Meco G, Vanacore N, Bonifati V
Department of Neurological Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Neuroepidemiology. 1994;13(4):162-74. doi: 10.1159/000110375.
The mortality for multiple sclerosis in Italy was analyzed for the period 1969-1987. The age-adjusted (to Italian 1981 population) death rates decreased slightly during these years for both sexes. The average national female/male ratio of the age-adjusted rates is 1.33 and shows a north-south gradient, with values < 1 in the South-Islands area where multiple sclerosis cases are probably heavily underreported on the death certificates. A positive, significant correlation between the age-adjusted death rates and latitude of the 20 Italian regions exists for the period 1969-1975; in recent years (1981-1987), these parameters show a weaker, but not statistically significant positive correlation. Moreover, the 95% confidence intervals of the death rates in the 20 regions overlapped extensively in both periods studied (1969-1975 and 1981-1987). Death rates for multiple sclerosis are a weak index of the frequency of the disease and their utility is restricted to national surveys. The descriptive epidemiological data (incidence, prevalence, mortality) available at present in Italy do not seem to support a link between multiple sclerosis and latitude.
对1969 - 1987年期间意大利多发性硬化症的死亡率进行了分析。在这些年里，经年龄调整（以意大利1981年人口为标准）的男女死亡率均略有下降。经年龄调整后的全国平均女性/男性比率为1.33，并呈现出南北梯度差异，在南岛地区该比率小于1，在该地区多发性硬化症病例在死亡证明上可能严重漏报。在1969 - 1975年期间，意大利20个地区经年龄调整后的死亡率与纬度之间存在显著的正相关；近年来（1981 - 1987年），这些参数显示出较弱但无统计学意义的正相关。此外，在两个研究时期（1969 - 1975年和1981 - 1987年），20个地区死亡率的95%置信区间有广泛重叠。多发性硬化症的死亡率是该疾病发病率的一个较弱指标，其作用仅限于全国性调查。意大利目前可获得的描述性流行病学数据（发病率、患病率、死亡率）似乎并不支持多发性硬化症与纬度之间存在关联。
