1.Epidemiological investigations on carcinoembryonic antigen levels. Comparison between urban and rural areas.
Seiryo TAKASHINA ; Yoshitaka SEKIGUCHI ; Fukashi ISHIBASHI ; Toyohumi MITSUYAMA ; Hidetaka SENO ; Kunio ISHIDA ; Sachihiko GOMYO ; Kazuhiko HATTA ; Hiroyasu YAMADA ; Kazuhumi ISHIDA ; Ken-ichiro TSUNO
Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine 1989;38(2):81-89
Epidemiological investigations were made on carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in 3, 259 rural inhabitants and 3, 200 urban inhabitants. Abonormally high CEA levels were found in 12.0% of male rural inhabitants and 6.8% of male urban inhabitants. For women, the percentage was 2.4% in rural areas and 1.6% in urban areas. Correlations between high CEA levels and age were noted in men. However, cigarette smokers had higher CEA levels than non-smokers in both rural and urban areas irrespective of age. Smokers' CEA levels were higher rural areas than in urban areas. These disparites in CEA levels between rural and urban inhabitants were studied, but remain unaccounted for.