Abstract

Spatial Techniques Elucidate a Rare Disease - Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
Track: Health and Human Services
Authors: Estella Geraghty

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare disease whose cause is largely unknown. We aimed to determine patterns in PSC distribution across the United States which may lend insight into environmental causes. Prevalence rates of liver transplant registrants with PSC were calculated using the United Network for Organ Sharing database (1995 to 2009) and assigned to ZIP codes based upon permanent residence. Geographic information systems (GIS) software was used to determine significant clusters of PSC in hot spot analysis. Cluster validation consisted of splitting the dataset, performing hot spot analysis on both halves, and performing a new spatial correlation technique using model builder and simple Python code. Resulting hot spots revealed prospective environmental causes. Further geostatistical analyses of selected environmental variables are currently underway to assess their potential correlation to PSC prevalence rates.