ABSTRACT
Introduction: Suicide is a complex phenomenon and seems to be paradoxical from an evolutionary standpoint, considering the multiple associated risk factors and the differences in suicide rates among countries. Suicide risks are usually attributed to economic hardship and low quality of life. However, some studies have shown an inverse relationship. Objective: To compare suicide rates reported for different countries to date with economic and quality of life indicators. Method: Suicide rates reported for 82 countries by the World Health Organization (WHO) were correlated with 2008 purchasing power parities (PPPs) and human development indexes (HDIs) published by the World Bank and the United Nations, respectively. Results: A positive correlation was observed between suicide rates, PPPs and HDIs (r = 0.3601 and r = 0.366, respectively p < 0.01). Conclusions: The positive correlation observed (i.e., suicide rates increased with economic and quality of life indicators) seem to be contradictory on the surface. We propose that interpreting these data from an evolutionary perspective could contribute to a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. Nevertheless, there are a myriad of factors that could be contributing to these results, thus further research is needed to understand suicide at a global scale.
Introducción: El suicidio es un fenómeno complejo y evolucionariamente en apariencia paradojal, siendo conocidos los múltiples factores de riesgo asociados y las diferencias de tasas existentes entre los países. Comúnmente se atribuye mayor riesgo a dificultades económicas y peor calidad de vida, sin embargo, algunos estudios mostrarían una tendencia inversa. Objetivo: Comparar las tasas de suicidio de distintos países publicadas hasta la fecha, con algunos indicadores económicos y de calidad de vida objetivos. Métodos: Se correlacionaron las tasas de suicidio de 82 países publicados por la Organización Mundial de la Salud, con la paridad de poder de compra (PPP) e índice de desarrollo humano (HDI) del año 2008 publicados por el Banco Mundial y las Naciones Unidas respectivamente. Resultados: Se obtuvo una correlación positiva entre tasas de suicidio con PPP e HDI (r = 0,3601 y r = 0,366 respectivamente, p < 0,01). Conclusión: La correlación positiva observada, es decir, mientras mejores indicadores económicos y de calidad de vida, habría mayores tasas de suicidio, son en apariencia contradictorios. Proponemos que la comprensión de estos datos desde una perspectiva evolucionaria podría contribuir a un mejor entendimiento de éstos. Sin embargo, son múltiples los factores que podrían estar involucrados en este resultado, por lo que es necesaria mayor investigación para poder entender de mejor manera el fenómeno del suicidio a nivel mundial.
Subject(s)
Humans , Biological Evolution , Economic Development , Quality of Life , Suicide/statistics & numerical data , Global HealthABSTRACT
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common skin cancer; its incidence is increasing in the last decades worldwide. The purpose of this study was to analyze 1320SCC (716 males and 604 females) from five hospitals of Santiago. The tumours were studied by gender, anatomical localization and age of the patient. For this, 600.000 histopathological reports were reviewed (1992-2001). SCC was more frequent in males than females and also more frequent in older people. The average age was 72.1 +/-14.3 years old in females and 69.5+/-13.2 years old in males. The most frequent anatomical locations in females were the face (51.2 percent), lower extremities (13.9 per cent) and genitals (12.1 percent). The most frequent anatomical locations in males were the face (62.4 percent); genitals (9.8 percent) and lower extremities (8.1 percent ). More number of facial SCC was observed in males than in females; however; more SCC in lower extremities was observed in females than in males. In relation to age, CEC was more frequent in males in the 50-59 and 70-79 years old groups, however; CEC was more frequent in females older than 80 years old. The study of 1320 SCC tumours allows us to analyze risk groups in the Chilean population that help to direct future skin cancer prevention campaigns in Chile.