Age Of Peak Prevalence Research Articles

Gender differences in the burden of multiple sclerosis in China from 1990 to 2019 and its 25-year projection: An analysis of the Global Burden of Diseases Study.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a crippling, chronic, gender-related disease that causes burdens to individuals and society. China has a considerable and increasing population of MS. We aim to analyze the gender disparities in the burden of MS in China and predict the trends. The study was conducted based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Data on incidence, prevalence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of MS in China from 1990 to 2019 was descriptively analyzed by year, gender, and age group. The Nordpred package in R (version 4.2.2) was used for age-period-cohort analysis to predict the all-ages numbers and age-standardized rates of incidence, prevalence, deaths, and DALYs in China from 2020 to 2044. The number of prevalent cases of MS in 2019 reached 18,143.56 (95% uncertainty intervals [UI]: 13,997.71-22,658.60) in males and 24,427.11 (95% UI: 18,906.02-30,530.21) in females in China. The peak age of prevalence was shifted from 40-44 years in 1990 to 45-49 years in 2019 in females but remained unchanged in males. In contrast to the increased age-standardized prevalence rate, the age-standardized death rate (ASDR) and age-standardized DALYs rate showed downward trends, which were more significant in females. Different from the global, Chinese males showed lower prevalence but higher deaths and DALYs than females for age-standardized rates and numbers. In the next 25 years, the patient population will remain large and peak around 44,599.78 in 2025-2029. The ASDR, age-standardized DALYs rate, and DALYs number were expected to decrease. The improvements in deaths and DALYs will be more significant in females. Males with MS had a lower prevalence but higher deaths and DALYs than females in China. The ASDR and age-standardized DALYs rate have reduced over the past 30 years and were expected to continue decreasing, especially in females. The burden of MS will remain notable in the next 25 years.

Perception of Rickets Disease Among Parents in Al-Baha Province, Saudi Arabia

IntroductionRickets involves the softening of bones in children and osteopenia with disordered calcification, leading to a higher proportion of osteoid tissue prior to epiphyseal closure in children. Rickets is common in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The peak age of prevalence is 3–18 months. Signs include bone tenderness, easy fracture, early bone deformity, delayed closure of fontanelles, and softening of skull bones (craniotabes).ObjectiveThis study assesses knowledge in the AlBaha region about rickets’ clinical presentation, causes, complications, and prevention, as well recommendations to educate the community.MethodsIn this descriptive cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was administered to people in the AlBaha region to assess knowledge related to rickets in children. The sample size was calculated using calculator.net, and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 2 was used for analyses with P < 0.05 used for significance.ResultsOf the 692 participants, only 5% reported rickets in their children, but the majority (99%) had heard about rickets. Participants’ knowledge of rickets’ complications was highest for spinal vertebral deformities and lowest for skin deformities. 55% of the participants thought there was no need to stop breast-feeding once rickets is diagnosed, 62% preferred to add fortified milk to the diet, 67% thought that a suitable duration for sunlight exposure is 10 to 15 minutes per day, and 46% thought that sunrise and sunset are suitable times for sun exposure. Preventive measures were believed to depend on having enough exposure to sunlight (77% of participants) and eating vitamin-D rich foods (63%). The majority believed that failure to grow is the most obvious symptom, inadequate milk is the main cause, and exclusive breast-feeding is a major risk factor.ConclusionMost people have heard about rickets, but knowledge about complications and prevention varies.

Trend of prevalence and incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus in South Korea, 2005 to 2015: a nationwide population-based study.

Background/AimsThe aim of this study was to evaluate the trend of incidence and prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in South Korea from 2005 to 2015.MethodsFrom 2005 to 2015, individuals with SLE were identified from the National Health Insurance database, which records information on almost all Koreans. SLE was defined according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10), code M32. The incidence was calculated per 100,000 person-years. The prevalence was calculated per 100,000 people and stratified by year, age group, sex, region, and income.ResultsThe annual prevalence of SLE increased slightly from 21.25/100,000 people in 2005 to 35.45/100,000 people in 2015. In contrast, the annual incidence of SLE decreased slightly from 5.42/100,000 person-years in 2005 to 3.6/100,000 person-years in 2015. The prevalence and incidence of SLE were 10- and 6-fold higher in women than in men, respectively. The peak age of prevalence and incidence was 30 to 39 years in 2005; in 2015, the peak age of prevalence was 30 to 49 years and of incidence was 20 to 49 years. Regional variation was observed in both incidence and prevalence of SLE. Jeju province showed the highest prevalence of SLE (44.54/100,000 person-years), and Gwangju province showed the highest incidence of SLE (6.98/100,000 person-years) in 2015. The income status did not affect the prevalence or incidence of SLE except in patients without income who received medical aid.ConclusionsThe incidence of SLE has declined, but the prevalence has increased in Korea in recent years. Peak age of SLE trend to right shift in Korea.

An epidemiological study of prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors in a rural community of Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India

Background: Hypertension [HTN] is responsible for 57% of stroke deaths and 24% of coronary heart disease [CHD] deaths in India. As per the statistics of Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the overall prevalence of hypertension in India by 2020 will be 159.46/1000 population. Hypertension will be the major cause of death and disability by the end of 2020. The prevalence of hypertension is increasing in both rural and urban communities. The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of hypertension and its associate risk factors in a rural population. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted by the Department of community medicine in the rural field practice area of a Medical college of Nellore from October 2013 to September 2015. The socio demographic variables and risk factors were obtained by interviewing the subjects in the study and collected in a predesigned questionnaire sheet. The sample size was calculated by prevalence of HTN in previous studies and 1025 subjects were included. The blood pressure was assessed and classified using recent JNC 7 and WHO criteria to grade hypertension. Results: In the study the prevalence of pre-hypertension was 42.63% (437 subjects), stage-I hypertension was 26.15% (268 subjects) and stage-II hypertension was 10.34%. The peak age of prevalence of HTN in both males and females was 60-69 years. Significant association was observed between age, low socio economic index, high salt intake (>10gms/day)) with hypertension. A linear trend of association was seen with tobacco and alcohol use, obesity (BMI>25) and waist-hip ratio more than the cut-off value (p value<0.005). Conclusions: Indian health system is challenged with increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases and HTN being one of the major. Prioritization of population based prevention approaches requiring multi sectoral actions and evidence based clinical approaches focusing on early detection and treatment can provide benefit to population health. To increase the awareness on hypertension, information about prevention and control of hypertension can be incorporated in the information education and communication (IEC) components of all national programmes. This can complement overall efforts to increase societal awareness through other approaches.

Educational inequalities in smoking over the life cycle: an analysis by cohort and gender.

The study investigates the life cycle patterns of educational inequalities in smoking according to gender over three successive generations. Based on retrospective smoking histories collected by the nationwide French Health Barometer survey 2010, we explored educational inequalities in smoking at each age, using the relative index of inequality. Educational inequalities in smoking increase across cohorts for men and women, corresponding to a decline in smoking among the highly educated alongside progression among the lower educated. The analysis also shows a life cycle evolution: for all cohorts and for men and women, inequalities are considerable during adolescence, then start declining from 18years until the age of peak prevalence (around 25), after which they remain stable throughout the life cycle, even tending to rise for the most recent cohort. This analysis contributes to the description of the "smoking epidemic" and highlights adolescence and late adulthood as life cycle stages with greater inequalities.

Analysis on the clinical and endoscopic parameters in 1247 patients with reflux esophagitis

Aim: To summarize and analyze the clinical and endoscopic parameters in patients with reflux esophagitis(RE). Methods：1247 patients with RE were diagnosed in our hospital endoscopy center from September 2010 to August 2012. The general information of the patients and the relationship between endoscopic classification and concomitant diseases were analyzed. Results: According to the endoscopic findings, 1247 subjects (4.70%) were found to have RE：932 (74.74%) males and 315 (25.26%) females, and the male to female ratio was 2.96:1. The peak age of prevalence was 50 to 59 (27.35%) which is followed by 40 to 49 (23.10%). In this study, most of the patients had a mild degree of esophagitis representing LA-A in 60.63% and LA-B in 34.24%. The antrum hyperemia was found in 291 patients with esophagitis (23.34%), followed by antrum erosion (20.13%) and hatal hernia (15.88%). There is no statistically significant relevance between Helicobacter pylori infection and RE (P > 0.05), but Barrett’s esophagus, duodenal ulcer, gastroesophageal tumors, a history of gastroesophageal surgery and antrum hyperemia were found to be associated with RE (P . Conclusion: The prevalence rate of endoscopic RE in our study was 4.70%, and most patients had a mild grade esophagitis. Male, advanced age, Barrett’s esophagus, duodenal ulcer, gastroesophageal tumors and a history of gastroesophageal surgery are the risk factors of esophagitis. Antrum hyperemia may reduce the severity of RE.

Epidemiology of malaria in the Papua New Guinean highlands

To conduct an in-depth investigation of the epidemiology of malaria in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) highlands and provide a basis for evidence-based planning and monitoring of intensified malaria control activities. Between December 2000 and July 2005, 153 household-based, rapid malaria population surveys were conducted in 112 villages throughout the central PNG highlands. The presence of malaria infections was determined by light microscopy and risk factors assessed using a structured questionnaire.The combined dataset from all individually published surveys was reanalysed. The prevalence of malaria infections in the different surveys ranged from 0.0% to 41.8%(median 4.3%) in non-epidemic surveys and 6.6% to 63.2% (median 21.2%, P < 0.001) during epidemics. Plasmodium falciparum was the predominant infection below 1400 m and during epidemics, Plasmodium vivax at altitudes >1600 m. Outside epidemics, prevalence decreased significantly with altitude, was reduced in people using bed nets [odds ratio (OR) = 0.8, P < 0.001] but increased in those sleeping in garden houses (OR = 1.34, P < 0.001) and travelling to highly endemic lowlands (OR = 1.80, P < 0.001). Below 1400 m, malaria was a significant source of febrile illness. At higher altitudes, malaria was only a significant source of febrile illness during epidemic outbreaks, but asymptomatic malaria infections were common in non-epidemic times. Malaria is once again endemic throughout the PNG highlands in areas below 1400–1500 m of altitude with a significant risk of seasonal malaria outbreaks in most area between 1400–1650 m. Ongoing control efforts are likely to result in a substantial reduction in malaria transmission and may even result in local elimination of malaria in higher lying areas.

HIV-positive patients in Botswana state that mobile teledermatology is an acceptable method for receiving dermatology care

HIV-positive patients in Botswana state that mobile teledermatology is an acceptable method for receiving dermatology care

High sensitivity detection of Plasmodium species reveals positive correlations between infections of different species, shifts in age distribution and reduced local variation in Papua New Guinea

BackgroundWhen diagnosed by standard light microscopy (LM), malaria prevalence can vary significantly between sites, even at local scale, and mixed species infections are consistently less common than expect in areas co-endemic for Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium malariae. The development of a high-throughput molecular species diagnostic assay now enables routine PCR-based surveillance of malaria infections in large field and intervention studies, and improves resolution of species distribution within and between communities.MethodsThis study reports differences in the prevalence of infections with all four human malarial species and of mixed infections as diagnosed by LM and post-PCR ligase detection reaction – fluorescent microsphere (LDR-FMA) assay in 15 villages in the central Sepik area of Papua New Guinea.ResultsSignificantly higher rates of infection by P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and Plasmodium ovale were observed in LDR-FMA compared to LM diagnosis (p < 0.001). Increases were particularly pronounced for P. malariae (3.9% vs 13.4%) and P. ovale (0.0% vs 4.8%). In contrast to LM diagnosis, which suggested a significant deficit of mixed species infections, a significant excess of mixed infections over expectation was detected by LDR-FMA (p < 0.001). Age of peak prevalence shifted to older age groups in LDR-FMA diagnosed infections for P. falciparum (LM: 7–9 yrs 47.5%, LDR-FMA: 10–19 yrs 74.2%) and P. vivax (LM: 4–6 yrs 24.2%, LDR-FMA: 7–9 yrs 50.9%) but not P. malariae infections (10–19 yrs, LM: 7.7% LDR-FMA: 21.6%). Significant geographical variation in prevalence was found for all species (except for LM-diagnosed P. falciparum), with the extent of this variation greater in LDR-FMA than LM diagnosed infections (overall, 84.4% vs. 37.6%). Insecticide-treated bednet (ITN) coverage was also the dominant factor linked to geographical differences in Plasmodium species infection prevalence explaining between 60.6% – 74.5% of this variation for LDR-FMA and 81.8% – 90.0% for LM (except P. falciparum), respectively.ConclusionThe present study demonstrates that application of molecular diagnosis reveals patterns of malaria risk that are significantly different from those obtained by standard LM. Results provide insight relevant to design of malaria control and eradication strategies.

Gallstones in Ghanaian children with sickle cell disease

This prospective, cross-sectional study was done to define the prevalence and age of onset of gallstones in Ghanaina children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in steady state, using ultrasonography. The study was conducted at the Paediatric SCD clinic, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana. Three hundred and fifteen (315) children comprising 162 males and 153 females aged 2 to 13 years with a confirmed diagnosis of SCD of haemoglobin SS, (HbSS), Haemoglobin SC, (HbSC) or Haemoglobin S-betathalassemia (SbetaThal) genotype whose parents/guardians gave informed conset, were recruited consecutively. The main outcome measure was the detection of gallstones in the gall bladder or common bile duct by ultrasonography. Thirteen children, 12 males and 1 female had gallstone, giving an overall prevalence of 4%. The youngest was aged 6. Four children had sludge only. Peak age of prevalence was 12 years. All patients under 12 years with gallstone were males (92.3%). The very high male: female ratio in these sickle cell disease children is at variance with the normal male: female ratio of 1:4.6. Although twenty percent of all the patients were genotype SC, only one SC patient had gallstones, giving a prevalence rate of 0.3%, and a prevalence ratio of stone in SS: SC of 12:1. Twenty patients had no spleen detectable clinically or on ultrasoound examination and none of them had gallstones. Gallstones occur at an early age in children with sickle cell disease in Ghana.

Clinical and molecular characterization of chronic hepatitis B in Albania: A country that is still highly endemic for HBV infection

Albania is a Mediterranean country, still with a high endemicity level of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The chronic hepatitis B profile was characterized in this geographical area and used as a model to investigate the impact of endemicity level on the prevalence of the two major forms of chronic hepatitis B (HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 62 chronic hepatitis B patients consecutively admitted to the most important tertiary health care center for the diagnosis and treatment of liver disease in Albania. HBV-DNA was measured with an in-house PCR with a sensitivity of 10(4) copies/ml which uses primers encompassing the pre-core/core region. PCR products were subjected to sequencing and oligohybridization assay. Of the 62 patients, 75.8% had HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B. Genotype D was found in all 39 patients with detectable HBV viremia, for whom the heterogeneity of the region modulating HBeAg expression was assessed. Basic core promoter (BCP) mutations (1762/1764) were observed more often in anti-HBe-positive and older patients. In more than 90% of the HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients with detectable viremia, HBV that carries the G to A pre-core mutation at nucleotide 1896 was found. Patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B were younger than HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients, and for symptomatic and asymptomatic liver-disease patients, the age of peak prevalence was at least 10 years lower for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients. In conclusion, the virological and clinical pattern of chronic hepatitis B in Albania is similar to that observed in other Mediterranean countries; it seems to be independent of the HBV endemicity level.

Associations of peak shifts in age-prevalence for human malarias with bednet coverage

Effects of bednet coverage (C) on prevalence of malaria were analysed using data from 1990–1992 from 9 Papua New Guinean villages. Effects of coverage varied by age, resulting in a shift in age of peak prevalence from 4 · 7 (C = 0%) to 11 · 6 (C = 100%) years for Plasmodium falciparum, from 3 · 4 to 4 · 9 years for P. vivax and from 11 · 0 to 16 · 8 years for P. malariae. In small areas with no bednets the age distribution of P. falciparum parasitaemia was like that of a holoendemic area. Where coverage was complete the pattern corresponded to mesoendemicity. Thus, protracted use of bednets can result in profound changes in the endemicity of malaria even when coverage is incomplete and without insecticide treatment. Average entomological inoculation rates (EIRs) estimated from indoor landing rates on individuals without bednets were 35, 12 and 10 infectious bites per person per annum for P. Falciparum, P. vivax and P. malariae, respectively. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the EIR estimate for P. falciparum was related to prevalence of this species independently of effects of bednet coverage. However, the recent EIR still accounted for much less variation than did the bednets. A similar pattern was seen for P. malariae, while there were no significant relationships between the recent EIR and the parasite positivity for P. vivax. It is concluded that short-term variations in inoculation rate are not important determinants of parasite prevalence in this population.

Adipose tissue in human infancy and childhood: an evolutionary perspective.

Humans diverge from most mammals, including nonhuman primates, by depositing significant quantities of body fat in utero and are consequently one of the fattest species on record at birth. While explanations for the fat layer of human neonates have commonly assumed that it serves as insulation to compensate for hairlessness, empirical support for this hypothesis is presently weak. Whether the tissue's abundance at birth and growth changes in adiposity during infancy and childhood might be explained in light of its role as energy buffer has not been assessed, and this possibility is explored through development of a model of fat function and growth centered on two related hypotheses. The first is that the greater adiposity of human neonates is at least partially explainable as an accompaniment of the enlarged human brain, which demands a larger energy reserve to ensure that its obligatory needs are met when the flow of resources from mother or other caretakers is disrupted. The second is that age-related changes in the likelihood of experiencing such disruption have influenced the pattern of investment in the tissue, reflected today in peak adiposity during infancy and a decline to a leaner childhood period. Nutritional disruption is common at birth and until lactation is established, during which time human newborns survive from fats deposited prenatally, suggesting one possible explanation for the early onset of fat deposition. At weaning, the transition from breast milk to supplemental foods and the parallel transition from maternal to endogenous immune protection interact to increase the frequency and impact of nutritional disruption, and this may help explain why newborns devote roughly 70% of growth expenditure to fat deposition during the early postnatal months. Evidence is presented that fat stores are mobilized during infections, hinting at one possible mechanism underlying the association between nutritional status and infectious morbidity and mortality among infants in nutritionally stressed human populations. Consistent with the proposed hypothesis, well-fed infants acquire peak fat reserves by an age of peak prevalence of malnutrition, infectious disease, and fat reserve depletion in less-buffered contexts, and childhood--characterized by minimal investment in the tissue--is a stage of reduced risk of energy stress. The model presented here foregrounds energy storage in adipose tissue as an important life-history strategy and a means to modify mortality risk during the nutritionally turbulent period of infancy.