Biomedical subjects
G Dodero
Publications and source records attributed to G Dodero.
[Animal bites in the city of Cagliari, 1985-1989].
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[Infective diseases in the urban districts of Cagliari in 1980-1985].
The purpose of this paper is to study the incidence of 8 infectious diseases (viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, salmonellosis, chickenpox, whooping cough, measles, parotitis, rubella) in the 13 districts of the city of Cagliari. The 13 districts are different for demography, population density, socio-economic status. We studied the cases notified and we calculated the age-specific incidence rates of the whole city for the years 1980-1985. We also calculated the crude incidence rate for each district. In order to get over the problem of the different age structures of the districts populations we used the indirect method of standardization and we applied the age-specific rates of the city (standard rates) to the district population to determine the number of cases expected in each age group of the district population. The ratio of the total observed cases to the total expected cases is the Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR). The confidence interval of SIR (95%) is given by SIR +/- 196 *square root of d/(sigma Pi Mi) where d = cases in district population; Pi = population in age group i in district population; Mi = rate in age group i in standard population. The incidence of viral hepatitis is higher between 20 and 29 years and then it declines very fast (--84% in ten years). The age distribution of tuberculosis is bimodal having the first peak between 20 and 29 years and the second one in the oldest age group. The incidence of salmonellosis, chickenpox, whooping cough, measles, parotitis and rubella declines with increasing age. The incidence of viral hepatitis in the districts 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 and in Monserrato (outlying village) is higher than the incidence in the whole city; the confidence intervals, that are not too high, are suggestive for the precision of the estimate. As far as tuberculosis is concerned we can recognize a high incidence in the districts 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, in Elmas and in Monserrato (outlying villages), but the confidence intervals are very large. The incidence of salmonellosis is high in the districts 6 and 9 and in the outlying villages. Goals for future research include the role of correlation studies to test hypotheses about the association between socio-economic status and infectious diseases.
[Epidemiology of hepatitis A in Sardinia: prevalence of anti-HAV in a sample of junior and senior high school students].
In the developing countries, where socioeconomic and hygienic conditions are inadequate, hepatitis A is mainly a childhood infection. Improvements in environmental conditions cause a decline in the exposure to hepatitis A virus and a change in the age-distribution of the incidence. In the Sardinian population 3-11 years old a study conducted in 1987 showed that 3.8 percent of children were anti-HAV positive. In this research work we studied the anti-HAV prevalence in the population 13-20 years old. The study population consisted of all the children who attended the third year of the junior high school (13-16 years old) and the fifth year of the senior high school (17-20 years old) in 7 health districts of South-Sardinia. All schools were identified in each district. Our list consisted of 455 classes of the last year of secondary schools and of 242 classes of the last year of high schools. Our sample consisted of 20 classes of the last year of junior high schools and of 29 classes of the last year of senior high schools. We used a precoded questionnaire recording age, sex, number of households and father's years of schooling. Sera from 794 students were collected between May and June 1988 and stored at--20 degrees C. A ELISA test (ABBOTT) was used for detection of anti-HAV. The analysis has been carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. We determined the prevalence of anti-HAV according to age, sex and socioeconomic conditions. We calculated odds' ratios and their 95% confidence limits. We considered as not exposed the group in the most favourable level of exposure (father's highest educational level, lowest number of households). There is a sharp increase from an anti-HAV prevalence of 16.5 percent in students 13-16 years of age to 24.8 percent in students 17-20 years of age. As far as the persons 13-16 years of age are concerned we can recognize a significant difference between females (21.8 percent) and males (10.3 percent). In the other group of age, on the contrary, the difference is not significant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)