The Kinmen Neurological Disorders Survey (KINDS): a study of a Chinese population

We conducted an epidemiological study of several neurological disorders among the Chinese aged 50 years or older on the islet of Kinmen. All participants were interviewed and examined by neurologists. From the targeted population of 5,061 individuals, 3,915 (77.4%) of them completed the evaluations. Among the 4,087 individuals with whom face-to-face contact was made, the refusal rate was 4.2%. The disorders of interest were dementia, Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, stroke, transient ischemic attacks, and migraine. Among the 3,915 participants, 366 cases were found with 1 or more of the surveyed neurological disorders on the prevalence day, August 1, 1993, yielding a prevalence of 93.5/1,000. The purpose of this study, the general methodology, and some overall findings are presented in this communication in order to provide a common background for detailed findings on each disorder to be reported separately.