ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of mortality and disability in Honduras. In 2001 the first epidemiological study conducted into stroke or CVD in the urban district of Colonia Kennedy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, was published; the prevalence rate was found to be 5.7 x 1000 inhabitants. To date few epidemiological studies have been carried out on CVD in rural areas of Central America. AIM: To determine the prevalence of CVD in the rural community of Salama, Olancho, Honduras, using the epidemiological method known as capture-recapture. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The capture-recapture technique includes three sources of data: door-to-door interviews, research of medical records and interviews held with community leaders. All the residents in the rural community of Salama, Olancho, in north-western Honduras, were evaluated and the prevalence day was 5th May, 2005. The World Health Organisation's definition of CVD and the recommendations of the 'Global stroke initiative' were used. RESULTS: A total of 1121 households were visited, which involved a total population of 5608 inhabitants. The prevalence for CVD was found to be 3.6 x 1000 inhabitants. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rate for CVD in the rural community of Salama, Honduras, is similar to that reported for other rural regions of Latin America. The capture-recapture technique is recommended for conducting studies into the prevalence of stroke in rural areas.
Subject(s)
Cerebrovascular Disorders/epidemiology , Epidemiologic Studies , Rural Population , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Honduras/epidemiology , Humans , Infant , Interviews as Topic , Male , Middle Aged , PrevalenceABSTRACT
Introducción. La enfermedad cerebrovascular (ECV) representa una de las principales causas de mortalidad y discapacidad en Honduras. En el año 2001 se comunicó el primer estudio epidemiológico de ictus o ECV en la zona urbana de la Colonia Kennedy en Tegucigalpa, Honduras, encontrándose una prevalencia de 5,7 × 1.000 habitantes. Hasta el momento existen escasos estudios epidemiológicos sobre la ECV en zonas rurales de América Central. Objetivo. Determinar la prevalencia de ECV en la comunidad rural de Salamá, Olancho, Honduras, utilizando el método epidemiológico de captura-recaptura. Sujetos y métodos. Se utilizó la técnica epidemiológica de captura-recaptura, que incluyó tres fuentes de datos: entrevista casa por casa, búsqueda de registros médicos y entrevista a líderes de la comunidad. Se evaluaron todos los residentes de la comunidad rural de Salamá, Olancho, en el noreste de Honduras, y el día de prevalencia fue el 5 de mayo del 2005. Se utilizó la definición de ECV de la Organización Mundial de la Salud y las recomendaciones de la Iniciativa global de ECV. Resultados. Se visitó un total de 1.121 casas, abarcando una población total de 5.608 habitantes. La prevalencia encontrada para ECV fue de 3,6 × 1.000 habitantes. Conclusiones. La tasa de prevalencia de ECV encontrada en la comunidad rural de Salamá, Honduras, es similar a la de otros informes hechos en zonas rurales de Latinoamérica. Se recomienda la técnica epidemiológica de captura-recaptura para la realización de estudios de prevalencia de ictus en zonas rurales
Introduction. Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of mortality and disability in Honduras. In 2001 the first epidemiological study conducted into stroke or CVD in the urban district of Colonia Kennedy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, was published; the prevalence rate was found to be 5.7 × 1000 inhabitants. To date few epidemiological studies have been carried out on CVD in rural areas of Central America. Aim. To determine the prevalence of CVD in the rural community of Salamá, Olancho, Honduras, using the epidemiological method known as capture-recapture. Subjects and methods. The capture-recapture technique includes three sources of data: door-to-door interviews, research of medical records and interviews held with community leaders. All the residents in the rural community of Salamá, Olancho, in northwestern Honduras, were evaluated and the prevalence day was 5th May, 2005. The World Health Organisations definition of CVD and the recommendations of the Global stroke initiative were used. Results. A total of 1121 households were visited, which involved a total population of 5608 inhabitants. The prevalence for CVD was found to be 3.6 × 1000 inhabitants. Conclusions. The prevalence rate for CVD in the rural community of Salamá, Honduras, is similar to that reported for other rural regions of Latin America. The capture-recapture technique is recommended for conducting studies into the prevalence of stroke in rural areas
