1B genotype did, however, influence subjective response to alcohol with some variation by gender, FHA, and drinks per drinking day.

AUDIT OF THE APPROPRIATENESS OF HEPATOMA SURVEILLANCE IN A COHORT OF PATIENTS ATTENDING A DEDICATED HAEMOCHROMATOSIS CLINIC

IntroductionHereditary Haemochromatosis (HH) remains the commonest genetic disorder in populations of northern European origin with a prevalence of 1 per 220–250.1 The HH service in Tallaght hospital is an expanding...

SAT0325 Neurological Mechanisms of Chronic Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis

BackgroundIt is now known that OA pain is a complex interaction between many different pain mechanisms. A subset of adults with chronic, symptomatic knee OA may therefore, have neuropathic mechanisms...

Socio demographic wise risk assessment of thyroid function abnormalities in far western region of Nepal: A hospital based descriptive study

ObjectiveTo know the status of thyroid disorder in population of far western region of Nepal. MethodsA total of 808 cases (133 men and 675 non pregnant women) were included and study was carried out using data retrieved from the register maintained in the Department of Biochemistry of the Nepalgunj Teaching Hospital between 1st January, 2011 and 28th February, 2012. The variables collected were age, sex, and thyroid function profile including free T3, free T4 and TSH. ResultsThe percentage of thyroid disorders was 33.66% in far western region of Nepal. The people were highly affected by overt hyperthyroidism (14.9%) followed by subclinical hyperthyroidism (9.9%). The subclinical hypothyroidism was 7.9% while 1% overt hypothyroidism only in a far western region of Nepal. Females were highly affected by overt hyperthyroidism (17.8%), followed by subclinical hyperthyroidism (11.9%). A total of 5.9% females were affected by subclinical hypothyroidism while only 1.2% by overt hypothyroidism. Males were affected only by subclinical hypothyroidism (18.0%) in this present study. High number of total thyroid dysfunction was observed in 21 to 40 years of age groups, followed by 41 to 60 years of age groups. Less than 40 years people were having 1.03, 0.99, 2.51 and 1.15 times risk of developing overt hyperthyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism, overt hypothyroidism and subclinical hyperthyroidism respectively compared to greater than 40. Female were having 0.29 times risk of developing subclinical hyperthyroidism compared to male. But overt hyperthyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism and overt hypothyroidism female were having more risk of developing compared to male. ConclusionsThe thyroid disorder, especially overt hyperthyroidism (14.9%) and subclinical hyperthyroidism (9.9%) was high. Further studies are required to characterize the reasons for this high prevalence.

Association of Socioeconomic Status with Iodine Supply and Thyroid Disorders in Northeast Germany

Studies on the potential association of socioeconomic status with iodine supply and the risk for thyroid disorders from developed countries are sparse. Socioeconomic status, however, may particularly impact the efficiency of iodine prophylaxis programs, which are based on the voluntary principle. This study aims to investigate whether the socioeconomic status is cross-sectionally and longitudinally related to low urinary excretion or thyroid disorders in the population of northeast Germany. Data of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania were used. The study population comprised 4056 adults for cross-sectional and 2860 adults for longitudinal analyses. Assessment of socioeconomic status comprised different scales of education, income, employment, and occupation. Thyroid-related outcomes included urinary iodine excretion, serum thyrotropin, and sonographically defined goiter and nodules. Statistical analyses were adjusted for confounders. Some of the socioeconomic variables were associated with thyroid-related characteristics in cross-sectional analyses. For example, there was an overall tendency for groups with higher education and higher income to have larger thyroid volumes and an increased risk of goiter. However, most of these associations did not attain statistical significance after correcting the target p-value for multiple testing. Longitudinal analyses did not demonstrate consistent results. Socioeconomic status neither substantially influences iodine supply nor does it have a major impact on the prevalence and incidence of thyroid deficiency-related disorders in the adult population of northeast Germany, indicating a good efficacy of the German iodine fortification program in all socioeconomic groups.

Infantile hemangiomas and retinopathy of prematurity: clues to the regulation of vasculogenesis

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and infantile hemangiomas are vascular disorders that may share common mechanisms. This study examined a potential clinical association between these disorders in populations of preterm infants at two hospitals in the USA and Hungary. Clinically collected data from infants with gestational ages less than 32 weeks born between May 1, 2007 and December 31, 2010 seen in the University of Iowa Children's Hospital or the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pécs, were abstracted from electronic medical records and entered into a study database. Demographic and clinical variables were examined as potential covariates to the disorders of interest. Data were initially analyzed by center and then combined through meta-analysis. Six hundred eighty-four subjects were studied: 236 from Pécs and 448 from Iowa. There were no significant demographic differences between populations. Univariate analysis on each study population yielded covariates to ROP in each population, including infantile hemangioma, which were entered into a logistic regression model. These models were combined through random-effects meta-analysis and demonstrated a significant relationship between infantile hemangioma and ROP (odds ratio = 1.84, 95 % confidence interval 1.08-3.12). Infantile hemangioma and ROP co-occur in premature infant populations. Further studies are needed to investigate the pathogenesis of both disorders.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of NR3C1 gene and recurrent depressive disorder in population of Poland

Depressive disorder is a disease characterized by disturbances in the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis. Abnormalities include the increased level of glucocorticoids (GC) and changes in sensitivity to these hormones. The changes are related to glucocorticoid receptors gene (NR3C1) variants. The NR3C1 gene is suggested to be a candidate gene affecting depressive disorder risk and management. The aim of this study was to investigate polymorphisms within the NR3C1 gene and their role in the susceptibility to recurrent depressive disorder (rDD). 181 depressive patients and 149 healthy ethnically matched controls were included in the study. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were assessed using polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Statistical significance between rDD patients and controls was observed for the allele and genotype frequencies at three loci: BclI, N363S, and ER22/23EK. The presence of C allele, CC, and GC genotype of BclI polymorphism, G allele and GA genotype for N363S and ER22/23EK variants respectively were associated with increased rDD risk. Two haplotypes indicated higher susceptibility for rDD, while haplotype GAG played a protective role with ORdis 0.29 [95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.13–0.64]. Data generated from this study support the earlier results that genetic variants of the NR3C1 gene are associated with rDD and suggest further consideration on the possible involvement of these variants in etiology of the disease.

Prevalence and associated factors with alcohol use disorders among adults: a population-based study in southern Brazil

The study aimed to describe the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in an adult population from Brazil and its association with demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral variables and health conditions. A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted with adults (20 to 59 years) of a medium-sized city in Southern Brazil with a random sample of 1,720 individuals. Cluster sampling was done in two stages: census tract first and household second. Alcohol use disorders were measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and associations were tested with selected variables by Poisson Regression. Results of multivariate analysis were expressed as prevalence ratios. The prevalence of alcohol use disorders in the population was 18.4% (95% CI: 16.6% - 20.3%), higher among men (29.9%) than in women (9.3%). The prevalence of abstinence was 30.6%; 6.8% of respondents had already caused problems to themselves or to others after drinking; and 10.3% reported that a relative, friend or doctor had already shown concern on their drinking. After multivariate analysis, an association with alcohol use disorders remained for: being male, age 20 to 29 years, being single, declaring to be light-skinned blacks and being an ex-smoker or current smoker. The prevalence of alcohol use disorders identified is high compared with other similar studies, with differences according to being male, age 20 to 29, skin color and tobacco use. These issues must be considered in formulating public health policies aimed at reducing problems related to alcohol use.

PP158. Hypertensive disorders in pregnant women affected by type I diabetes

Type I diabetes in pregnancy is associated with an increased incidence of hypertensive disorders. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of hypertensive disorders in pregnant women affected by type I diabetes and pregnancy outcome in women with and without hypertension. One hundred seventy two pregnancies in 150 women affected by type I diabetes were assessed. Twelve pregnancies were excluded (8 because of spontaneous abortions, 1 for voluntary abortion and 3 twin pregnancies), and 160 pregnancies were considered for the study. Twenty-five pregnancies (15.6%) were complicated by hypertensive disorders: 4.4% by chronic hypertension (CH), 5% by gestational hypertension (GH), 4.4% by preeclampsia (PE) and 1.8% by preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension (PE+CH); 32% of the women presented a vascular disease (renal or retinal disease). The diabetic women with hypertensive complications were compared with diabetic women without hypertension. The main results are shown in Table 1. Significant differences in mean birth weight and mean gestational age were found. The group affected by preeclampsia showed 14.7% of small for gestational age (SGA) neonates (birth weight percentile less than 10th pc), and 57.1% of large for gestational age (LGA) neonates (birth weight percentile greater than 90th pc), two of them were over 4000 g. Only one case of very preterm delivery (<32 weeks) was observed in the sample. As expected, the incidence of hypertensive disorders in population affected by type 1 diabetes is higher than in general population and a poor pregnancy outcome was observed in this group of women. However, the neonatal outcome of women affected by preeclampsia is not different from that observed in women without hypertensive complications (diabetic controls) in terms of mean birth weight despite a significantly lower mean week gestation at delivery.

A Conceptual Framework in the Study of Neuropsychological Development in Epidemiological Studies

Background: A wide range of neuropsychological development outcomes in children are currently measured in a large number of birth cohort and child cohort studies. Methods: We summarized neuropsychological development assessment protocols from a number of birth cohort studies, reviews and specific books on child neuropsychology into a unifying conceptual framework. Results: We suggest that neuropsychological development can be differentiated into two levels, i.e. functional and clinical. The functional level includes the skills, abilities, capacities and knowledge acquired during maturation of the brain as a result of the development of neural networks. It can be further divided into cognitive, psychomotor and social-emotional development subdomains. The clinical level includes the assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders or the presence of symptoms (subclinical symptomatology) of these disorders in populations under investigation in environmental epidemiology studies. Conclusions: Through explicit recognition of these levels of outcomes, and in using this framework, epidemiologists will be better able to design research through the informed selection of individual levels of outcomes. The framework also serves to standardize disparate terminologies across this field and allows for pooling of epidemiological data on neuropsychological endpoints where essentially similar levels of outcomes have been analyzed using different tests.

The APOE gene ɛ4/ɛ4 “thrifty genotype” and risk of metabolic disorders in populations of the Ural region

The prevalence of APOE gene ɛ4/ɛ4 genotype and its possible contribution to the incidence of circulatory system diseases in groups with varying degrees of “westernization” are under the consideration. It is proposed that the populations undergoing “modernization transition” with a high frequency of *ɛ4 carriers are in the most vulnerable position. These are Eastern Finns and especially indigenous peoples of the North, who have a higher incidence of circulatory system diseases than do residents of large cities.

Prevalence of sickle cell, malaria and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency among primary school children in Nyamagana District, Mwanza-Tanzania

Background: Sickle cell disease and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency are relatively common genetic disorders in population exposed to malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. The prevalence of these two genetic disorders differs between different malaria transmission areas.Objectives: This cross sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence and co-existence of sickle cell, malaria and G6PD deficiency in school children and determine their association with anaemia.Methods: Venous blood samples from 385 school children aged 9 to 18 years and then fluorescent spot test, cyanmethaemoglobin, sickling test and haemoglobin electrophoresis methods were performed to determine G6PD deficiency, haemoglobin level and sickle cell traits. Two thick and one thin smear were prepared from the obtained blood samples for diagnosis of malaria parasites parasitaemia.Results: Of 385 children 63(16.4 %) were found to have malaria parasites; sickle cell traits/ disease and G-6-PD deficiency was observed in 40(10.4 %) and 20 (5.2 %) respectively. The prevalence of G6PD deficiency + malaria, sickle cell traits + malaria and sickle cell + G6PD deficiency were 6.3%, 20% and 10% respectively. Low hemoglobin (&lt;100mg/dl) was observed in 157 (40.8 %) of children. Asymptomatic malaria and G6PD deficiency were found significantly to contribute to low hemoglobin among school children (P&lt;0.001). Schools with higher prevalence of asymptomatic malaria had also higher prevalence of both G6PD deficiency and sickle celltraits (P&lt;0.05). Malaria, anaemia and genetic disorders were significantly found more in peri-urban school than urban schools (p=0.0001).Conclusion and recommendation: Asymptomatic malaria infection is prevalent in individuals with G6PD deficiency and sickle cells traits in our setting, and this confirms the protection of genetic disorders against severe malaria. School children from peri-urban schools were more affected by malaria, anaemia and genetic disorders, more studies are recommended in these areas.Key words: Prevalence, sickle cell, malaria, G6PD deficiency, Tanzania

Quick Personality Assessment Schedule (PAS-Q): Validation of a Brief Screening Test for Personality Disorders in a Population of Psychiatric Outpatients

The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity of the Quick Personality Assessment Schedule (PAS-Q), as a screening instrument for personality disorders were studied in a random sample of 195 Dutch psychiatric outpatients, using the SCID-II as a gold standard. All patients were interviewed with the PAS-Q. With an interval of 1 to 2 weeks, they were interviewed with the SCID-II. Three weeks later the PAS-Q was re-administered. According to the SCID-II, 97 patients (50%) were suffering from a personality disorder. The PAS-Q correctly classified 81% of all participants. Sensitivity and specificity were 0.80 and 0.82, respectively. The results provide evidence for the usefulness of the PAS-Q as a screening instrument for personality disorders in clinical populations.

Determining the Burden of Neurological Disorders in Populations Living in Tropical Areas: Who Would Be Questioned? Lessons from a Mexican Rural Community

Background: The best approach to determine the burden of neurological disorders in developing countries is to perform population-based studies. Our objectives were to determine the prevalence of neurological disorders in a Mexican rural community and assess the usefulness of a household screening questionnaire. Methods: The survey took place in a Mexican rural community of Puebla State in Mexico. This was a cross-sectional, population-based, 2-phase study including a comparison of the usefulness levels of the individual (IQ) and household (HQ) questionnaires. Results: A total of 4,008 individuals participated in the prevalence study using the IQ; of these, 280 neurological examinations allowed to identify 127 individuals suffering from at least 1 neurological disease. The most frequent ailments were headache (22.4/1,000, 95% confidence interval, CI: 17.7–28.2), neuropathy (7.1/1,000, CI 95%: 4.4–11.3) and epilepsy (3.9/1,000, CI 95%: 2.3–6.5). The HQ, used in parallel with the IQ, detected significantly fewer neurological cases. This result was mainly due to the low capacity of the HQ to detect headache. Conclusions: Results of the prevalence study are discussed emphasizing their relevance in adequately allocating resources. The usefulness of the HQ for screening neurological disorders in general was low, but could be adequate for specific neurological disorders.

S45-04 - Macrosocial factors of affective spectrum disorders in university students: Integrative study based on original multifactorial model

609 high school students and 270 college students were tested with M. Kovack Child Depression Inventory. 20% of adolescents and 15% of college students demonstrated increased scores in CDI. Desintegration of families, high prevalence of alcoholism and extreme growth of social orphanhood are among the major factors of depressive and anxiety disorders in population. About 50% of observed social orphans were at high risk for depression. Stratification of Russian society is another macrosocial factor of emotional disorders. Two opposing tendencies might be observed. From one side, significant part of population is on the impoverishment and degradation. From another side, well-to-do families are growing in numbers with special quest for elitist educational institutions with perfectionistic standards. Success and achievement orientation along with intensive training loads also generate threat to emotional health of children. 60% of observed students of these elitist schools were at high risk for depression. Parents of students with increased scores in CDI exhibited higher indices of perfectionism compared with parents of emotionally healthy students. Significant correlations between parental perfectionism and depression/anxiety symptoms in offspring have been registered.

Prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns e fatores associados em uma população assistida por equipes do Programa Saúde da Família

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a prevalência de casos suspeitos de transtornos mentais comuns em uma população assistida por uma equipe do Programa Saúde da Família e investigar os fatores associados à ocorrência dessa morbidade. MÉTODOS: Pesquisa de levantamento, de corte transversal. A amostra, composta por 277 sujeitos, foi obtida por meio do método de amostragem aleatória do tipo sistemática. Para a coleta de dados, foram aplicados o Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20) e um questionário sociodemográfico. RESULTADOS: A prevalência global de casos suspeitos de transtornos mentais comuns na população alvo foi de 43,70%. O sexo feminino apresentou uma taxa de prevalência significativamente mais elevada (48,37%), quando comparado ao sexo masculino (34,41%). A variável "renda familiar" apresentou uma relação inversa com a prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns. A análise de regressão logística indicou que apenas as variáveis "uso de medicamento" e "renda familiar" estavam associadas significativamente à suspeita de casos de transtornos mentais comuns. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados apontaram uma elevada prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns nessa população alvo, comparativamente aos dados de outros estudos semelhantes, indicando a necessidade de um cuidado especial por parte da Atenção Primária à Saúde, em particular para as famílias caracterizadas pelos fatores associados ao transtornos mentais comuns apontados nesta investigação.

Gene Expression Analysis of PCB Exposed Children: Understanding Toxicity and Disease Process

O-29A5-2 Background/Aims: To understand the molecular mechanism of PCB-related toxicities and the basics of pathophysiology in association with high PCB exposure, we studied the differential global gene expression profile of children (mean age, 45 month) of East European descent from Slovakian Republic in a well-defined study cohort. Methods: An unsupervised microarray based gene expression analysis was performed on the subset of children having high blood PCB concentration (>75 percentile) against their low PCB counterpart (<25 percentile). The mean lipid adjusted PCB values in 2 groups were 3.16 ± 1.2 and 0.06 ± 0.03 ng/g of serum lipid, respectively. Total RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and the microarray was conducted using Affymetrix platform (GeneChip Human genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array). The data obtained from microarray were analyzed by Genespring GX10. Results: A highly significant set of 162 differentially expressed genes between high PCB and low PCB group was observed (P < 0.00001). The subsequent Ingenuity Pathway Analysis on this set of genes implicated different compromised molecular and cellular function in higher PCB exposure included: Cell-to-Cell Signaling and Interaction, Cellular Movement, Cellular Assembly and Organization, Cellular Function and Maintenance, and Carbohydrate Metabolism. The analysis conducted on children with high PCB exposure also indicated perturbed expression of genetic pathways related to cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity. These uncharacteristic effects on gene expression may play a role in development of major diseases and disorders in population, including cancer. Some of the relevant genes reported in relation to PCB-related toxicities were subsequently validated through quantitative RT-PCR. Conclusion: Our results provided a molecular insight in understanding the associated mechanism of this complex gene environment interaction. The future endeavor of supervised genotyping of pathway-specific molecular epidemiological study would reveal the individual risk factor in PCB exposure.

Low frequency of HFE gene mutations in Croatian patients suspected of having hereditary hemochromatosis

SummaryBackgroundHereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is a common autosomal recessive disorder in populations of European descent. It is characterized by a variable prevalence of mutations in the hemochromatosis gene (HFE) in different countries and a complex relationship between the HFE genotype and the HH phenotype. Genetic analysis has not been conducted in Croatian patients with iron overload. The aim of this study was to determine whether HFE mutations, C282Y, H63D, and S65C were correlated with clinical and biochemical parameters in Croatian patients with suspected HH.Material/MethodsClinical examination, biochemical analysis, and genotyping were performed in 175 patients suspected of having HH. The control group consisted of 350 healthy blood donors.ResultsAmong the patients, 20% had genotypes related to HH – 7.4% were homozygous for C282Y, 6.3% were compound heterozygous for C282Y and H63D, 5.7% were homozygous for H63D, and 0.6% was compound heterozygous for C282Y and S65C. The allelic frequencies were 14.6% for C282Y mutation, 23.7% for H63D mutation, and 1.4% for S65C mutation. A comparison of the clinical and laboratory profiles of patients revealed that C282Y homozygotes had higher frequencies of all clinical symptoms and higher levels of biochemical parameters than others. The C282Y/H63D compound heterozygotes and H63D homozygotes were found to be clinically important, despite the fact that they were associated with less severe disease.ConclusionsOur results show that HFE mutations are responsible for only about 20% of Croatian patients with suspected HH. Screening with biochemical methods and HFE genotyping may be not sufficient for diagnoses in the Croatian population.

Trade-Offs Between Cancer and Other Diseases: Do They Exist and Influence Longevity?

Relationships between aging, disease risks, and longevity are not yet well understood. For example, joint increases in cancer risk and total survival observed in many human populations and some experimental aging studies may be linked to a trade-off between cancer and aging as well as to the trade-off(s) between cancer and other diseases, and their relative impact is not clear. While the former trade-off (between cancer and aging) received broad attention in aging research, the latter one lacks respective studies, although its understanding is important for developing optimal strategies of increasing both longevity and healthy life span. In this paper, we explore the possibility of trade-offs between risks of cancer and selected major disorders. First, we review current literature suggesting that the trade-offs between cancer and other diseases may exist and be linked to the differential intensity of apoptosis. Then we select relevant disorders for the analysis (acute coronary heart disease [ACHD], stroke, asthma, and Alzheimer disease [AD]) and calculate the risk of cancer among individuals with each of these disorders, and vice versa, using the Framingham Study (5209 individuals) and the National Long Term Care Survey (NLTCS) (38,214 individuals) data. We found a reduction in cancer risk among old (80+) men with stroke and in risk of ACHD among men (50+) with cancer in the Framingham Study. We also found an increase in ACHD and stroke among individuals with cancer, and a reduction in cancer risk among women with AD in the NLTCS. The manifestation of trade-offs between risks of cancer and other diseases thus depended on sex, age, and study population. We discuss factors modulating the potential trade-offs between major disorders in populations, e.g., disease treatments. Further study is needed to clarify possible impact of such trade-offs on longevity.

Derivation and validation of a risk-factor model for detection of oral potentially malignant disorders in populations with high prevalence.

Background:Oral and pharyngeal cancers constitute the sixth most common type of cancer globally, with high morbidity and mortality. In many countries, most cases of oral cancer arise from long-standing, pre-existing lesions, yet advanced malignancies prevail. A new approach to early detection is needed. We aimed to validate a model for screening so that only high-risk individuals receive the clinical examination.Methods:A community-based case–control study (n=1029) in rural Sri Lanka assessed risk factors and markers for oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) by administering a questionnaire followed by an oral examination. We then developed a model based on age, socioeconomic status and habits of betel-quid chewing, alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking, with weightings based on odds ratios from the multiple logistic regression. A total, single score was calculated per individual. Standard receiver-operator characteristic curves were plotted for the total score and presence of OPMD. The model was validated on a new sample of 410 subjects in a different community.Results:A score of 12.0 produced optimal sensitivity (95.5%), specificity (75.9%), false-positive rate (24.0%), false-negative rate (4.5%), positive predictive value (35.9%) and negative predictive value (99.2%).Conclusion:This model is suitable for detection of OPMD and oral cancer in high-risk communities, for example, in Asia, the Pacific and the global diaspora therefrom. A combined risk-factor score of 12.0 was optimal for participation in oral cancer/OPMD screening in Sri Lanka. The model, or local adaptations, should have wide applicability.