A descriptive epidemiological survey was extended to the whole province of Sassari, northern Sardinia between latitudes 40°30' N and 41° N. Results showed a crude total prevalence rate of 144.4 per 100 000 on prevalence day (31 December 1997), and an onset-adjusted prevalence rate of 149.7 per 100 000. The total average annual incidence rate was 4.9 per 100 000 for the whole time interval studied ( 1968-1997), having increased from 2.0 in 1968-1972 to 6.8 in the last quinquennium considered. A substantial improvement in MS case ascertainment due to the introduction of new diagnostic procedures might account for such rates in Sardinia as well as in other Italian regions. However, when comparing our data with those obtained in the province of Ferrara, in the same time frames (1968-1997), a nine-fold versus a five-fold increase of MS prevalence was detected in Ferrara and Sassari, respectively. MS incidence temporal trend also notably increased in Sassari, but remained substantially stabl...
Multiple sclerosis prevalence among Sardinians: further evidence against the latitude gradient theory
PUGLIATTI, Maura;
2001
Abstract
A descriptive epidemiological survey was extended to the whole province of Sassari, northern Sardinia between latitudes 40°30' N and 41° N. Results showed a crude total prevalence rate of 144.4 per 100 000 on prevalence day (31 December 1997), and an onset-adjusted prevalence rate of 149.7 per 100 000. The total average annual incidence rate was 4.9 per 100 000 for the whole time interval studied ( 1968-1997), having increased from 2.0 in 1968-1972 to 6.8 in the last quinquennium considered. A substantial improvement in MS case ascertainment due to the introduction of new diagnostic procedures might account for such rates in Sardinia as well as in other Italian regions. However, when comparing our data with those obtained in the province of Ferrara, in the same time frames (1968-1997), a nine-fold versus a five-fold increase of MS prevalence was detected in Ferrara and Sassari, respectively. MS incidence temporal trend also notably increased in Sassari, but remained substantially stabl...I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
