Neuroepidemiology

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a nonprogressive movement disorder resulting from prenatal or perinatal brain injury that benefits from early diagnosis and intervention. The timing of early CP diagnosis remains controversial, necessitating analysis of clinical features in a substantial cohort. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records from a university hospital, focusing on children aged >24 months or followed up for ≥24 months, and adhered to the International classification of diseases-10 for diagnosis and Subtyping...

INTRODUCTION: Health care costs and societal impact of myasthenia gravis (MG), a potentially life-threatening rare, chronic neuromuscular disease are sparsely studied. We assessed healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and associated costs among patients with newly diagnosed (ND) and pre-existing (PE) MG in Sweden. METHODS: This observational, retrospective cohort study used data from four linkable Swedish nationwide population-based registries. Adult MG patients receiving pharmacological treatment for MG and having ≥ 24-month follow-up during the period 1/1/2010 to 12/31/2017 were included...

BACKGROUND: Limb-shaking transient ischemic attack (LSTIA) is a rare neurological condition which presents with involuntary jerky movements of the arm or leg, often because of carotid stenosis or occlusion. Due to the rarity of the condition, the epidemiology of LSTIA is poorly understood and the disease is frequently misdiagnosed. There is no standard treatment to date. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the epidemiology of LSTIA and its current treatment options...

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of pediatric motor disability. While epidemiological data are widespread in high-income countries, corresponding data in low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are still rare. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of CP in Northern Benin, a French-speaking low-income country in Sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: This study was a community-based door-to-door study involving children younger than 18 years old, in Parakou, a semi-urban city in Benin...

BACKGROUND: Projections of the future burden of ischemic stroke (IS) has not been extensively reported for the Australian population; the availability of such data would assist in health policy planning, clinical guideline updates, and public health. METHODS: First, we estimated the lifetime risk of IS (from age 40 to 100 years) using a multi-state life table model. Second, a multistate dynamic model was constructed to project the burden of IS for the whole Australian population aged between 40 and 100 years over a twenty-year period (2019-2038)...

INTRODUCTION: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is more common in women than in men, contrary to most cardiovascular diseases. However, it is unclear whether the case fatality rate (CFR) of SAH also differs by sex. Thus, we performed a systematic review to address the relationship between sex and SAH CFRs. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane library databases. We focused on population-based studies that included both non-hospitalized and hospitalized SAHs and had either reported 1-month (28-31 day) SAH CFRs separately for men and women or calculated risk estimates for SAH CFR by sex...

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with post-stroke epilepsy (PSE) among patients with different subtypes of stroke, focusing on age-related risk and time-varying effects of stroke subtype on PSE development. METHODS: A retrospective, nationwide, population-based cohort study was conducted using Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort data. Patients hospitalized with newly diagnosed stroke from 2005 to 2015 were included and followed up for up to 10 years...

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we present the results of bio-demographic characteristics of households and associated factors with Down syndrome (DS) birth in Morocco. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective survey between 2014 and 2017 addressed to 277 families with 925 siblings and at least one child with DS (279 with DS). The data are collected using a standardized questionnaire in Marrakech-Safi region. Data were entered and analyzed using the statistical program SPSS statistics software for Windows (version 20...

BACKGROUND: Clinicians frequently rely on relapse counts, T2 MRI lesion load (T2L) and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores to guide treatment decisions for individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study evaluates how these factors, along with age and sex, influence prognosis during treatment with teriflunomide (TFL). METHODS: We conducted a nationwide cohort study using data from the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry.Eligible participants had relapsing-remitting MS or clinically isolated syndrome and initiated TFL as their first treatment between 2013 and 2019...

BACKGROUND: Stroke remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Australia. The objective of this study was to estimate the current and future cost burden of ischemic stroke (IS) in Australia. METHOD: First, chronic management costs following IS were derived for all people aged ≥ 30 years discharged from a public or private hospital in Victoria, Australia between July 2012 and June 2017 (n = 34 471). These costs were then used to project total costs following IS (combination of acute event and chronic management cost) over a 20-year period (2019-2038) for people aged between 30 and 99 years in Australia using a dynamic multistate lifetable model...

INTRODUCTION: Hippocampal atrophy is an established biomarker for conversion from the normal ageing process to developing cognitive impairment and dementia. This study used a novel hypothesis-free machine-learning approach, to uncover potential risk factors of lower hippocampal volume using information from the world's largest brain imaging study. METHODS: A combination of machine learning and conventional statistical methods were used to identify predictors of low hippocampal volume...

BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder with a high multidimensional burden, with an obscure etiopathogenesis. METHODS: We designed a longitudinal, population-based study of people residing in Central Italy (Marche Region) who were beneficiaries of the National Health System. People with an unprecedented ALS hospitalization (335.20 ICD-9 CM) or tagged with an ALS exemption between 2014 and 2021 were considered incident cases...

BACKGROUND: The gut microbiota (GM) of the human body comprises several species of microorganisms. This microorganism plays a significant role in the physiological and pathophysiological processes of various human diseases. METHODS: The literature review includes studies that describe causative factors that influence GM. The GM is sensitive to various factors like circadian rhythms, environmental agents, physical activity, nutrition, and hygiene that together impact the functioning and composition of the gut microbiome...

BACKGROUND: Dementia is a growing global health challenge, with significant socioeconomic implications. This study examined the informal care duration and related costs along with the total cost of care for older individuals with dementia in Benin, West Africa, providing insights into a region with limited dementia research. METHODS: We conducted a cost-of-illness study in Benin. Both hospital and community recruitments were used to enroll adults aged ≥ 60 years and their primary caregivers...

Introduction Older individuals with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden have a higher risk for accelerated cognitive decline and dementia. Physical activity (PA) is an inexpensive and accessible preventive measure to CVD, cognitive impairment, and dementia. The current study examined (1) whether PA moderates the relationship between CVD burden and cognition and (2) whether the moderating effect of PA differs by race/ethnicity groups and by APOE-ɛ4 status. Methods Our cross-sectional study included participants from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP), a multi-ethnic, community-based, longitudinal study on aging and dementia among individuals aged 65 years and older who reside in northern Manhattan...

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a leading cause of acquired disability in adults worldwide and the burden of stroke is projected to increase. Current long-term stroke outcome data including functional status, activity, and participation limitations as well as information on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are vital for future rehabilitation and resource planning of stroke survivors. METHODS: First-ever stroke survivors from a population-based cohort with ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage were followed-up 3-4 years after stroke onset via clinic appointments home visits, or telephone...

Introduction Adverse sleep is common in multiple sclerosis (MS). Population-based studies including adequate control groups are lacking. We hypothesized that the prevalence of sleep disorders and other sleep disturbances would be higher in persons with MS than in controls. Methods We conducted a population-based study linking individual-level data from the Danish MS Registry (n=21,943 persons with MS) and the Danish Population Registry (n=109,715 matched controls) with information on sleep disorders from the Danish National Patient Registry and other sleep disturbances assessed by dispensed prescription drugs from the Danish National Prescription Registry...

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the potential factors associated with marital status and determine the association between marital status and cognitive impairment in a multi-ethnic Asian population. METHOD: This study included 2321 participants from Singapore Multi-Ethnic Cohort revisit study (aged 40-89). Participants were classified into married and unmarried group at baseline and follow-up according to self-reported marital status. Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) was administered, and cognitive impairment was defined as a MMSE <26...

INTRODUCTION: In Kenya, there is a lack of data on the number of people with dementia. In this article, we aim to estimate the number of community-dwelling older adults (aged 60 years and above) that are potentially living with dementia in rural Kenya. METHODS: Recruitment of older adults occurred through adopting a convenience approach based on the catchment areas served by trained ten Community Health Workers (CHWs). Screening was conducted using the Brief Community Screening Instrument for Dementia (CSI-D), in which prevalence ratios were reported...

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is frequently diagnosed during the acute stage of ischemic (IS), and it may reflect undiagnosed AF before stroke, thus representing a missed opportunity for stroke prevention. This population-based study aimed to assess the prevalence of known AF (KAF) and AF diagnosed early after IS (AFDAS), and to compare clinical and brain/arterial imaging characteristics between patients. METHODS: Among patients with acute IS recorded in the population-based Dijon Stroke Registry, France (2013-2020), we identified those with KAF or AFDAS...