Prevalence and Incidence of Arachnoiditis
Arachnoiditis: Rare Disease
Arachnoiditis is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of
Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). This means that Arachnoiditis, or a subtype of Arachnoiditis,
affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Arachnoiditis Prevalence: Book Excerpts
Prevalence/Incidence of Arachnoiditis: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the prevalence and/or incidence of Arachnoiditis.
Meningococcal infections:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Meningococcal infections usually occur among children (ages 6 months to 1 year) and men, usually military recruits or those enrolled at institutions, such as colleges, because of overcrowding.
N. meningitidis has seven serogroups (A, B, C, D, X, Y, and Z); group A causes most epidemics. Transmission takes place through inhalation of an infected droplet from a carrier (an estimated 2% to 38% of the population). The bacteria localize in the nasopharynx. After incubating approximately 3 to 4 days, they spread through the bloodstream to joints, skin, adrenal glands, lungs, and the central nervous system. The tissue damage that results (possibly due to the effects of bacterial endotoxins) produces symptoms and, in fulminating meningococcemia and meningococcal bacteremia, hemorrhage, thrombosis, and necrosis.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Tuberculosis:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
After exposure to M. tuberculosis, roughly 5% of infected people develop active TB within 1 year; in the remainder, microorganisms cause a latent infection. The host’s immune system usually controls the tubercle bacillus by enclosing it in a tiny nodule (tubercle). The bacillus may lie dormant within the tubercle for years and later reactivate and spread.
Although the primary infection site is the lungs, mycobacteria commonly exist in other parts of the body. Several factors increase the risk of infection reactivation: gastrectomy, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, Hodgkin’s disease, leukemia, silicosis, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, treatment with corticosteroids or immunosuppressants, and advanced age.
Transmission is by droplet nuclei produced when infected persons cough or sneeze. Persons with a cavitary lesion are particularly infectious because their sputum usually contains 1 to 100 million bacilli per milliliter. If an inhaled tubercle bacillus settles in an alveolus, infection occurs, with alveolocapillary dilation and endothelial cell swelling. Alveolitis results, with replication of tubercle bacilli and influx of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. These organisms spread through the lymph system to the circulatory system and then through the body.
Cell-mediated immunity to the mycobacteria, which develops 3 to 6 weeks later, usually contains the infection and arrests the disease. If the infection reactivates, the body’s response characteristically leads to caseation — the conversion of necrotic tissue to a cheeselike material. The caseum may localize, undergo fibrosis, or excavate and form cavities, the walls of which are studded with multiplying tubercle bacilli. If this happens, infected caseous debris may spread throughout the lungs by the tracheobronchial tree. Sites of extrapulmonary TB include the pleurae, meninges, joints, lymph nodes, peritoneum, genitourinary tract, and bowel.
The incidence of TB has been increasing in the United States secondary to homelessness, drug abuse, and human immunodeficiency virus infection. Globally, TB is the leading infectious cause of morbidity and mortality, generating 8 to 10 million new cases each year.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
West Nile encephalitis:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
WNV is transmitted to humans by the bite of a mosquito (primarily the Culex species) infected with the virus. It's considered the primary vector for WNV and the source of the August 1999 outbreak in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Mosquitoes become infected by feeding on birds contaminated with the West Nile virus and then transmitting it to humans and animals during a blood meal or “bite.” (See Transmission routes of West Nile virus, page 256.)
Ticks have been found infected with WNV in Africa and Asia only. The role of ticks in the transmission and maintenance of the virus remains uncertain, and to date they aren't considered vectors for WNV in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that there is no evidence that a person can contract the virus from handling live or dead infected birds. However, avoid barehanded contact when handling dead animals, including birds, and use gloves or double plastic bags to dispose of a carcass. Report the finding to the local health department.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Encephalitis:
Encephalitis - epidemiology
(The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult)
Encephalitis - incidence
Varies with age, geographic location, and season
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 2008
About prevalence and incidence statistics:
The term 'prevalence' of Arachnoiditis usually refers to the estimated population
of people who are managing Arachnoiditis at any given time.
The term 'incidence' of Arachnoiditis refers to the annual diagnosis rate,
or the number of new cases of Arachnoiditis diagnosed each year.
Hence, these two statistics types can differ:
a short-lived disease like flu can have high annual incidence but low prevalence,
but a life-long disease like diabetes has a low annual incidence but high prevalence.
For more information see about prevalence and incidence statistics.
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