Improving Community Health Through Research
The Rochester Epidemiology Project has laid the foundation for hundreds of research studies to try and answer questions about health care issues that affect our community. Listed below are a few of the recent studies that have published results using the REP.
April 15, 2011
Patients with atrial fibrillation are more likely to develop non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) report researchers from the Mayo Clinic. Moreover, women with atrial fibrillation are more likely than men to develop the condition. This study was presented at the American Academy of Neurology meeting this month in Hawaii.
The study looked at 1,450 patients over the age of 70 who had a medical history of atrial fibrillation. Of the patients identified, researchers noted how many developed non-amnestic MCI. In general, those with atrial fibrillation had a 1.7 percent increased risk of developing non-amnestic MCI. However, in women, this risk was 2.9 percent higher for patients with atrial fibrillation than without.
More Information: MayoClinic.org - Study linking Atrial Fibrillation and Mild Cognitive Impairment Finds Women More at Risk
January 12, 2011
A new research study presents population-based estimates of herpes zoster (HZ) recurrence rates among adults.
More Information: MayoClinicPreceedings.com - Herpes Zoster Recurrences More Frequent Than Previously Reported
January 5, 2011
Researchers have determined the lifetime risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis and six other autoimmune rheumatic diseases for both men and women. The findings appear online in Arthritis and Rheumatism.
The adult lifetime risk in the United States of having some kind of inflammatory autoimmune disease is 8.4 percent for women and 5.1 percent for men. Based on year 2000 population figures, that means one woman in 12 and one man in 20 will develop one of the conditions in their lifetime. The authors consider that a substantial risk and say their findings should encourage more research on the value of early diagnosis and intervention for people with increased genetic risk of arthritis. They hope the new figures will help in counseling patients and in fundraising efforts to find improved treatments.
More Information: MayoClinic.org - What's Your Risk of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis?
July 6, 2009 - A new study found that the clinical criteria for mild cognitive impairment is better at predicting who will develop Alzheimers disease than a single memory test. This is one more piece of information to aid in the identification and early treatment of individuals most likely to develop Alzheimers disease.
The goal of this research is to try to predict who is going to develop Alzheimers disease in the future, says Ronald Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic and the lead author of this study. Ideally, we'd like to identify individuals before any damage is done in the brain. The sooner we intervene on this process with medications or other therapies, the greater impact we can have on lessening the number of people who will ultimately develop Alzheimers disease.
January 5, 2009 - Experts estimate that 20 percent of women experience excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding at some time during their lives, particularly as they approach menopause. A new, less invasive procedure called global endometrial ablation (GEA) preserves the uterus, while decreasing menstrual bleeding and shortening patients' recovery time.
According to the Mayo researchers, identifying risk factors that affect treatment outcomes following GEA is an important advance in this field. This knowledge can help surgeons determine whether GEA is appropriate for a specific patient and help them provide patients with better guidance when choosing a treatment option, say researchers.
June 29, 2009 - Celiac disease, an immune system reaction to gluten in the diet, is at least four times as common today as it was 50 years ago, according to findings of a Mayo Clinic study published this month in the journal Gastroenterology. The study also found that subjects who unknowingly had celiac disease were nearly four times as likely as celiac-free subjects to have died during the 45 years of follow-up.
In the video and audio files linked in the article, Joseph Murray, M.D., the Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist who led the study, describes the study findings and provides background on the disease, its symptoms and treatment.
July 23, 2009 - Researchers have found that children exposed to anesthesia during Cesarean delivery are not at any higher risk for later learning disabilities than children not delivered by Cesarean. These findings are recently reported in the journal Anesthesiology.
We found that the incidence of learning disabilities was equal between children who were delivered vaginally and those who were delivered via Cesarean section but with general anesthesia, says Juraj Sprung, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist who led the study. Its reassuring that the anesthetics required for Cesarean delivery do not appear to cause long-term brain problems.
April 27, 2009 - Results of a new Mayo Clinic study support an association between anemia experienced early in life and the development of Parkinsons disease many years later. The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Seattle on April 30.
"We were surprised to discover that chronic anemia or low levels of hemoglobin were linked to the risk of Parkinsons disease 20- to 30-years later", says Walter A. Rocca, M.D., an author of the study and a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic.
March 11, 2009 - Mayo Clinic researchers have found that children who require multiple surgeries under anesthesia during their first three years of life are at higher risk to develop learning disabilities later. Several studies have suggested that anesthetic drugs may cause abnormalities in the brains of young animals.
This is the first study in humans to suggest that exposure of children to anesthesia may have similar consequences. The finding is reported in the April 2009 issue of the journal Anesthesiology.
February 02, 2009 - Men who experience erectile dysfunction at a young age - from 40 to 49 - are two times more likely to develop heart disease compared to men without erectile dysfunction, according to a new Mayo Clinic study.
Overall, researchers found that men with erectile dysfunction have an 80 percent higher risk of heart disease compared to those without erectile dysfunction.
August 12, 2008 - A new Mayo Clinic study found that individuals with earlier onset, longer duration and greater severity of diabetes appear to be more likely to have mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional stage between normal aging and the earliest features of Alzheimer's disease.
"There is an obesity epidemic in this country. Since obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, this study provides more evidence of the importance of reducing obesity," said Rosebud Roberts, M.D., a Mayo Clinic epidemiologist and author of this study.
To find more publications of research studies supported by the Rochester Epidemiology Project, visit our Publication Search page.
On this page, you can search hundreds of publications supported by the REP and related to almost every disease imaginable.
