Publications by authors named "Irene Faust"
Objective: Physician adherence to evidence-based clinical practice parameters impacts outcomes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. We sought to investigate compliance with the 2009 practice parameters for treatment of ALS patients in the United States, and sociodemographic and provider characteristics associated with adherence.
Methods: In this population-based, retrospective cohort study of incident ALS patients in 2009-2014, we included all Medicare beneficiaries age ≥20 with ≥1 International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification ALS code (335.
Purpose: To develop and validate an algorithm to estimate probability of ever smoking using administrative claims.
Methods: Using population-based samples of Medicare-aged individuals (121,278 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey respondents and 207,885 Medicare beneficiaries), we developed a logistic regression model to predict probability of ever smoking from demographic and claims data. We applied the model in 1,657,266 additional Medicare beneficiaries and calculated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) using presence or absence of a tobacco-specific diagnosis or procedure code as our "gold standard.
Objective: To evaluate in-vivo neuroinflammation and white matter (WM) microstructural integrity in occupational manganese (Mn) exposure.
Methods: We assessed brain inflammation using Diffusion Basis Spectrum Imaging (DBSI) in 26 Mn-exposed welders, 17 Mn-exposed workers, and 26 non-exposed participants. Cumulative Mn exposure was estimated from work histories and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor subsection 3 (UPDRS3) scores were completed by a movement specialist.
Introduction/aims: We investigated the age- and sex-specific incidence and survival of Medicare beneficiaries with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in patients 66 to 90 years of age.
Methods: We identified all incident ALS cases within a population-based sample of Medicare beneficiaries in 2009 (total: 22 000 177 person-years at risk for ALS). We calculated age- and sex-specific incidence in 2009 according to multiple, progressively more stringent case definitions.
Introduction: Herpesviruses might play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. We sought to examine a possible association between alpha herpesvirus infections and Parkinson's disease.
Methods: We conducted a population-based case-control study of incident Parkinson's disease in 2009 Medicare beneficiaries age 66-90 years (89,790 cases, 118,095 randomly selected comparable controls).
Background: There are very few epidemiological studies investigating Parkinson's disease (PD) in Africa. The hundreds of local languages and dialects make traditional screening and clinical evaluation tools difficult to use.
Objective: The objective of the study was to validate two commonly used PD questionnaires in an African population.
Parkinson disease (PD) has a relatively long prodromal period that may permit early identification to reduce diagnostic testing for other conditions when patients are simply presenting with early PD symptoms, as well as to reduce morbidity from fall-related trauma. Earlier identification also could prove critical to the development of neuroprotective therapies. We previously developed a PD predictive model using demographic and Medicare claims data in a population-based case-control study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Well water frequently is considered a risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), but few studies were designed appropriately to test whether geographic factors affect PD risk.
Objective: To determine the risk of PD in relation to residential use of private well water.
Methods: In a nationwide, population-based case-control study, we identified all incident PD cases (N = 89,790) and all comparable controls (N = 21,549,400) age 66-90 who solely relied on Medicare coverage in the U.
Introduction: The pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear, but growing evidence supports a role of neuroinflammation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between tissue transplantation and PD risk, given the importance of immunosuppressants in post-transplant management.
Methods: We performed a case-control study among Medicare beneficiaries age 66-90 using claims from 2004 to 2009.