Capture-Recapture as a Potentially Useful Procedure for Assessing Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis: Methodologic Exercise Using Portuguese Data

Background: Capture-recapture methods (CRMs) are well established in epidemiologic surveillance and considered useful for the task of correcting for case-finding limitations in multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence surveys. To date, however, CRMs have been exclusively applied to crude prevalence figures. This study therefore sought to explore an age-specific application of this method to an urban Portuguese population of 229,342. Methods: We used a CRM to correct for the age-specific prevalence of MS obtained from two data sources, i.e. general practitioners in three primary-care districts and a neurology unit at the referral hospital. The corrected figures were adjusted for age using the European standard population as reference. Results: When applied to 95 MS patients, the CRM impact was highest at ages 50–59 years, with a 110% increase in cases where the corrected prevalence was highest, i.e. 181.8 (95% CI 75.7–287.9) per 100,000, and lowest, nil, at ages ≥70 years, with an unchanged corrected prevalence of 13.8. The crude prevalence of 41.4 per 100,000 increased by 36% to 56.20 per 100,000 when it was CRM- and age-adjusted. Source independence was poor. Conclusions: CRMs can be differentially applied to MS counts. Valid comparisons may require simultaneous adjustment for age and other variables, such as diagnostic delay and diagnostic criteria. CRM applications to crude figures and dependent sources should be approached with caution

Medical, environmental and personal factors of disability in the elderly in Spain: a screening survey based on the International Classification of Functioning

Malalties cròniques; Demència; Avaluació de la discapacitatEnfermedades crónicas; Demencia; Evaluación de la discapacidadChronic diseases; Dementia; Disability evaluationObjectives: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) advocates a multifactorial and multifaceted conceptualization of disability. The objective of this study was to ascertain major medical, environmental and personal determinants of severe/extreme disability among the elderly population in Spain. The assessment scheme was consistent with the ICF model of disability.Methods: Nine populations contributed probabilistic or geographically-defined samples following a two-phase screening design. The Mini-Mental State Examination and the 12-item version of the World Health Organization-Disability Assessment Schedule, 2(nd) ed. (WHO-DAS II), were used as cognitive and disability screening tools, respectively. Positively screened individuals underwent clinical work-up for dementia and were administered the 36-item version of the WHO-DAS II to estimate ICF disability levels. We used logistic regression for the purposes of data combination, adjusted for age and sex in all analyses. Results: The sample was composed of 503 participants aged ≥ 75 years. Alzheimeŕs disease and depression were highly predictive of severe/extreme disability (OR: 17.40, 3.71). Good access to social services was strongly associated with a low level or absence of disability (OR: 0.05 to 0.18). Very difficult access to services and having dementia or another psychiatric disorder were associated with an increase in disability (OR: 66.06). There was also a significant interaction effect between access to services and neurological disorders (OR: 12.74).Conclusions: Disability is highly prevalent among the Spanish elderly and is influenced by medical, social and personal factors. Disability could potentially be reduced by ensuring access to social services, preventing dementia and stroke, and treating depression.This project, led by J. de Pedro-Cuesta, was supported by thePfizer Foundation and by the RECSP C03-09, CIEN C03-06 and CIBERNED and CIBERSAM research network

Situación epidemiológica de las Encefalopatías Espongiformes Transmisibles Humanas en España

[ES] Las Encefalopatías Espongiformes Transmisibles Humanas (EETH) son enfermedades de declaración obligatoria, de baja incidencia, provocadas por depósitos de proteína priónica que cursan en general con demencia rápidamente progresiva. El Registro Nacional de EETH (RNEETH) recoge datos de los casos españoles desde 1995. En este informe se presentan las características de los casos de EETH de España. Los datos proceden de las notificaciones hechas por las unidades de vigilancia epidemiológica de las comunidades autónomas al RNEETH hasta el 1 de julio de 2016. La forma más común es la Enfermedad de Creutzfeldt-Jakob esporádica (ECJe, se desconoce la causa) cuya incidencia anual en España es de 1,1 casos por millón de habitantes y año. El grupo de edad con mayores tasas de ECJe es el de 70 a 79 años. El 55% de todos los casos son mujeres. En los años 2005, 2007 y 2008 se recogen cinco casos de variante de ECJ (vECJ), dos de ellos en una mujer y su hijo, única agrupación familiar descrita. En el RNEETH constan también siete casos de ECJ transmitida accidentalmente por implantes de duramadre y 152 casos genéticos: 68 en forma de Insomnio Familiar Letal (IFL), 81 de ECJ familiar (ECJf) y 3 de síndrome de Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (SGSS). El País Vasco presenta una incidencia de formas familiares por encima de las demás comunidades autónomas. Los datos que constan en el Registro Nacional de EETH reflejan una situación epidemiológica similar a la descrita en otros países de nuestro entorno salvo para las formas genéticas. [EN] Human Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (HTSE) are notifiable diseases with lowincidence caused by prion protein (PrP) deposits. HTSE are generally characterized by rapidly progressive dementia. The National Registry of HTSE (NRHTSE) collects data from Spanish cases since 1995. This report summarizes the characteristics of the cases of HTSE in Spain. Data come from notifications made by the Epidemiological Surveillance Units of the Autonomous Regions to the NRHTSE until 1 July 2016. The most common form is sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (sCJD) whose annual incidence in Spain is 1.1 cases per million inhabitants per year. The age group with the highest CJD rates is 70 to 79 years. 55% are women. In 2005, 2007 and 2008, 5 cases of variant CJD (vCJD) were recorded, two of them in a woman and her son, the only family group described. In the NRHTSE there are 7 cases of CJD accidentally transmitted by dura mater implants and 152 genetic cases: 68 of Familial Insomnia (FFI), 81 of familial CJD (fCJD) and 3 of Gerstmann-Straüssler-Scheinker syndrome (GSSS). The Basque country has an incidence of family forms above the other Autonomous Regions. The data of the NRHTSE reflect an epidemiological situation similar to other countries of our environment except for genetic forms

Prevalence and features of ICF-disability in Spain as captured by the 2008 National Disability Survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since 1986, the study of disability in Spain has been mainly addressed by National Disability Surveys (NDSs). While international attempts to frame NDS designs within the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) have progressed, in general, the ICF has hardly been used in either the NDS or epidemiological studies. This study sought to identify ICF Activity- and Participation-related content in the most recent Spanish NDS, the 2008 Survey on Disabilities, Independence and Dependency Situations (<it>Encuesta sobre discapacidades, autonomía personal y situaciones de Dependencia </it>- <it>EDAD 2008</it>), and estimate the prevalence of such ICF-framed disability.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p><it>EDAD 2008 </it>methods and questions were perused. Of the 51 EDAD items analysed, 29 were backcoded to specific d2-d7 domains of the ICF Checklist and, by rating the recorded difficulty to perform specific tasks with or without help, these were then taken as performance and capacity respectively. A global ICF score was also derived, albeit lacking data for d1, "Learning and applying knowledge", d8, "Major Life Areas" and d9, "Community, Social and Civic Life". Data were grouped by sex, age, residence and initial positive screening, and prevalence figures were calculated by disability level both for the general population, using the originally designed weights, and for the population that had screened positive to disability. Data for institutionalised persons were processed separately.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Crude prevalence of ICF severe/complete and moderate disability among the community-dwelling population aged ≥6 years was 0.9%-2.2% respectively, and that of severe/complete disability among persons living in sheltered accommodation was 0.3%.</p> <p>Prevalence of severe/complete disability was: higher in women than in men, 0.8% vs. 0.4%; increased with age; and was particularly high in domains such as "Domestic Life", 3.4%, "Mobility", 1.8%, and "Self-care", 1.9%, in which prevalence decreased when measured by reference to performance. Moreover, global scores indicated that severe/complete disability in these same domains was frequent among the moderately disabled group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The <it>EDAD 2008 </it>affords an insufficient data set to be ICF-framed when it comes to the Activity and Participation domains. Notwithstanding their unknown validity, ratings for available ICF domains may, however, be suitable for consideration under the ADL model of functional dependency, suggesting that there are approximately 500,000 persons suffering from severe/complete disability and 1,000,000 suffering from moderate disability, with half the latter being severely disabled in domains capable of benefiting from technical or personal aid. Application of EDAD data to the planning of services for regions and other subpopulations means that need for personal help must be assessed, unmet needs ascertained, and knowledge of social participation and support, particularly for the mentally ill, improved. International, WHO-supported co-operation in ICF planning and use of NDSs in Spain and other countries is needed.</p

Prevalence of and factors associated with homebound status among adults in urban and rural Spanish populations

BACKGROUND: There is a marked growth in the number of homebound older adults, due mainly to increased life expectancy. Although this group has special characteristics and needs, it has not been properly studied. This study thus aimed to measure the prevalence of homebound status in a community-dwelling population, and its association with both socio-demographic, medical and functional characteristics and the use of health care and social services. METHODS: We used instruments coming under the WHO International Classification of Functioning (ICF) framework to carry out a cross-sectional study on populations aged 50 years and over in the province of Zaragoza (Spain), covering a total of 1622 participants. Persons who reported severe or extreme difficulty in getting out of the house in the last 30 days were deemed to be homebound. We studied associations between homebound status and several relevant variables in a group of 790 subjects who tested positive to the WHODAS-12 disability screening tool. RESULTS: Prevalence of homebound status was 9.8 % (95 % CI: 8.4 to 11.3 %). Homebound participants tended to be older, female and display a lower educational level, a higher number of diseases, poorer cognition and a higher degree of disability. In fully adjusted models including disability as measured with the ICF-Checklist, the associated variables (odds ratios and [95 % confidence intervals]) were: female gender (3.75 [2.10–6.68]); urban population (2.36 [1.30–4.29]); WHODAS-12 disability (6.27 [2.56–15.40]); depressive symptoms (2.95 [1.86–4.68]); moderate pain (2.37 [1.30–4.31] and severe pain (3.03 [1.31–7.01]), as compared to the group with no/mild pain; hospital admissions in the previous 3 months (2.98 [1.25–7.11]); and diabetes (1.87 [1.03–3.41]). Adjustment for ICF-Checklist disability had a notable impact on most associations. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that homebound status is a common problem in our setting, and that being disabled is its main determinant. Socio-demographic characteristics, barriers and chronic diseases can also be assumed to be playing a role in the onset of this condition, indicating the need for further research, including longitudinal studies on its incidence and associated factors

Discapacidad, dependencia, apoyo y servicios en poblaciones españolas, 2008-2009

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública y Microbiología. Fecha de lectura: 15-01-201

Disability related to road traffic crashes among adults in Spain

Background: Road traffic accidents cause substantial morbidity and disease burden; few studies have examined their impact on disability. Objective: To estimate the magnitude and distribution of disability due to road traffic accidents according to socio-demographic variables, and its main socioeconomic and health determinants. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in community-dwelling participants in the “2008 Spanish National Disability Survey”, a representative sample of 91,846 households with 20,425 disabled persons older than 15 years; 443 had disability due to road traffic accidents. Results: The prevalence was 2.1 per 1000 inhabitants (95% CI:1.8-2.3), with no differences by sex. Risk was highest among persons aged 31 to 64 years, and onset of disability showed a sharp inflection point at age 16 years in both sexes. Odds ratios (ORs) were higher (OR = 1.3; 95% CI:1.1- 1.7) for participants with secondary education than for those with the lowest educational levels and were lower (OR: 0.5; 95% CI:0.3-0.8) for participants with the highest household income levels than for those with lowest. Only 24% of disabled participants were gainfully employed. As compared to other sources of disability, traffic crashes caused greater disability in terms of mobility (OR = 3.1;p < 0.001), a greater need for health/social services (OR = 1.5;p = 0.003), and more problems with private transportation (OR = 1.6;p < 0.001), moving around outside the home (OR = 1.6;p < 0.001) and changes in economic activity (OR = 2.4;p < 0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of disability due to road traffic accidents in Spain is lower than in other developed countries, with middle-aged and socio-economically underprivileged persons being the most affected. Disability due to road traffic accidents is related to a greater demand for social/health care support, problems of accessibility/commuting, and major changes in economic activity