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"less suicide is reported among PD patients" = we're used to life being a bit of a **** so less likely to quit... Quoting Ansa Ojanlatva <[log in to unmask]>: > Thank you, Jim Slattery. > > A second question, perhaps more along the lines of your personal expertise, > has to do with epidemiology itself. I recently saw a mention somewhere that > there is no PD in really old people; it is understandable that really old > people would tend to be really healthy (or lucky/unlucky depending on a > personal viewpoint) individuals. We often hear that PD does not shorten > lifespan itself, it only makes life hell --but it all ends one day. Does > there seem to be an age that is the 'end' time period in PD? (A report > mentioned that less suicide is reported among PD patients than the general > population.) This also likely to be complicated with data gathering > issues... > > > Ansa Ojanlatva, PhD, CHES (ret.) > Docent, Health and Sexuality Education > > Authorized Sexuality Educator and Sexual Health Promotor (NACS), > Authorized in Sexual Science (NACS) > > Sanitas 3rd floor > Lemminkäisenkatu 1 > 20014 University of Turku, Finland > > mobile +358-400-823 816 > tel +358-2-333 8515 > fax +358-2-333 8439 > > Please use the mobile phone number for calling. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Jim Slattery <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Monday, April 6, 2009 9:35 am > Subject: Re: My information > To: [log in to unmask] > > > > > out of curiosity, have you worked with medical geography issues in > > PD > > > epidemiology? If so, is there something we should know about the > > > distribution of this condition? > > > > Hello Ansa, > > > > No, there do not seem to be any geographical issues in PD > > epidemiology, at > > least, not in Australia. My colleague and collaborator, Dr Simon > > Hammond MB > > BS (Lond) PhD (Syd) FRCP(UK) FRACP, had found a corollary with > > temperature > > gradations related to latitude in his definitive work on Multiple > > Sclerosis, > > where prevalence appeared to increase with distance from the equator. > > > > However, in Parkinson's Disease, where clusters of cases occurred, any > > > > apparent geological variations were filtered out by comparative > > analysis > > between quintiles by age and sex of actual Parkinson's sufferers, and > > > > matching quintiles of actual general population as noted in census > > data for > > the comparative period, any clustering became apparent at variations > > due to > > sociological aspects, rather than geographical ones. > > > > For example, where a raw data set for the Kimberley/Pilbara areas of > > Western > > Australia appeared to indicate an unusually low prevalence of PD, the > > > > adjusted data revealed that there was an anomaly in the population > > statistics, brought about by extensive migration of younger people to > > these > > areas to work in the mining industry. Similarly, there appeared to be > > an > > abnormally enhanced prevalence of PD in the Perth Hills district of > > Western > > Australia, this anomaly resolved, on examination, to be due to > > extensive > > migration of elderly people - those most likely to have PD - from > > other > > areas of the state to retire in the pleasant surroundings of this > district. > > > > It became rapidly apparent, the longer this study continued, that > > using > > Standard Population data for the age comparison, and using estimated > > prevalence for the PD sufferers component, gave results that were much > > in > > variance with that data obtained from Government medical databases, > > and > > census material. It turned out that the prevalence as used in many > > papers on > > PD, could be shown to be vastly underated, with the official > > Australian-wide > > prevalence being in the order of 30,000 whereas our study showed the > > more > > accurate figure to be in the order of 85,000. > > > > An analysis of some 2,000 papers on PD prevalence show similar > > discrepancies, mostly bought about by methodology that was, to say the > > > > least, suspect. > > > > Sorry for such a long-winded answer, but as you can see, there is no > > simple > > answer to what is s very complex question> the one simple-seeming > > answer > > that I can give is that there were several anomalous clusters of > > increased > > prevalence, of statistical significance, whose only common factor was > > that > > they were areas in which the local drinking water supply was sourced > > form > > limestone predominate areas. > > > > Jim Slatttery > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------- This mail sent through http://www.ukonline.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn