PREVALENCE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED TO THE EPIDEMIC NEUROPATHY IN A POPULATION ASSISTED BY A FAMILY DOCTOR IN CUBA

With the outbreak of an epidemic neuropathy (EN) of unknown ethiology, a study of the prevalence and factors associated to the disease was c arried out in the Zamora community, municipality of Marianao, Havana C ity. There were 11 patients identified with EN for a prevalence rate o f 1.7/100. The major risk group was the one between 45 and 64 years of age, female sex, black skin. In the univaried analysis, a high preval ence ratio (PR) was found linked to beverage intake (PR = 5.32 95%, co nfidence intervals (CI) = 1.2-24.4), frequent drugs intake (PR = 6.59, CI = 1.8-24.6), consumption of edible of non certified fats (PR = 4.4 8, CI = 1.2-16.7) and the smoking habit (PR = 3.6, CI = 1.1-12.2). Mor e than 73/100 (CI = 68.7-78.3) of the people under serologic study wer e infected with Coxsakie virus A-9 (strain 47) isolated from a patient still under research. It seems there are many factors like finder int ake, antecedents of hemorrhagic conjuntivitis, nutritional aspects and others that, with the virus isolated were associated with this epidem iologic situation.