| 1. |
- Diamant, Ulla-Britt, et al.
(författare)
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LQTS founder population in Northern Sweden – the natural history of a potentially fatal inherited cardiac disorder
- 2021
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Ingår i: Biodemography and Social Biology. - : Routledge. - 1948-5565 .- 1948-5573. ; 66:3-4, s. 191-207
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is an autosomal dominant inherited cardiac disorder associated with life-threatening arrhythmias. In northern Sweden, a LQTS founder mutation (p.Y111C, KCNQ1 gene) was verified by genetic haplotype analysis and genealogical studies, and a common ancestor couple was identified. Clinical studies of this population revealed an apparent mild phenotype. However, due to early commencement of prophylactic treatment, the natural history of this disorder cannot be properly assessed based only on clinical data. By using the family tree mortality ratio method (FTMR), we assessed the natural history of the untreated LQTS founder population. The principle of FTMR is to compare the age-specific mortality rates in a historic population harboring an inherited disorder with the corresponding mortality rates in an unaffected control population.Initially, we used the general Swedish population during the same period for comparison and observed an apparent increased longevity in the p.Y111C study population. However, when using a control population born in the same area, we observed no differences regarding overall mortality. Moreover, patterns suggesting age- and sex-stratified excess mortality, in accordance with previous LQTS studies, were evident.This study shows the importance of being aware of historical demographic patterns to avoid misinterpreting when comparing historical data.
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| 2. |
- Edvinsson, Sören, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Clustering of deaths in families : Infant and child mortality in historical perspective
- 2012
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Ingår i: Biodemography and Social Biology. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1948-5565 .- 1948-5573. ; 58:2, s. 75-86
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This introduction surveys the field of family clustering of deaths and discusses the contributionsin this special issue. The main focus is on mortality in historical contexts.Clustering of deaths in families has been found both in historical and contemporarypopulations, and we argue that the ‘family approach’ to infant and child mortality yieldsimportant and interesting insights for our understanding of different mortality patternsand the mortality transition. The articles in this issue, representing different but complementaryapproaches to the problem of death clustering, demonstrate that we shouldbe aware of the strong family effects on child health, but also that we need to developadequate methods for the analysis of this complex phenomenon. Here we discuss severalexplanations for death clustering, such as different biodemographic factors andthose focusing on socioeconomic and cultural variables. We also discuss some of themethodological challenges in studying family clustering, and emphasize the need forcomparison and the adoption of common measures.
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| 3. |
- Finkel, Deborah, et al.
(författare)
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Financial strain moderates genetic influences on self-rated health : support for diathesis–stress model of gene–environment interplay
- 2022
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Ingår i: Biodemography and Social Biology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1948-5565 .- 1948-5573. ; 67:1, s. 58-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Data from the Interplay of Genes and Environment across Multiple Studies (IGEMS) consortium were used to examine predictions of different models of gene-by-environment interaction to understand how genetic variance in self-rated health (SRH) varies at different levels of financial strain. A total of 11,359 individuals from 10 twin studies in Australia, Sweden, and the United States contributed relevant data, including 2,074 monozygotic and 2,623 dizygotic twin pairs. Age ranged from 22 to 98 years, with a mean age of 61.05 (SD = 13.24). A factor model was used to create a harmonized measure of financial strain across studies and items. Twin analyses of genetic and environmental variance for SRH incorporating age, age2, sex, and financial strain moderators indicated significant financial strain moderation of genetic influences on self-rated health. Moderation results did not differ across sex or country. Genetic variance for SRH increased as financial strain increased, matching the predictions of the diathesis–stress and social comparison models for components of variance. Under these models, environmental improvements would be expected to reduce genetically based health disparities.
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| 4. |
- Hin, Saskia, et al.
(författare)
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An old mom keeps you young: Mother’s age at last birth and offspring longevity in 19th century Utah
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biodemography and Social Biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1948-5573 .- 1948-5565. ; 62:2, s. 164-164
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study analyzes the intergenerational effects of late child bearing on offspring’s adult longevity in a population in Utah (USA) that does not display evidence of parity-specific birth control – a so-called natural fertility population. Studies have found that for women who experience late menopause and prolonged reproduction, aging is postponed and longevity is increased. This is believed to indicate female “robustness” and the impact of biological or genetic factors. If indeed there is a genetic component involved, one would expect to also find evidence for the intergenerational transmission of longevity benefits. Our study investigates the relationship between prolonged natural fertility of mothers and their offspring’s survival rates in adulthood. Gompertz regression models (N = 7716) revealed that the offspring of mothers who were naturally fertile until a relatively high age lived significantly longer. This observed positive effect of late reproduction is not independent, but conditional upon survival of the mother to the end of her fecundity (defined here as age 50). Their relative risks at death beyond age 50 were between 6 and 12 percent lower than those of their counterparts born to moms who had an average age at last birth. Our results, which account for various early, adult and later life conditions as well as shared frailty, suggest that there is a positive relation between mother’s age at last birth and offspring longevity, and strengthen the notion that age at menopause is a good predictor of this relationship.
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| 5. |
- Holmberg, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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On statistical methods for clustering : A case study on infant mortality, northern Sweden, 1831-1890
- 2012
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Ingår i: Biodemography and Social Biology. - Routledge : Informa UK Limited. - 1948-5565 .- 1948-5573. ; 58, s. 173-184
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article considers the interfamily clustering of infant mortality (defined as mortal- ity during the first year of life). We developed and evaluated statistical tools to detect clustering and a measure to quantify excess clustering for nineteenth-century data from Skellefteå, Sweden. The detection was performed using the standard methods of gener- alized linear models and logistic regression. The index of clustering was constructed by comparing the observed numbers of families with specific numbers of deaths to the cor- responding observed numbers, after correcting for explanatory variables. To the best of our knowledge, no clustering index of this kind has ever been created.
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| 6. |
- Häggström Lundevaller, Erling, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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The effect of Rh-negative disease on perinatal mortality : Some evidence from the Skellefteå Region, Sweden, 1860–1900
- 2012
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Ingår i: Biodemography and Social Biology. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1948-5565 .- 1948-5573. ; 58:2, s. 116-132
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Rh-negative gene is a well-known cause of perinatal mortality. In this article, we analyze the possible role of Rh disease in perinatal mortality and stillbirths in a particular historical setting: the Skellefteå region in northern Sweden between 1860 and 1900. The data used for the study cover 23,067 children born to 4,943 women. The exact impact is not possible to establish using historical data, but the typical pattern of the disease allows us to make estimations. The expected levels based on knowledge of blood group distribution, the risk of sensitization from Rh incompatability, and the risk of perinatal mortality in births by sensitized mothers are compared with the observed levels. The results show that Rh disease was important for perinatal mortality and clustering of deaths within families.
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| 7. |
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