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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

[Kidney transplant program facilitated by airlift between the Netherlands Antilles and the Netherlands; 1998-2001].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the results of a structured kidney-transplantation programme available to dialysis patients in Curaçao (Dutch Caribbean), involving transplantation in the Netherlands and follow-up in Curaçao. DESIGN: Descriptive. METHOD: In 1998, a joint venture was begun with the Academic Medical Center (AMC) in Amsterdam, the Eurotransplant Foundation, the Dutch Transplantation Working Party and the Diagnostic Division of the Sanquin Foundation in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its aim was to achieve a structural kidney transplantation programme for patients in the Dutch Caribbean in general and patients in Curaçao in particular. An airlift programme between Curaçao and the AMC was instituted. RESULTS: Between 1998-2001 19 patients underwent a kidney transplant, three of which failed. In most of the transplants the cold ischaemia time was less than 48 hours; the average cold ischaemia time was 32 hours. All patients returned to the Antilles within 3 months where their treatment was continued. Post-transplantation follow-up was on average 13.9 months (limits 3-36); three patients died.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Two common endoglin mutations in families with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia in the Netherlands Antilles: evidence for a founder effect.

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is an autosomal dominant bleeding disorder characterized by localized angiodysplasia. Mutations in either of two genes, endoglin or ALK-1, can cause HHT. Both genes encode putative receptors for the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily of ligands. Many mutations in each gene have been identified in HHT kindreds from around the world, and with few exceptions mutations are unique and family specific. The prevalence of HHT in the Leeward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles is possibly the highest of any geographical location. We wished to establish whether this high prevalence is due to a genetic founder effect or to multiple mutational events. HHT kindreds from the Netherlands Antilles and The Netherlands were screened for mutations in the two genes associated with HHT. Haplotype analysis of a 5-cM region on chromosome 9 flanking the endoglin gene revealed three distinct disease haplotypes in the ten Antillean families studied. Seven of these families share a splice-site mutation in exon 1 of endoglin. Two other Antillean families share a missense mutation in exon 9a of endoglin. This mutation was also found in a Dutch family that shares the same disease haplotype as the Antillean families with this mutation. Thus it appears that HHT in the Netherlands Antilles is due to a limited number of ancestral mutations in the endoglin gene, and that one of these mutations was introduced into the African slave population by a Dutch colonist. The limited scope of mutations suggests that a presymptomatic screening program for HHT would be feasible in this population.

Alleles↗
PubMed1984

Long-term trends in the incidence rates of upper digestive tract cancer in the Netherlands Antilles.

Data from the Cancer Registry in the Netherlands Antilles made clear that the incidence rate of cancer of the upper digestive tract in this country was among the highest in the world. To study the long-term trends in the incidence rate a retrospective population-based case-finding survey was performed. The author presents the results of the period 1958 to 1981; data from earlier periods appeared to be incomplete. The highest incidence rates were found in the indigenous populations of Curaçao and Bonaire. In the period studied, the rates of oral and esophageal cancer dropped approximately 3% per year, while a shift was seen towards a later onset of the disease. A breakdown of the rates by island of residency showed that the decline was highly significant only for the population of Curaçao, the main island, with 89% of the total population studied. The presence of a downward trend on the other islands might be obscured by the small size of the populations. No significant change was found in the incidence rate of pharyngeal cancer, although a tendency toward lower rates was observed. Abuse of alcohol and tobacco, mineral deficiencies, malnutrition, the use of sorghum in the daily diet, and reverse smoking by females, are factors believed to be responsible for high rates in the past. With the exception of abuse of alcohol and tobacco, these factors have changed considerably in a favorable direction. It has been claimed that these changes have contributed to the sharp decrease in the incidence rates of oral and esophageal cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Alarming admission rates for schizophrenia in migrants from Surinam, the Netherlands Antilles and Morocco].

OBJECTIVE: To compare first admission rates for schizophrenia in the four largest immigrant groups to the Netherlands (from Surinam, the Netherlands Antilles, Turkey and Morocco) with those of the Dutch population. DESIGN: Analysis of data from the national psychiatric register. METHOD: The frequencies of first admission (compulsory or not) for schizophrenia in 1990 were subdivided according to age, sex and country of birth. The figures were plotted against the numbers of immigrants living in the Netherlands on January 1st, 1990. The frequencies were compared with the chi2 test. RESULTS: Rates for immigrants from Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles were 2-5 times higher than those for Turkish immigrants and for the native-born population. Rates of first admissions for young male immigrants from Morocco were also increased but rates for female Moroccan immigrants and for immigrants from Turkey were not. Proportions of compulsory first admissions for young male immigrants were not increased. For young Surinam-born females, however, this proportion was increased. CONCLUSION: These results agree with those of British studies reporting an increased incidence of schizophrenia among Afro-Caribbean immigrants to the UK.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

The prevalence and manifestations of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia in the Afro-Caribbean population of the Netherlands Antilles: a family screening.

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) has been reported rarely in people of African descent. The prevalence in the Afro-Caribbean population of the Netherlands Antilles is suspected to be high. A family screening in this population was done to arrive at a point prevalence and to identify patients with pulmonary involvement. By clinical history and physical examination, 219 persons over age twelve with a first-degree relative with HHT were screened. The diagnosis was based on the new diagnostic criteria [Shovlin et al., 2000]. Chest-roentgenogram and pulse-oximetry or measurement of arterial oxygen pressure were used to detect pulmonary involvement. HHT was diagnosed in 112 individuals (51%), with at least a point prevalence of 1 in 1,331 inhabitants of Curaçao and Bonaire older than twelve years. The diagnosis was uncertain in 27; this was partly due to the new stringent criteria. Epistaxis was present in 98% and telangiectases in 99%. Facial telangiectases were relatively rare due to pigmented skin. Pulmonary involvement was found in 28% with serious-mainly neurological-complications in 48%. The point-prevalence of HHT in the Afro-Caribbean population of the Netherlands Antilles is the highest known in the world. Pulmonary involvement in this population is not rare and causes serious complications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Cerebrovascular accidents at a young age in Rendu-Osler-Weber disease; a survey in the Netherlands Antilles].

Thirty-two patients (17 men and 15 women) are presented in whom the diagnosis Rendu-Osler-Weber disease was established between 1980 and 1990 during hospitalisation in the Leeward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles. Among this group there were eight families, each of which contained two patients. Estimated point-prevalence rate in 1991 was 19.4/100,000, which is ten times higher than has been reported so far. Epistaxis, gastrointestinal blood loss and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) were the main presenting symptoms. Mean age at diagnosis was 53.2 years. Arteriovenous fistulae in the lung developed in 11 patients (34%). Eleven patients experienced a total of 12 CVAs at a mean age of 48 years; four of these patients had an ischaemic CVA in the presence of pulmonary fistulae, while three patients had a haemorrhagic stroke in the presence of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation. Thus, cerebrovascular accidents at an early age are common complications in Rendu-Osler-Weber disease and warrant further investigation of this disease among inhabitants of the Leeward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Age-dependent vitamin D status and vertebral condition of white women living in Curaçao (The Netherlands Antilles) as compared with their counterparts in The Netherlands.

Plasma vitamin D metabolites and parathyroid hormone concentrations of two groups of white women, aged 26-46 and 63-83 y, in Curaçao were studied to evaluate the effect of yearlong abundant sunlight on frequency of vertebral compression fractures in elderly women. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D of the younger group (median, 116 nmol/L) was higher than that of the older group (75 nmol/L). Both groups had higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D compared with approximately age-matched counterparts in The Netherlands during autumn and winter (50 and 25 nmol/L, respectively). Similar differences were found for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, although to a lesser extent. Parathyroid hormone concentrations of older women in Curaçao (4.3 pmol/L) were higher than those of the younger women (2.3 pmol/L). Roentgenographic analyses of the spines of the older women did not show vertebral compression fractures commonly encountered in women living at higher latitudes. Uninterrupted high plasma concentrations of vitamin D metabolites may reduce vertebral compression fractures in postmenopausal white women.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Occurrence of some blood and intestinal parasites in dogs in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles.

In August 1986, 133 dogs at the Veterinary Service of the Netherlands Antilles and the SPCA of Curaçao were examined for microfilaremia and for evidence of gastrointestinal parasitism. Microfilariae of Dipetalonema reconditum were present in 27.8% of the dogs examined with no significant difference in the infection rate between domestic and feral dogs. Microfilariae of the canine heartworm Dirofilaria immitis were found in 9% of the dogs with a significantly higher rate of infection in domestic (pet) dogs (13.5%) than in feral dogs (3.4%). Of the intestinal parasites observed Ancylostoma sp. was present in the highest percentage of dogs (68.4%) followed by Toxocara sp. (7.5%). Other parasites were present in less than 5% of the dogs examined and included, in decreasing order of prevalence, Spirocerca sp., Giardia sp., coccidia, Taenia sp. and Trichuris sp. The present paper presents the first evidence of Di. reconditum on Curaçao and suggests the introduction of D. immitis to the island within the 10 years preceeding this report. The persistently high rate of infection with Ancylostoma underscores the continuing risk of cutaneous larva migrans to human beings in the region.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Waist circumference as a measurement of obesity in the Netherlands Antilles; associations with hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate waist circumference (WC) as a screening tool for obesity in a Caribbean population. To identify risk groups with a high prevalence of (central) obesity in a Caribbean population, and to evaluate associations between (central) obesity and self-reported hypertension and diabetes mellitus. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Population-based study. SUBJECTS: A random sample of adults (18 y or older) was selected from the Population Registries of three islands of the Netherlands Antilles. Response was over 80%. Complete data were available for 2025 subjects. INTERVENTION: A questionnaire and measurements of weight, height, waist and hip. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Central obesity indicator (WC > or =102 cm men, > or =88 cm women). RESULTS: WC was positively associated with age (65-74 y vs 18-24 y) in men (OR=7.7, 95% CI 3.4-17.4) and women (OR=6.4, 95% CI 3.2-12.7). Women with a low education had a higher prevalence of central obesity than women with a high education (OR=0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.7). However, men with a high income had a higher prevalence of a central obesity than men with a low income (OR=1.7, 95% CI=1.1-2.6). WC was the strongest independent obesity indicator associated with self-reported hypertension (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.4-2.0) and diabetes mellitus (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.3-1.9). CONCLUSIONS: The identified risk groups were women aged 55-74 y, women with a low educational level and men with a high income. WC appears to be the major obesity indicator associated with hypertension and diabetes mellitus. SPONSORSHIP: Island Governments of Saba, St Eustatius and Bonaire, the Federal Government of the Netherlands Antilles, Dutch Directorate for Kingdom relationships.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Cancer incidence in the Netherlands Antilles: a survey covering the period 1968--1979.

In 1977 a retrospective study was started into the cancer incidence in the Netherlands Antilles, simultaneously with the onset of a cancer registry. This paper presents the results of this study and of the running registry, together covering a period of 12 years. In total, 1496 cancer cases were registered in males, and 1480 in females. The resulting age-standardized cancer rate (World Standard Population) was 215 cases per 100,000 males and 164 cases per 100,000 females. The most frequently involved primary sites in males were, in order of frequency, lung, stomach, prostate, skin, and esophagus. Cancer in females was most frequently found in breast, uterine cervix, skin, stomach and esophagus. A comparison is made with countries inside and outside the Caribbean region, and a short comment is made on possibly etiologic factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Molecular evidence for dissemination of unique Campylobacter jejuni clones in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles.

Campylobacter jejuni isolates (n = 234) associated with gastroenteritis and the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in the island of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, and collected from March 1999 to March 2000 were investigated by a range of molecular typing techniques. Data obtained by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), automated ribotyping, and sequence analysis of the short variable region of the flagellin gene (flaA) were analyzed separately and in combination. Similar groupings were obtained by all methods, with the data obtained by MLST and AFLP analysis exhibiting the highest degree of congruency. MLST identified 29 sequence types, which were assigned to 10 major clonal complexes. PFGE, AFLP analysis, and ribotyping identified 10, 9, and 8 of these clonal groups, respectively; however, these three techniques permitted subdivision of the clonal groups into more different types. Members of seven clonal groups comprising 107 isolates were obtained from November 1999 to February 2000, and no distinguishing characteristics were identified for two GBS-associated strains. The sequence type 41 (ST-41), ST-508, and ST-657 clonal complexes and their corresponding AFLP types have been rare or absent in the Campylobacter data sets described to date. We conclude that several clonal complexes of C. jejuni are associated with human disease in Curaçao, and some of these have not been reported elsewhere. Furthermore, given the observation that C. jejuni-associated diseases appear to be more severe from November to February, it can be speculated that this may be due to the presence of virulent clones with a limited span of circulation.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Cerebral arteriovenous malformations in The Netherlands Antilles. High prevalence of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia-related single and multiple cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

Seventeen patients with symptomatic cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) were diagnosed between 1980 and 1990 in the Leeward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles. Five patients had multiple AVMs. The annual incidence of symptomatic AVMs was 1.1/100,000. The mean age of presentation was 35 years. In 6 patients cerebral AVMs were associated with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT); 4 of these patients had multiple AVMs. We conclude that HHT is frequently encountered in Netherlands Antillians with symptomatic and multiple cerebral AVMs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Routine testing for Chlamydia trachomatis on Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles.

OBJECTIVE: Although genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection is most often asymptomatic, early treatment may prevent serious complications. For screening or routine testing to be cost effective, the prevalence of the infection must not be too low. STUDY DESIGN: On Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, the prevalence of chlamydial infection in 205 asymptomatic women of reproductive age, who were seen by a general practitioner or gynecologist for a gynecologic examination was measured. RESULTS: The overall prevalence was found to be 5.4% (95% confidence interval 2.7% to 9.4%) with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Of all possible predictors of a chlamydial infection, only young age (< 25 years, prevalence 10.3%) seemed to be indicative of such an infection. CONCLUSION: Routine testing for Chlamydia trachomatis in sexually active women on Curaçao and on other Caribbean islands is indicated for women < 25 years old.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Risk factors associated with Campylobacter jejuni infections in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles.

A steady increase in the incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) with a seasonal preponderance, almost exclusively related to Campylobacter jejuni, and a rise in the incidence of laboratory-confirmed Campylobacter enteritis have been reported from Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. We therefore investigated possible risk factors associated with diarrhea due to epidemic C. jejuni. Typing by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis identified four epidemic clones which accounted for almost 60% of the infections. One hundred six cases were included in a case-control study. Infections with epidemic clones were more frequently observed in specific districts in Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao. One of these clones caused infections during the rainy season only and was associated with the presence of a deep well around the house. Two out of three GBS-related C. jejuni isolates belonged to an epidemic clone. The observations presented point toward water as a possible source of Campylobacter infections.

Adult↗