Dataset Information

Prevalence of narcolepsy in King County, Washington, USA.

ABSTRACT: Relatively few epidemiologic studies have focused on narcolepsy, a disabling sleep disorder with a strong association with HLA-DQB1 *0602.We sought to estimate the prevalence of narcolepsy using multiple overlapping techniques to identify residents of King County, WA who were 18 years or older with physician-diagnosed narcolepsy. Patients were entered into a registry and recruited into an epidemiologic study entailing interview and buccal scrapings to determine HLA-DQB1 *0602 status. Missing values were imputed to allow prevalence to be estimated based on all 425 patients entered into the registry between 2001 and 2005, whether they were recruited into the epidemiologic study (n=279) or not (n=146).As of July 01, 2001, estimated prevalence per 100,000 of physician-diagnosed narcolepsy with cataplexy was 21.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): 18.8-24.8), similar to prior studies. The median age of onset was 14 (interquartile range: 10-18). For narcolepsy with HLA-DQB1 *0602, prevalence was 15.3 (95% CI: 12.8-17.9). Estimated prevalence was higher in women than men and in African-Americans than other racial groups.These differences could reflect problems in identification and recruitment or may provide etiologic clues about narcolepsy. This study illustrates the challenges in performing population-based studies of narcolepsy.

SUBMITTER: Longstreth WT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2754568 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Prevalence of narcolepsy in King County, Washington, USA.

Longstreth W T WT Ton Thanh G N TG Koepsell Thomas T Gersuk Vivian H VH Hendrickson Audrey A Velde Sarah S

Sleep medicine 20081113 4

<h4>Background</h4>Relatively few epidemiologic studies have focused on narcolepsy, a disabling sleep disorder with a strong association with HLA-DQB1 *0602.<h4>Methods</h4>We sought to estimate the prevalence of narcolepsy using multiple overlapping techniques to identify residents of King County, WA who were 18 years or older with physician-diagnosed narcolepsy. Patients were entered into a registry and recruited into an epidemiologic study entailing interview and buccal scrapings to determine ...[more]

PMID: 19013100

Similar Datasets

Project description:Determining the causes of biological impairment in urban stream settings presents unique challenges because there are many potential stressors associated with human development. A rigorous, scientifically based process is more likely to identify influential stressors that can be reduced to improve stream condition. We used the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA) CADDIS (Causal Analysis/Decision Information System) stressor identification process to assess eight candidate causes in the urban Soos Creek Basin in Washington State. The eight candidate causes capable of negatively affecting the abundance and diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates are: flow alteration, increased fine sediments, reduced habitat complexity, elevated water temperature, low dissolved oxygen, elevated nutrients, increased ionic concentration, and toxic pollutants. We assembled multiple lines of evidence, as well as the consistency of that evidence and agreement with other assessments. We evaluated the influence of natural and cumulative anthropogenic stressors on macroinvertebrate communities by comparing various chemical, physical, and biological measures at sites in the Soos Creek Basin with regional reference sites. Of the stressors evaluated, flow alteration, increased fine sediments, and loss of habitat complexity were the most probable causes of biological impairment, with multiple biological metrics responding predictably across levels of impairment. Key findings from this study include: the use of specific community alterations as evidence in causal assessment, demonstration of links in a complete causal pathway, and the use of multiple models to show which pathway is likely stronger. In addition to the value to the specific case, the analyses increased our understanding of the responses of stream invertebrate communities in urban environments. Ultimately, demonstrating the utility of causal assessment in a practical situation provides greater confidence that mitigation efforts aimed at improving biological health of urban stream communities will have detectable desired effects while also providing a baseline from which the effectiveness of management practices can be evaluated.

Project description:BackgroundRacial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infection and outcomes have been documented, but few studies have examined disparities in access to testing.MethodsWe conducted a mixed methods study of access to COVID-19 testing in the Somali immigrant community in King County, Washington, USA, early during the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020-February 2021, we conducted quantitative surveys in a convenience sample (n = 528) of individuals who had accessed PCR testing, recruited at King County testing sites near Somali population centers and through social media outreach in the Somali community. We compared self-identified Somali and non-Somali responses using Chi-square and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. We also conducted three Somali-language focus groups (n = 26) by video conference to explore Somali experiences with COVID-19 testing, and in-depth interviews with King County-based policymakers and healthcare workers (n = 13) recruited through the research team's professional network to represent key demographics and roles. Data were analyzed using qualitative rapid analysis to explore the county's COVID-19 testing landscape.ResultsAmong 420 survey respondents who had received COVID-19 testing in the prior 90 days, 29% of 140 Somali vs. 11% of 280 non-Somali respondents tested because of symptoms (p = 0.001), with a trend for longer time from symptom onset to testing (a measure of testing access) among Somali respondents (median 3.0 vs. 2.0 days, p = 0.06). Focus groups revealed barriers to testing, including distrust, misinformation, stigma, language, lack of awareness, and transportation. Stakeholders responding from all sectors highlighted the importance of community partnership to improve access.ConclusionSomali communities experience barriers to COVID-19 testing, as evidenced by the longer time from symptom onset to testing and corroborated by our qualitative findings. These barriers, both structural and community-derived, may be overcome through partnerships between government and community to support community-led, multilingual service delivery and racial representation among medical staff.

Dataset Information

Prevalence of narcolepsy in King County, Washington, USA.

Publications

Prevalence of narcolepsy in King County, Washington, USA.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets