Faculty Bibliography

The epidemiology of vasculitis has witnessed extraordinary advances in the past decade influenced by the worldwide increased recognition and accurate classification and diagnosis of the vasculitides, and insights brought by genome-wide association studies and other genetic investigations that contribute to the understanding of the heritable factors of some of the disorders. This article reviews the current knowledge of the epidemiology of vasculitides in different global regions.

The role of vaccination in the control and prevention of endemic and emerging diseases cannot be overemphasized. Induction of host protective immunity may be the most powerful tool and effective strategy in preventing the spread of potentially fatal disease and emerging illnesses, in particular in susceptible immunologically naive hosts. The strategy for vaccination programs is engrained in population studies recognizing benefit for the health and economic welfare of at-risk indigenous populations. Worldwide collaboration is a necessary aspect of vaccine-preventable diseases recognizing that even a small number of wild-type cases of an eradicated disease in one region presents opportunities for re-emergence of the disease in geographically remote areas.

Headache disorders cause significant disability. The public and most health professionals tend to perceive migraine as a minor or trivial complaint. In the past decade, important epidemiologic studies enjoining extensive surveys, pathophysiologic and genetic insights, and revised headache classification paradigms have produced clear evidence of the public health importance of headache disorders. The Global Campaign to reduce the burden of headache worldwide known as "Lifting the Burden" was launched in 2004 by the World Health Organization, the International Headache Society, the World Headache Alliance, and the European Headache Federation. This paper reviews salient progress in the neuroepidemiology of migraine headaches.

The global burden of adult neuropsychiatric illness and childhood mental disorders is enormous, accounting for a significant burden of disability in adults and a major factor of overall health that continues throughout the lifespan of children and into adulthood.

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness and the fifth most common disease in the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. If left untreated, infection disseminates to the nervous system. The nonhuman primate model of Lyme disease of the nervous system, or Lyme neuroborreliosis, accurately mimics the aspects of the human illness. There is general recognition for the potential of infectious-related autoimmune inflammatory processes contributing to disease progression and clinical manifestations.

Vasculitis is a spectrum of clinicopathologic disorders defined by inflammation of arteries of veins of varying caliber with variable tissue injury. Headache may be an important clue to vasculitic involvement of central nervous system (CNS) vessels. CNS vasculitis may be primary, in which only intracranial vessels are involved in the inflammatory process, or secondary to another known disorder with overlapping systemic involvement. A suspicion of vasculitis based on the history, clinical examination, or laboratory studies warrants prompt evaluation and treatment to forestall progression and avert cerebral ischemia or infarction.