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Epidemiology of some diseases in Chile
Author(s) -
Castro M.,
Moreno R.,
Aspillaga E.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1212(199711/12)7:6<631::aid-oa398>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - epidemiology , disease , population , genetic epidemiology , ethnic group , medicine , environmental health , pathology , anthropology , sociology
The causes of disease can be grouped into three categories: genetic, environmental and the interaction between these two. The comparison of the past and present epidemiological profiles of a disease that is still prevalent in a population helps us to answer such questions as: ‘Is it the same disease or a new one?’ ‘Is it affecting the same biological population or a different one?’ ‘Are there any environmental factors associated with the pathogenic process that cause the disease or maintain it throughout time?’ Diseases such as inherited malformations and vector‐borne and multifactorial diseases have been present in past and modern Amerindian groups. This paper analyses the evolution of three diseases—oculoauriculovertebral syndrome, Chagas' disease and cholelithiasis—in Chilean aboriginal populations. Palaeoepidemiological and actual epidemiological information is examined in relation to the ethnic/genetic component. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.