Pericardial effusion (PE) presentation varies from an incidental finding to a life-threatening situation; thus, its etiology and clinical course remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to ...retrospectively investigate these factors.We analyzed 171 patients (0.4%) who presented with PE among 34,873 patients who underwent echocardiography between 2011 and 2021 at our hospital. Clinical and prognostic information was retrieved from electronic medical records. The primary endpoints were all-cause death, hospitalization due to heart failure (HF), and other cardiovascular events such as cardiovascular death, acute coronary syndrome, elective percutaneous coronary intervention, and stroke.The etiologies of PE were as follows: idiopathic (32%), HF-related (18%), iatrogenic (11%), cardiac surgery-related (10%), radiation therapy-related (9%), malignancy (8%), pericarditis/myocarditis (8%), myocardial infarction-related (2%), and acute aortic dissection (2%). Patients with idiopathic/HF etiology were more likely to be older than the others.During a mean follow-up period of 2.5 years, all-cause death occurred in 21 patients (12.3%), cardiovascular events in 10 patients (5.8%), and hospitalization for HF in 24 patients (14.0%). All-cause death was frequently observed in patients with malignancy (44% per person-year). Cardiovascular events were mostly observed in patients with radiation therapy-related and malignancy (8.6% and 7.3% per person-year, respectively).The annual incidence of hospitalization for HF was the highest in patients with HF-related (25.1% per person-year), followed by radiation therapy-related (10.4% per person-year).This retrospective study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to reveal the contemporary prevalence of PE, its cause, and outcome in patients who visited a cardiovascular hospital in an urban area of Japan.
Of the neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson's disease is recognised to have the fastest growing prevalence. It is unclear whether this is due to the ageing global population alone, with several ...environmental factors increasingly implicated in changing prevalence rates. Large data sets have been used nationally and globally to help predict future disease burden. However, the reliability of such sources is yet unknown for Parkinson's disease.
This review discusses the methods used in all published UK prevalence studies conducted to date. Direct comparison between prevalence figures obtained from the 10 to discussed prevalence studies is precluded due to differences in methodology for case ascertainment and diagnosis. Age adjusted estimates vary from 105/100,000 to 168/100,000.
These studies demonstrate no overall trend in changing prevalence figures between 1961 and 2007. No difference in prevalence trends were seen for those living in rural or urban areas. Differences between ethnic groups, for example, remains an under explored area.
•Parkinson's prevalence is projected to rise globally.•Of the 10 case finding studies published, this trend is not demonstrated in the UK.•No difference was identified between demographic groups, but this is underexplored.•More research is needed to understand accuracy of large healthcare datasets.
AIM To review Hepatitis C virus(HCV) prevalence and genotypes distribution worldwide.METHODS We conducted a systematic study which represents one of the most comprehensive effort to quantify global ...HCV epidemiology,using the best available published data between 2000 and 2015 from 138 countries(about 90% of the global population),grouped in 20 geographical areas(with the exclusion of Oceania),as defined by the Global Burden of Diseases project(GBD). Countries for which we were unable to obtain HCV genotype prevalence data were excluded from calculations of regional proportions,although their populations were included in the total population size of each region when generating regional genotype prevalence estimates.RESULTS Total global HCV prevalence is estimated at 2.5%(177.5 million of HCV infected adults),ranging from 2.9% in Africa and 1.3% in Americas,with a global viraemic rate of 67%(118.9 million of HCV RNA positive cases),varying from 64.4% in Asia to 74.8% in Australasia. HCV genotype 1 is the most prevalent worldwide(49.1%),followed by genotype 3(17.9%),4(16.8%) and 2(11.0%). Genotypes 5 and 6 are responsible for the remaining < 5%. While genotypes 1 and 3 are common worldwide,the largest proportion of genotypes 4 and 5 is in lower-income countries. Although HCV genotypes 1 and 3 infections are the most prevalent globally(67.0% if considered together),other genotypes are found more commonly in lowerincome countries where still account for a significant proportion of HCV cases.CONCLUSION A more precise knowledge of HCV genotype distribution will be helpful to best inform national healthcare models to improve access to new treatments.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a frequent cause of nosocomial and community infections, in some cases severe and difficult to treat. In addition, there are strains of MRSA that ...are specifically associated with food-producing animals. For this reason, in recent years special attention has been paid to the role played by foodstuffs of animal origin in infections by this microorganism. With the aim of gaining knowledge on the prevalence and types of MRSA in meat and meat products, a review was undertaken of work published on this topic since 2001, a total of 259 publications, 185 relating to meat samples from retail outlets and 74 to samples of animal origin collected in farms, slaughterhouses and meat processing facilities. Strains of MRSA were detected in 84.3% reports (156 out of 185) from retail outlets and 86.5% reports (64 out of 74) from farms, slaughterhouses and meat processing facilities, although in most of the research this microorganism was detected in under 20% of samples from retail outlets, and under 10% in those from farms, slaughterhouses and meat processing facilities. The meat and meat products most often contaminated with MRSA were pork and chicken. In addition to the mecA gene, it is crucial to take into consideration the mecB and mecC genes, so as to avoid misidentification of strains as MSSA (methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus). The great variety of methods used for the determination of MRSA highlights the need to develop a standardized protocol for the study of this microorganism in foods.
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•A total of 259 research reports into MRSA in meat and meat products were reviewed.•MRSA was detected in 84.3% (retail outlets) and 86.5% (abattoirs) of the researches.•Prevalence was <20% in foods from retail outlets and <10% in those from abattoirs.•The highest prevalence of MRSA was observed in pork and chicken samples.•It is essential to study the mecB and mecC genes in addition to the mecA gene.
Background: Amblyopia is one of the most important causes of vision impairment in the world, especially in children. Although its prevalence varies in different parts of the world, no study has ...evaluated its prevalence in different geographical regions comprehensively. The aim of the present study was to provide global and regional estimates of the prevalence of amblyopia in different age groups via a systematic search.
Methods: In this study, international databases, including Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and other relevant databases, were searched systematically to find articles on the prevalence of amblyopia in different age groups published in English. The prevalence and 95% CI were calculated using binomial distribution. The Cochran's Q-test and I
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statistic were applied to assess heterogeneity, a random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence, and a meta-regression method was utilized to investigate the factors affecting heterogeneity between studies.
Results: Of 1252 studies, 73 studies were included in the analysis (sample volume: 530,252). Most of these studies (n = 25) were conducted in the WHO-Western Pacific Regional Office. The pooled prevalence estimate of amblyopia was 1.75% (95% CI: 1.62-1.88), with the highest estimate in European Regional Office (3.67%, 95% CI: 2.89-4.45) and the lowest in African Regional Office (0.51%, 95% CI: 0.24-0.78). The most common cause of amblyopia was anisometropia (61.64%). The I
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heterogeneity was 98% (p < 0.001). According to the results of univariate meta-regression, the variables of WHO region (b: 0.566, p < 0.001), sample size (b: −0.284 × 10
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, p: 0.025), and criteria for definition of amblyopia (b: −0.292, p: 0.010) had a significant effect on heterogeneity between studies, while age group, publication date, and cause of amblyopia had no significant effect on heterogeneity.
Conclusion: The prevalence of amblyopia varies in different parts of the world, with the highest prevalence in European countries. Geographical location and criteria for definition of amblyopia are among factors contributing to the difference across the world. The results of this study can help stakeholders to design health programs, especially health interventions and amblyopia screening programs.
Abstract
Background
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a rare disorder caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of global DMD epidemiology is not ...available. This study aimed to estimate the global overall and birth prevalence of DMD through an updated systematic review of the literature.
Methods
MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for original research articles on the epidemiology of DMD from inception until 1st October 2019. Studies were included if they were original observational research articles written in English, reporting DMD prevalence and/or incidence along with the number of individuals of the underlying population. The quality of the studies was assessed using a STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist adapted for observational studies on rare diseases. To derive the pooled epidemiological prevalence estimates, a meta-analysis was performed using random-effects logistic models for overall and birth prevalence and within two different underlying populations (i.e. all individuals and in males only), separately. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran’s Q-test along with its derived measure of inconsistency I
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.
Results
A total of 44 studies reporting the global epidemiology of DMD were included in the systematic review and only 40 were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled global DMD prevalence was 7.1 cases (95% CI: 5.0–10.1) per 100,000 males and 2.8 cases (95% CI: 1.6–4.6) per 100,000 in the general population, while the pooled global DMD birth prevalence was 19.8 (95% CI:16.6–23.6) per 100,000 live male births. A very high between-study heterogeneity was found for each epidemiological outcome and for all underlying populations (I
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> 90%). The test for funnel plot asymmetry suggested the absence of publication bias. Of the 44 studies included in this systematic review, 36 (81.8%) were assessed as being of medium and 8 (18.2%) of low quality, while no study was assessed as being of high quality.
Conclusions
Generating epidemiological evidence on DMD is fundamental to support public health decision-making. The high heterogeneity and the lack of high quality studies highlights the need to conduct better quality studies on rare diseases.
Psoriasis and obesity are risk factors for psoriasis. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of obesity in patients with psoriasis.
We examined ...four databases from their inception to October 2023 and used the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess the quality of observational studies. Data analysis was conducted using R language. Meta-regression, sensitivity and subgroup analyses were used to evaluate inter-study heterogeneity. Egger's test and funnel plots were used to evaluate publication bias.
The global prevalence of psoriasis and obesity comorbidity was 25% (95% confidence interval CI: 0.21–0.30). Furthermore, the co-morbidity rate was 18% (95% CI: 0.11–0.24) in children and adolescents, and 35% (95% CI: 0.30–0.39) in adults. The gender-specific prevalence rates were 23% (95% CI: 0.16–0.32) in men and 38% (95% CI: 0.20–0.61) in women. Africa had the highest prevalence (60%, 95% CI: 0.21–0.99), followed by Asia (40%, 95% CI: 0.28–0.51), while Europe and North America had similar prevalence rates at 34% (95% CI: 0.27–0.41) and 31% (95% CI: 0.27–0.38), respectively. Regarding psoriasis severity, obesity was higher in moderate psoriasis (36%, 95% CI: 0.20–0.64) and lower in mild psoriasis (27%, 95% CI: 0.16–0.46). The prevalence of severe psoriasis was 30% (95% CI: 0.20–0.45).
This study underscores the importance of identifying and treating obesity in patients with psoriasis to mitigate disease progression. However, more high-quality observational studies are required to elucidate their global prevalence and comorbid associations.
This response to a reader's comment on our paper “The Global Assessment of OCD” addresses the critique regarding the stated prevalence of OCD as the fourth most common mental disorder. We acknowledge ...an oversight in our initial reference, discuss the variable prevalence rates from various studies, and highlight the significant disability caused by OCD. We have requested a correction to the original citation to reflect more recent findings, aiming to ensure accuracy in the discourse on OCD's public health impact.
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