Projects
Clinical and genetic epidemiology of Parkinson's disease: focus on disease progression and non-motor symptoms. University of Antwerp
Clinical and genetic epidemiology of Parkinson's disease: focus on disease progression and non-motor symptoms. University of Antwerp
Causation and Genetic Diseases. A Philosophical Study of Causal Selection Practices in Epidemiology Ghent University
Causal selection refers to the common practice of singling out one cause among all known causes
of some event, and calling it "the" cause. Suppose that a fire breaks out in a house, and we say
that this fire is caused by a short circuit. In this case we know that other factors (such as the
presence of combustible material and oxygen) are causally relevant, but we still consider the short
circuit to be the most ...
Unraveling the molecular basis and genetic epidemiology of Charcot-Marie-Tooth neurpathies: contribution from Northeast Brazil. University of Antwerp
Systemic sclerosis and occupational silica or solvent exposure: investigating epidemiology, gene-environment interactions and objective markers of exposure to improve occupational epidemiology, risk assessment and prevention. KU Leuven
Systemic sclerosis is a rare autoimmune disease that can develop in genetically predisposed individuals upon exposure to – at present largely unknown- environmental triggers. The best available evidence supports a link between systemic sclerosis and job exposure to silica or solvents. Due to the rarity of the disease many questions remain open: what is the critical threshold of exposure above which disease will develop? Is intensity of ...
Molecular epidemiology of human cytomegalovirus. KU Leuven
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous virus that infects the majority of the worldwide population through contact of bodily secretions. Like other herpesviruses, HCMV cannot be cleared and remains latent for the lifetime of its host, providing a source of persistent or sporadic virus secretion and resulting transmission. While the virus can occasionally cause febrile illness or infectious mononucleosis in immunocompetent adults and ...
Epidemiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) exacerbations Ghent University
Acute exacerbations of COPD are a main cause of morbidity and mortality, and the biggest source of economic cost in patients with COPD. COPD exacerbations are very heterogeneous in severity, frequency and clinical presentation. This project aims to unravel clinical and genetic determinants for this heterogeneity in order to improve treatment of patients with COPD.
Epidemiology of autoimmune disorders. Evidence on incidence, prevalence and risk factors. KU Leuven
Background: Autoimmune disorders are chronic and potentially life threatening disorders, which collectively affect 3 to 5% of the population in high income countries. The aetiology of autoimmune disorders is unknown, but is thought to be driven by a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. To this date, evidence that could guide systematic screening and prevention is lacking for many of these conditions.
Aim: to ...