Study on genetic and environmental factors of the etiology of incurable and serious neurological diseases in West New Guinea

肌萎缩侧索硬化症(ALS)和帕金森病痴呆(PD)是一种特殊的无法治愈的严重神经系统疾病，在关岛和新几内亚岛上的发病率非常高。1963年至1985年，Gajdusek在印度尼西亚西新几内亚南部沿海平原进行了调查，并报告说，这些疾病在Merauke附近Edera和Obaa Kecamatans(行政区)的Auyu人和Asmat人中发病率极高。自那时以来，计划在这些地区反复进行监测，但由于这些地区的政治问题和不发达的气氛，这些监测无法进行。1999年至2000年在新几内亚西部印度尼西亚Irian Jaya省南部低沼泽热带森林平原的Bade和Kepi村及其郊区进行调查时，我们认识到这些无法治愈的严重神经系统疾病--ALS和PD--仍然遇到许多病例。通过…住院医师体检发现，仅有1例新发ALS病例，但创伤性脊髓病和帕金森综合征的患病率极高。然而，当时我们无法区分这些帕金森症病例是否与痴呆合并，我们通过对位于该地区中央高地的印度尼西亚西几内亚伊里安查亚省这两年的老年状况与遗传和环境因素的关系的监测，在一定程度上澄清了该地区居民的医疗条件、生理和心理特征以及日常生活的文化特征。今后，我们将从与水检相关的环境因素的角度，通过神经科医生配合社区医务人员的反复监测，进一步弄清该地区囊虫病高发的真实情况，以阐明ALS和PD的病因。较少

The amyotorophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinsonism-dementia (PD), specific incurable and serious neurological diseases, are known to be found together in unusually high incidence in Guam and New Guinea Island. Gajdusek surveyed in the southern coastal plain of West New Guinea of Indonesia form 1963 to 1985, and reported that the incidence of these diseases were extraordinarily high among the Auyu and Asmat peoples of the Edera and Obaa Kecamatans (administrative districts) near Merauke. Since then, repeated surveillances have been planned in these areas, however, they could not be performed because of the political problems and the underdeveloped atmosphere in these areas. We recognized the fact that these incurable and serious neurological diseases, ALS and PD, were still encountered many cases, when we surveyed from 1999 to 2000 in Bade and Kepi village and their suburb in the southern low marsh tropical forest plain of Irian Jaya Province of Indonesia, West New Guinea. Throug … More h the resident medical examination we found that the only one new case of ALS had appeared, but the prevalence of traumatic myelopathy and Parkinsonism had recorded extraordinarily high. However, we could not differentiate at that time whether these cases of Parkinsonism were combined with the dementia.We were able to clarify to some extent the environment of the medical condition, physical and psychological figures, and the cultural characteristics of the daily life sounding the resident of this area through the surveillance of the relationship between the aged condition and the genetic and environmental factors for this two years in the Irian Jaya Province of West New Guinea of Indonesia based at Wemena located in the central highland of this area. In the future we will try to clarify the etiology of ALS and PD, in the viewpoint of environmental factors related with the water examination, and further to clarify the real state of the cysticercosis encountered in high incidence in this area, by means of repeated surveillance by the Neurologist cooperated with the residential medical staffs. Less