An Exploratory Spatial Analysis of ALS Incidence in Ireland over 17.5 Years (1995 – July 2013)
نویسندگان
چکیده
INTRODUCTION There has been much interest in spatial analysis of ALS to identify potential environmental or genetically caused clusters of disease. Results to date have been inconclusive. The Irish ALS register has been recently geocoded, presenting opportunity to perform a spatial analysis on national prospectively gathered data of incident cases over an 18-year period. METHODS 1,645 cases of ALS in Ireland from January 1995 to July 2013 were identified from the Irish ALS register. 1,638 cases were successfully geocoded. Census data from four censuses: 1996, 2002, 2006 & 2011 were used to calculate an average population for the period and standardized incidence rates (SIRs) were calculated for 3,355 areas (Electoral Divisions). Bayesian conditional auto-regression was applied to produce smoothed relative risks (RR). These were then mapped for all cases, males & females separately, and those under 55 vs over 55 at diagnosis. Bayesian and linear regression were used to examine the relationship between population density and RR. RESULTS Smoothed maps revealed no overall geographical pattern to ALS incidence in Ireland, although several areas of localized increased risk were identified. Stratified maps also suggested localized areas of increased RR, while dual analysis of the relationship between population density and RR of ALS yielded conflicting results, linear regression revealed a weak relationship. DISCUSSION In contrast to some previous studies our analysis did not reveal any large-scale geographic patterns of incidence, yet localized areas of moderately high risk were found in both urban and rural areas. Stratified maps by age revealed a larger number of cases in younger people in the area of County Cork--possibly of genetic cause. Bayesian auto-regression of population density failed to find a significant association with risk, however weighted linear regression of post Bayesian smoothed Risk revealed an association between population density and increased ALS risk.
منابع مشابه
Better Late Than Never - An Analysis of Last-Minute Travelers Attending a Specialist Travel Medicine Clinic in Ireland
Introduction: Last-minute travelers (LMTs) are a vulnerable group, because it may not be possible to adequately vaccinate them against exposure to infectious diseases. The purpose of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to describe the characteristics of LMTs attending a travel health clinic. Methods: The following data was extracted from records ...
متن کاملClimatic factors associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a spatial analysis from Taiwan.
Few studies have assessed the spatial association of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) incidence in the world. The aim of this study was to identify the association of climatic factors and ALS incidence in Taiwan. A total of 1,434 subjects with the primary diagnosis of ALS between years 1997 and 2008 were identified in the national health insurance research database. The diagnosis was also ve...
متن کاملUsing Predictions Based on Geostatistics to Monitor Trends in Aspergillus flavus Strain Composition.
ABSTRACT Aspergillus flavus is a soil-inhabiting fungus that frequently produces aflatoxins, potent carcinogens, in cottonseed and other seed crops. A. flavus S strain isolates, characterized on the basis of sclerotial morphology, are highly toxigenic. Spatial and temporal characteristics of the percentage of the A. flavus isolates that are S strain (S strain incidence) were used to predict pat...
متن کاملSpatial analysis of influenza incidence in EMRO using flexible scan statistics
Introduction: Influenza is an infectious and severe respiratory disease. It is one of the major problems of public health. In order to determine the spatial distribution and areas with over-expected of a disease including influenza, it can be effective in identifying environmental hazards and fair distribution of health services. In this study, the geographical distribution of the influenza and...
متن کاملDetermining the Incidence Rate and Risk Factors of Brucellosis in Zanjan Province (Iran) from 2012 to 2017: A Spatiotemporal Analysis
Background and Objectives Zanjan is reported as the hot spot region of Brucellosis infection in Iran. This longitudinal study aimed to determine the epidemiologic pattern as well as the risk of Brucellosis using geospatial estimation in Zanjan province. Materials and Methods The data used in this study were collected from the Health Center of the cities of Zanjan province during 2012-2017 a...
متن کامل