0000000000006034
AUTHOR
Francesca Meneghini
Impact of sociodemographic characteristics on cognitive performance in an elderly Sicilian population.
<i>Objective:</i> To assess cognitive levels in an elderly Sicilian population and to evaluate the role of education and other sociodemographic characteristics in cognitive performance. <i>Background:</i> The pattern of cognitive performance in the elderly has not been investigated extensively in well-defined Italian populations. This study was conducted as part of a door-to-door survey of common neurologic disorders (the Sicilian Neuro-Epidemiologic Study project). <i>Methods:</i> Thirteen physicians administered an Italian version of the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) to all subjects aged 50 years or older who, on November 1, 1987, r…
Stroke incidence and survival in three Sicilian municipalities
We investigated the incidence of first-ever stroke in three Sicilian municipalities over the years 1984–1987. Case ascertainment involved two approaches: a doorto-door two-phase prevalence survey and a study of death certificates. Only first-ever strokes occurring within the study time interval were included, and diagnoses were based on specified criteria. We found 138 subjects who had experienced a first stroke over 73 488 person-years; the average incidence rate (new cases per 1000 population per year) was 1.9 overall, 1.7 in men, and 2.1 in women. Incidence increased steeply with age and was similar in men and women. Incidence was similar in the three study municipalities. The overall ca…
VALIDATING SCREENING INSTRUMENTS FOR NEUROEPIDEMIOLOGIC SURVEYS - EXPERIENCE IN SICILY
In a hospital setting in Sicily, we assessed a screening instrument developed for a prevalence survey of parkinsonism, peripheral neuropathies, stroke, and epilepsy. The subjects consisted of (1) hospital patients with any of the above-mentioned diseases, to investigate sensitivity; and (2) hospital visitors free of all these diseases, to investigate specificity. The standard for comparison was a clinical evaluation based on specified criteria. Trained interviewers administered the screening instrument, asking subjects to answer symptom questions and to perform simple physical tasks. For the questions and tasks together, the sensitivity estimates were 100% for parkinsonism (n = 21), 96% for…
Prevalence of lumbosacral radiculopathy in two Sicilian municipalities
Objectives - As part of a door-to-door survey of neurologic diseases, we investigated the prevalence of lumbosacral radiculopathy (LR) in two Sicilian municipalities (N = 14,540, as of November 1, 1987). Material & methods - During phase 1, we administered a brief screening instrument to subjects in the study population. In phase 2, study neurologists using specified diagnostic criteria investigated those subjects who screened positive. Our case finding was restricted to subjects who manifested symptoms of LR in the six months preceding the prevalence day. Results - We found 143 subjects affected by LR (112 definite, 31 possible) yielding a crude prevalence of 9.8 cases per 1,000 population…
Attrition and Use of Proxy Respondents and Auxiliary Information in the Sicilian Neuroepidemiologic Study
Two-phase prevalence surveys with screening (phase 1) and examination (phase 2) are useful for some chronic diseases. Attrition, which may bias estimates, occurs in either phase because some eligible subjects die before contact, some refuse to cooperate, some are incapacitated, and some are unreachable. This investigation relates to a survey of neurologic diseases conducted in three municipalities of Sicily (prevalence date, November 1, 1987) and considers the attrition experienced and the use of proxy respondents in phase 1 and auxiliary information in phase 2 to offset, in part, this attrition. Regarding case finding, the salvage effort was more productive for decreased and incapacitated …
Occupation, education, and Parkinson's disease: A case-control study in an Italian population
Current epidemiologic data on the association between occupational exposures and Parkinson's disease (PD) are inconsistent. In a case-control study, we investigated the associations between occupation and PD and between education and PD. The cases (n = 62) were those identified in a prevalence survey (door-to-door, two-phase) of three Sicilian municipalities, as a November 1, 1987. We then randomly selected from the general population two controls for each case, matched for age ( +/- year), sex, and municipality (n = 124). Information on current and past occupations and education for cases and controls was obtained during the survey. Subjects who worked for most of their lives as farmers we…
Prevalence of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy: A door-to-door survey in a Sicilian municipality
Introduction - Because of the limited information on cervical spondylotic radiculopathy, we conducted a door-to-door two-phase survey in a Sicilian municipality. Material and methods - We first screened for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy among the inhabitants of the municipality : (N= 7653, as of the prevalence day, November 1, 1987). Study neurologists then investigated those subjects suspected to have had a cervical spondylotic radiculopathy. Diagnoses were based on specified criteria. Results - We found 27 subjects affected by CSR (17 definite, 10 possible). Prevalence (cases per 1000 population) was 3.5 in the total population ; it increased to a peak at age 50-59 years and decrease…
Glycated serum proteins and glucose tolerance
Glycated serum proteins (GSP), stable glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) together with some metabolic parameters were evaluated in 120 subjects, 30 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 30 with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), 30 with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDD), and 30 with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDD). GSP levels were significantly higher in IGT, NIDD and IDD than in NGT. HbA1c levels were not significantly higher in IGT in comparison with NGT, but were significantly higher in NIDD and in IDD than in NGT and IGT. GSP correlated better than HbA1c with all metabolic parameters considered. Taking into account the distribution of the values, GSP showed a smaller overl…