Open-angle glaucoma and blood groups. The Barbados Eye Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) with ABO, Rh and Duffy blood groups in the population-based Barbados Eye Study. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A subset of black Barbados Eye Study participants, which included 199 OAG cases and 1063 controls. DATA COLLECTION: ABO, Rh and Duffy blood groups were determined as part of a comprehensive study visit, which included assessment for OAG through perimetry, fundus photography, and ophthalmologic examination. OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of blood groups between OAG cases and nonOAG controls, expressed as odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Associations were found with the Duffy Fya+ group, which is more frequent in white than black populations. In Mantel-Haenszel analyses, OAG was positively associated with Duffy Fya+ in men (odds ratio, 2.67; confidence interval, 1.52 to 4.69) and in persons with intraocular pressure more than 21 mm Hg (odds ratio, 3.32; confidence interval, 1.49 to 7.38). Logistic regression analyses confirmed these findings (interaction of Duffy Fya+ and male gender, P = .01; interaction of Duffy Fya+ and intraocular pressure, P = .04). No associations between OAG and the ABO or Rh blood groups were seen. CONCLUSIONS: The associations with Duffy Fya+, which had not been reported previously in a black population, support the involvement of genetic factors in OAG. However, the lack of association between OAG and blood group markers of African ancestry is inconsistent with a genetic explanation for the differences in OAG prevalence between blacks and whites. Our findings suggest gene-environment interactions in OAG, to be explored by further studies of OAG and Fy markers by racial group and gender.

Estimating mortality in the Hispanic population of Connecticut, 1990 to 1991.

Among all deaths to Connecticut residents (1990/91), 1260 were acceptable Spanish-surname matches (using father's surname for females), of which only 793 (62.9%) were identified as Hispanic origin on the death certificate. Certificates also identified 127 non-Spanish-surnamed Hispanics. With death rates for non-Hispanics used as the standard, the standardized mortality ratio for Hispanics based on the 920 (793 plus 127) deaths identified by the Hispanic-origin item was lower (by 33% in males and 36% in females) than that based on all 1387 (1260 plus 127) Hispanics. Spanish-surname matching should improve estimation of mortality rates in some Hispanic populations.

Estimating cervical cancer incidence in the Hispanic population of Connecticut by use of surnames.

BACKGROUND: The problem of estimating cancer incidence in the growing population of Hispanic women in the Northeastern United States has received little attention. METHODS: Age-specific incidence rates (1980-1988) for invasive and in situ cervical cancer for Hispanic women were estimated by matching individual surnames in the population-based Connecticut Tumor Registry with the 1980 census list of Spanish surnames. Maiden names, obtained from death records of women previously receiving diagnoses of invasive cervical cancer, also were matched with the Spanish-surname list. RESULTS: Estimated age-specific invasive cervical cancer rates for Hispanic women, based on matching individual surnames in the registry with the Spanish-surname list, were higher than rates for all white women in all age groups and at least as high as those for all black women in most age groups. Comparison of maiden names with individual surnames for deceased women, however, suggested that use of individual surnames resulted in some misclassification of Hispanic ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated that the estimation of cancer rates for Hispanic women in Connecticut could be improved by obtaining maiden names of all women receiving cancer diagnoses.

Cancer incidence in the Puerto Rican-born population of Connecticut.

There are few published reports on cancer incidence in the Puerto Rican-born populations of the northeastern United States. In Connecticut, in the Puerto Rican-born population, which was of low socioeconomic status (i.e., 42% below the poverty level in the 1980 Census), the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for all invasive cancers diagnosed in 1980-1986 was significantly reduced for female patients (SIR = 0.77) but not for male patients (SIR = 1.16), on the basis of expected numbers derived from incidence rates for the entire state of Connecticut. For female patients, only the SIR for cancers of the stomach, esophagus, and cervix were elevated significantly, whereas those for colorectal, lung, breast, and ovarian cancer were significantly reduced. For male patients, SIR were elevated significantly for cancer of the oral cavity, esophagus, and stomach and for leukemia, whereas none of the sites (including lung) had significantly reduced SIR. When incidence rates for Puerto Rico were used, the SIR for all sites combined was 1.99 (95% confidence interval = 1.78-2.22) for male patients but only 1.39 (95% confidence interval = 1.24-1.56) for female patients. These findings suggest sex differences in acculturation and lifestyle changes relevant to cancer risks in immigrants from Puerto Rico residing in Connecticut. Comparisons were made with cancer incidence and mortality data from other Puerto Rican immigrant populations.

Cancer incidence in the Puerto Rican-born population of Long Island, New York.

BACKGROUND: There are apparently no published data on cancer incidence in the Puerto Rican-born populations of the northeastern United States. METHODS: Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated for 1980 through 1986 for the Puerto Rican-born population in Long Island (New York). RESULTS: Significantly reduced SIRs were found for males (SIR = 0.77) but not for females (SIR = 0.91), using expected numbers derived from incidence rates for all areas in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program (excluding Puerto Rico). Using incidence rates for Puerto Rico to obtain expected numbers, there was evidence for the retention of elevated SIRs for stomach cancer (both sexes) and for significantly elevated SIRs for lung cancer (both sexes), colon-rectum cancer (females), prostate cancer, and breast and uterine corpus cancer. Using rates for SEER areas, the SIRs for lung cancer approached 1.00, in contrast to other US Puerto Rican-born populations. CONCLUSION: The data indicate the need for surveys on smoking and other health-related behaviors in the population studied and provide further evidence for heterogeneity in cancer patterns in US Puerto Rican-born populations.

Mortality in the hispanic population of Suffolk County, New York.

In the 1980 census, the "Spanish-origin" or "Hispanic" population of Suffolk County, New York (predominantly of Puerto Rican origin), had a lower median family income and a higher prevalence of poverty than the "all white" population of that county. Mortality among Hispanics, however, was not greater than expected on the basis of age-specific death rates for "all whites" in 1979-1983. The standardized mortality ratios for ischemic heart disease and all neoplasms were less than 1.00 for each sex, but were significantly elevated for diabetes mellitus in females and for both infectious diseases and homicides in males. Comparisons were made with mortality patterns in other American Hispanic populations predominantly of Puerto Rican origin, but with lower income levels (including those from New York City), and with data from Puerto Rico. The limitations of routinely reported mortality data are discussed, along with the value of such data in suggesting leads for more in-depth studies.

Cancer in Haiti 1979-84: distribution of various forms of cancer according to geographical area and sex.

Haiti exemplifies all of the problems of developing countries: poverty, hunger, reduced longevity, and an illiteracy rate of more than 75%. It is, therefore, not surprising that so little attention has been given to late-onset chronic diseases, particularly cancer. The results of a special survey of cancer cases first diagnosed in 1979-84 are presented, with relative proportions of cancers by site, according to age, sex and geographical area of origin (coastal vs. mountain). The major cancers recorded were: stomach and intestine, primary hepatic (especially in males), cervix, penis, and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). There were 18 cases of KS, all of which occurred among AIDS patients. Among males, hepatic cancers accounted for a significantly larger percentage of cancer cases in the mountain vs. coastal origin group, while the reverse was true for penile cancer and KS. These preliminary data on cancer in Haiti are discussed with particular reference to dietary factors (for cancers of stomach, intestine, liver and cervix). The clarification and confirmation of these possible relationships between diet and cancer should provide an opportunity to elucidate environmental factors as causes of cancer.

Primary bone cancer incidence in black and white residents of New York State.

Some descriptive epidemiologic characteristics of primary bone cancers were presented for black and white residents of New York State (1975-1980) using data from the population-based New York State Cancer Registry. Average annual race- and age-specific incidence rates were calculated for 1975 to 1980 for three histologic types (i.e., osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma). The significantly lower incidence of Ewing's sarcoma in blacks versus whites was confirmed, whereas lower rates for chondrosarcoma in blacks supported findings from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program. A higher rate of osteosarcoma in blacks versus whites in the less than 15-year age group, although not statistically significant, was consistent with findings from another population-based registry in the US. This difference was due to osteosarcoma of the leg, and could be related to racial differences in growth rates during childhood. Comparisons with data from Africa suggest certain similarities in patterns as well as some possible differences, which could provide general clues to etiology (i.e., genetic versus environmental factors).