| 1. |
- Engström, Sevek, 1954-
(författare)
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Dental Health Care Cooperating with Primary Health Care as a Resource in Early Case Finding of Patients with Diabetes or Hypertension
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objectives To investigate if there is an association between dental health status and high blood pressure, to test the effectiveness of screening for high blood pressure and high blood glucose performed by the dental health care in collaboration with primary health care and to investigate the direct costs for this type of screening organisation. Study population and methods In Paper I 54 subjects with known hypertension and 141 with a high blood pressure in the dental office were compared with matched controls. In Paper II 1,149 subjects were screened for hypertension and in Paper III 1,568 subjects were screened for diabetes in dental care. Follow up was performed in co-operating primary health care centres. In paper IV the direct costs for screening and follow-up were calculated. Results There was a significant association between deep periodontal pockets and high blood pressure, even when the influence of age, sex, smoking and number of teeth was taken into account. Among those being screened for high blood pressure and high blood glucose 20.6% and 9.9% respectively were referred to primary health care, and a hypertension or a diabetes diagnosis was found in 32.1% and 5.8% of those screening positive. For every 18th subject screened a hypertension case was found (“numbers needed to screen” (NNS)), and for every 196th a diabetes case. NNS for combined hypertension and diabetes screening was 15. The total direct costs for screening and follow up per diagnosis found were 5,298 SEK for hypertension, 19,100 SEK for diabetes, and 4,116 SEK for combined blood pressure and blood glucose screening. Conclusions There was an association between dental health and hypertension. Screening for hypertension was highly efficient, while screening for diabetes was less so, because it is a less prevalent condition. Screening for both conditions appears to be the most efficient type of screening.
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| 2. |
- Halford, Christina, 1960-
(författare)
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Self-rated Health with special reference to Prevalence, Determinants and Consequences
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objectives: The overall aim was to investigate determinants and consequences of global non-comparative self-ratings of health (SRH). Concerning determinants, the aim was more specifically to investigate the association between age, year of investigation, stress-theory based psychobiological variables, and SRH.Materials and methods: Papers I and IV were based on eight ongoing population-based cohort studies, with sampling performed 1973-2003. The study-population consisted of 11,880 men and women, aged 25-99 years, providing 14,470 observations. Papers II and III were based on a longitudinal study of 212 adult, healthy, women and men.Results: In women, SRH declined linearly with age and year of investigation, after adjustment for influence of covariates, while in men the association was based on a third degree polynomial function. The most important covariates were complaint score, sick-leave or disability pension, and leisure time physical activity. The final model explained 76.2% of the variance in women and 74.5% in men. SRH was directly associated with psychological resources and inversely associated with psychological strain, in healthy, adult, women and men. In men with SRH which decreased to fair or poor, higher levels of prolactin and lower levels of testosterone were observed at follow-up as compared to baseline. There were no associations between endocrine variables and SRH in women. There was a significant inverse association between SRH and mortality, disability pension, and sick-leave during follow-up, in women and men, adjusted for covariates. Associations between SRH and mortality were robust during the follow-up period.Conclusions: Age and year of investigation were associated with SRH, but differently in women and men. Psychological resources and psychological strain were consistently associated with SRH, but there were no robust associations between endocrine measures and SRH. SRH was associated with mortality, disability pension, and sick-leave, during follow-up. The association between SRH and mortality was robust during the follow-up period
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| 3. |
- Grunnesjö, Marie
(författare)
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Low Back Pain : With Special Reference to Manual Therapy, Outcome and its Prognosis
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objectives. To assess outcome of manual therapy in addition to stay-active care in sub-acute low back pain patients and to investigate the predictive power of pain drawing sketch variables for return to work. Materials and methods. The study was designed as a randomised controlled trial with a factorial design, and included 160 patients with acute or sub-acute low back pain allocated to one of the four treatment groups during 10 weeks. Group 1 received stay-active care only, Group 2 the same treatment as in Group 1 + muscle stretching, Group 3 the same treatment as in Group 2 plus manual therapy, and Group 4 the same treatment as Group 3 plus steroid injections. Outcome included pain intensity, pain extension, functional and health related quality of life variables and return to work. Results. Pain intensity and disability rating improved faster in Groups 3 and 4 than in Groups 1 and 2 (p<0.05 and p<0.05). Also health related quality of life was affected by the treatments given; the more treatment options the better the effect (trend across the groups p<0.05). Pain extension as described on a pain drawing sketch decreased in all groups across the study period. The pain modality ‘numbness’ was the most painful one among patients with no pain radiation. Pain radiation according to the pain drawing sketch was the strongest predictor for return to work (p=0.03, Wald χ2=4.56). Conclusions. The manual therapy concept used in this study reduced pain intensity and disability rating better than the stay active concept. The effects on health related quality of life were greater the larger the number of treatment modalities available. Pain drawing information was significantly correlated with pain and functional variables. Pain radiation according to the pain drawing adds significant information to the prediction of return to work.
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| 4. |
- Olai, Lena, 1958-
(författare)
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Life After a Stroke Event : With Special Reference to Aspects on Prognosis, Health and Municipality Care Utilization, and Life Satisfaction Among Patients and Their Informal Caregivers
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objectives. The aim of this thesis was to study the prognosis, health care utilization and health situation in stroke patients, and informal caregiver burden during the first post-stroke year. Material and methods. 390 patients, 65 years or older, discharged from hospital after a stroke, were followed with repeated patient interviews, patient record and register data, and hospital staff and informal caregiver questionnaires. Results. Prognosis assessments performed by hospital staff at discharge regarding the course of events during the following year were highly accurate and were mainly influenced by the patient’s pre- and post-morbid state. The risk of dying or having a new stroke decreased rapidly during the early post-morbid phase. Health care utilization, in hospitals as well as in primary health care, and municipal social service support was considerably higher after the stroke than before, but the utilization of services was lower than previously reported. Health problem prevalence according to interview and record scrutiny was modest, peaked early after discharge and then declined. Support from informal caregivers increased significantly after discharge and remained high during the first post-stroke year. The support given was mainly determined by patient functional ability, distance to patient, relation to patient, municipal social service support provided, and patient sex. The informal caregivers reported considerable strain and burden, with significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than the stroke patients. Moreover, there was a parallel between the patient’s and the caregiver’s situation regarding anxiety, emotional and social situation, and home, social and outdoor activities. Conclusion. Hospital staff prognosis assessments of patient outcomes during the next year were highly accurate. Risk of recurrence and mortality, and health problem prevalence was high in the early post-stroke period, and than declined. Health care utilization and municipality social support increased over time. Informal caregivers reported considerable strain and burden.
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| 5. |
- Bardel, Annika, 1952-
(författare)
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Women's Health and Drug Utilization
- 2007
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objectives. To study medication utilization and adherence to prescribed therapy in a female population in central Sweden. To study usage of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in this population and to assess how HRT users compare to non-users regarding symptom reporting, general health and other variables. To evaluate symptom prevalence adjusted for potential symptom affecting variables. Material and methods. A cross-sectional postal questionnaire study was performed in 1995 in seven counties in central Sweden. A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 4,200 women aged 35-64, of whom 2,991 responded (71.2%). The questionnaire contained questions on psycho-socio-economic background, quality of life, self-reported health, height and weight, climacteric symptom prevalence, and menopausal status and symptoms. It also comprised questions on medication prescribed during the past year. Results. 40% used prescribed medication and 12% took four drugs or more. Age, educational level, self-rated health, and BMI remained significantly correlated to drug use in multivariate analysis. Adherence ranged from 15%-98% depending on age, a scheduled check-up, perceived importance of medication, concern about medication, taking cardiovascular and respiratory disease drugs. The highest adherence was found for hormonal medication the lowest for musculoskeletal medication. HRT was used by 15% of the women. 13 % used other symptom relieving therapy. HRT users reported higher score of vasomotor symptoms, except for sweating during the daytime. Prevalence of general symptoms did not necessarily increase with age. Especially symptoms related to stress-tension-depression decreased with age. Four different symptom prevalence patterns were found. Conclusions. Age, health status, educational level and body mass index (BMI) appear to affect drug use. Adherence to therapy is highest among elderly women who regard their medication as important and have a scheduled check-up. HRT relieves some vasomotor symptoms but does not affect other symptoms or self-rated health. Prevalence of symptoms related to Stress-tension-depression appears to decrease with age.
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| 6. |
- Bogefeldt, Johan, 1969-
(författare)
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Low Back Pain : With Special Reference to Prevalence, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objectives. Ascertain if there has been a secular trend in 3-months prevalence of casually reported back pain. Evaluate if such back pain predicts concurrent health as well as future sick leave, disability pension, hospitalization and survival. Study differences in diagnostic assessment and labelling between physicians. Evaluate if a comprehensive manual therapy programme reduces sickness absence. Materials and methods. Combined population samples from 1973 to 2003 with a total of 12,891 observations with self-reported back pain and covariates. 7,074 of these individuals were followed for an average of 8.5 years and outcomes were self-reported health as well as official register data on sick leave, disability pension, hospitalisation and mortality. The Gotland Low Back Pain Study, a randomised controlled trial with participation of two general practitioners and two orthopaedic surgeons treating 160 patients with acute/subacute low back pain, with 10 weeks diagnostic evaluation and treatment and a two-year follow up. Results. Back pain prevalence increased 16% per ten years (OR 1.16, 95%CI 1.11-1.22). Back pain was negatively associated with self-rated health (p<0.0001), increased the risk of disability pension (p<0.002), and hospital admissions (p<0.0005), but not number of days in hospital, sick leave or mortality. General practitioners used terms from manual medicine and reported more pseudoradicular pain, while orthopaedic surgeons used non-specific pain labels, reported more true radicular pain and used more x-ray examinations. Among those on sick leave at baseline, manual therapy patients showed faster return to work (HR 1.62, 95%CI 1.006–2.60) and a lower point-prevalence of sick leave than reference patients at end of treatment period (ratio 0.35, 95% CI 0.13–0.97) but not after two years. Conclusions. There was a strong secular trend towards increase in self-reported back pain from 1973 to 2003. Such pain had a negative effect on some of the health outcomes and does not appear to be harmless. Physicians from different specialities labelled the condition differently. The manual therapy programme proved to be more effective than the established treatment regarding return to work.
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| 7. |
- Bröms, Kristina, 1954-
(författare)
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A Nationwide Study of Asthma and Allergy in Swedish Preschool Children : with Special Reference to Environment, Daycare, Prevalence, Co-ocurrence and Incidence
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aim: The aim of this project was to study the age and sex specific occurrence of atopic and non-atopic asthma and other atopic manifestations in a nationwide sample of Swedish pre-school children. Methods: All 70 allergen avoidance day-care centres (AADC) with 84 sections and 140 matched ordinary day-care centres with 440 sections in 62 municipalities across Sweden were sampled. In 2000 the staff at each section responded to a questionnaire on indoor and outdoor environment at the section. In 2002 parents of 5,886 children attending the AADCs and ODCs responded to a postal questionnaire regarding symptoms indicating prevalent asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema, and food, furred pet and pollen allergy and other data in their children. In 2007, parents of 4255 children responded to an almost identical follow-up questionnaire. Results: The AADCs had far more strict rules than ODCs on furred pets and smoking at home and on perfume use, and the indoor environment was better, owing to better cleaning. The age specific asthma prevalence was curvilinear with a peak at age 3 of 11.4% among boys and 9.8% among girls. In addition the prevalence increased by municipality population density, a proxy for degree of urbanisation. There was a highly significant co-occurrence between all asthma-atopic manifestations, but there was no evidence of ordered sequence of manifestation onset. The asthma incidence was highly dependent on presence or absence of co-occurrence variables. Given the variable mix in the present study population, the annual asthma incidence ranged from 0.6% to 1.2%. Conclusions: AADCs had more strict rules and a better indoor environment than ODCs. The asthma prevalence was affected by age, sex and degree of urbanisation. There was close co-occurrence between all asthma and atopic manifestations but no evidence of ordered sequence of onsets. The annual asthma incidence was strongly dependent of co-occurrence conditions.
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| 8. |
- Gulliksson, Mats, 1954-
(författare)
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Studies of Secondary Prevention after Coronary Heart Disease with Special Reference to Determinants of Recurrent Event Rate
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objectives. The first aim was to examine the effects of secondary prevention with a focus on determinants in the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease (CHD). The second aim was to analyse the effects of a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention on the risk of recurrent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to investigate the psychosocial situation of CHD patients. Material and methods. Papers I and II were based on the Swedish Acute Myocardial Infarction Statistics Register, 1969 to 2001: 775,901 events in 589,341 subjects. Papers III and IV were based on The Secondary Prevention in Uppsala Primary Care project (SUPRIM), a randomized controlled clinical trial in 362 CHD patients. Results. The risk of a recurrent acute myocardial infarction (AMI) event was highly dependent on time from the previous event, with the greatest risk immediately after an AMI event. In addition, sex, age, and AMI number influenced the general risk level. Furthermore, there has been a major decline in recurrence risk over 30 years, and there were considerable geographical differences in risk, best explained by residential area population density, with a high recurrent AMI risk in areas with the lowest and the highest population densities, and the lowest risk in areas with moderate population density. Disease status and sex were determinants of psychological well-being the first year after a CHD event. Sex seemed to be the stronger determinant. The CBT intervention focused on stress management during one year in patients with CHD. There was significantly improved outcome in the intervention group on recurrent CVD and recurrent AMI during a 9 year follow up. A dose-response relationship was demonstrated between attendance rate at intervention group meetings and outcome, the higher the attendance rate the better the outcome. Conclusions. The risk of a recurrent AMI event was dependent on time from the previous event, with major improvement seen in recent decades. Regional differences were best explained by population density. Female CHD patients were at high risk concerning well-being after a coronary event, which deserves special attention. The CBT intervention for CHD patients improved outcomes concerning the risk of recurrent CVD and AMI events.
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| 9. |
- Lilja, Mikael
(författare)
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Trends in obesity and type 2 diabetes : ethnic aspects and links to adipokines
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objective The prevalence of obesity and related diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing worldwide, and the Asian Indian population seems to be particularly susceptible to developing T2DM, even at a low body mass index (BMI). In Sweden, the age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes has not increased despite increasing self-reported obesity. However, modern data on the prevalence of obesity and T2DM in Scandinavia are absent.The biochemical links between obesity and subsequent T2DM are unknown, but the adipocyte-derived hormones leptin and adiponectin (adipokines) have been suggested as potential links because they both are related to insulin and glucose physiology. Some studies have found leptin to be an independent predictor of T2DM in men but not in women, although these results are inconsistent. In contrast, adiponectin has more consistently been linked to development of T2DM in both men and women. Furthermore, the leptin–adiponectin ratio may predict incident T2DM better than either of the two hormones separately.The aims of this thesis were to describe time trends in obesity and T2DM in northern Sweden, to evaluate leptin and adiponectin as predictors of deterioration in glucose metabolism including T2DM, and to evaluate leptin as a risk marker regarding ethnic differences, circ-annual variation, and intra-individual stability. Materials and methods Three large population surveys were used, the Northern Sweden MONICA (MONitoring of Trends and Determinants in CArdiovascular Disease) study, the Västerbotten Intervention Programme (VIP), and the Mauritius Non-Communicable Disease Study. Within the MONICA study, six cross-sectional surveys were performed in Sweden’s two northernmost counties, Norrbotten and Västerbotten, between 1986 and 2009. A total of 1000 men and 1000 women ages 25–64 years, also including from 1994 250 men and 250 women ages 65–74 years, were independently chosen for each survey. The overall participation rate was 75%. In 1999, a reinvestigation was performed in 74% of all participants from the three first surveys. Data from the MONICA surveys were used in papers I and IV and data from the reinvestigation survey in paper II. VIP is an ongoing population intervention program that started in the mid-eighties targeting cardiovascular risk factors and has covered the whole county of Västerbotten since 1991. Inhabitants are invited the years they turn 40, 50, and 60 years old, and the annual participation rate has varied between 48% and 67%. A subset (n=1780) from VIP was used in paper II for the circ-annual leptin analysis, and VIP data linked to the diabetes register in Västerbotten (DiabNorr) were used in a case referent study (640 patients with T2DM) in paper III. The Mauritius Non-Communicable Disease Study was performed in 1987 in 10 randomly selected (with probability proportional to size) population clusters. All eligible adults ages 25–74 years were invited, and the participation rate was 86% (n=5083). In 1992, a follow-up survey was performed in 49% of the initial participants. The Mauritius survey data were used in paper II. Results I. BMI increased in men ages 25–74 years and in women ages 25–44 years in northern Sweden between 1986 and 2004. The prevalence of obesity (BMI 30) increased in men ages 25–44 and 55–74 years and in women ages 25–44 years. The prevalence of obesity increased from 10.4% to 19.1% in men and from 12.9% to 17.9% in women ages 25–64 years. Waist circumference (WC) decreased in women of all ages and in men ages 55–64 years between 1986 and 1990. After 1990, WC increased again, and the prevalence of abdominal obesity rose markedly in women ages 25–64 years. II. Differences in circulating levels of leptin, leptin per BMI unit (leptin/BMI), and leptin per cm in WC (leptin/waist) were tested in men and women of Asian Indian, Creole (African), and Caucasian ethnicity. Asian Indian men and women had the highest leptin concentrations and Caucasian men and women the lowest while Creole men and women had intermediate values for leptin, leptin/BMI, and leptin/waist. No circ-annual variation in leptin concentrations was seen in Caucasians. The intra-individual test– retest stability for leptin was equal in men and women of different ethnicities, over 5–13 years, with an intra-class correlation of 0.65–0.82. III. High adiponectin concentrations predicted decreased risk of T2DM in both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant men and women, whereas high leptin levels predicted increased risk for T2DM only in insulinsensitive men. A high leptin–adiponectin ratio predicted T2DM in both men and women, and men with a high ratio had a shorter time to diagnosis than those with a low ratio. IV. In northern Sweden, fasting and post-load glucose increased in women ages 24–65 years with 0.2 mmol/l and 0.7 mmol/l, respectively, between 1990 and 2009. Consequently, the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) rose from 4.5% to 7.7%, and from 7.8% to 14.5%, respectively. In men, post-load glucose increased at 0.5 mmol/l, and the prevalence of IGT rose from 3.5% to 10.1%. The prevalence of diabetes did not increase. An independent relationship between leptin and changes in fasting and post-load glucose was seen in men but not in women. Conclusion An increasing obesity and concomitant deterioration in glucose metabolism was seen in northern Sweden in the period studied. High adiponectin concentrations predicted a decreased risk of T2DM in both men and women, whereas high leptin concentrations predicted an increase in fasting and post-load glucose as well as an increased risk of T2DM in men but not in women. Individual insulin resistance status modified the association between leptin and T2DM, and the leptin–adiponectin ratio may add further predictive information beyond the measures of the separate hormones. In relation to traditional anthropometric measures of obesity, Asian Indian men and women had the highest and Caucasians the lowest concentrations of leptin while Creole (African) men and women had intermediate levels. As a risk marker, leptin has a high intra-individual stability, equal in men and women and among different ethnicities over 5–13 years with no circ-annual variation.
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| 10. |
- Lisspers, Karin, 1954-
(författare)
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Organisation of Asthma in Primary Care, Quality of Life and Sex-related Aspects in Asthma Outcomes
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objectives: To investigate the organisation of asthma care in primary care and evaluate outcomes for patients attending primary care centres with and without asthma clinics.Other objectives were to study the association between quality of life and asthma control in patients in primary care and to analyse sex differences regarding asthma outcomes related to menopausal status.Material and methods: Cross-sectional surveys and a patient record study.Results: Of all the primary health care centres, 77% had a spirometer and 53% an asthma clinic. At centres with asthma clinics 77% of the patients reported sufficient knowledge of asthma as compared with 65% at centres without asthma clinics (p<0.001). With more time allocated for the nurse, 44% of patients achieved asthma control as compared with 27% at asthma clinics with less time (p<0.003). Patients using short-acting beta-2 agonists more than twice in the last week had clinically significant lower MiniAQLQ scores (5.17 versus 5.91). This finding also held for night awakenings during the previous week (4.42 versus 5.86), courses of oral corticosteroids (5.26 versus 5.64) and reported emergency consultations during the last six months (4.85 versus 5.71). Premenopausal women had significantly lower total MiniAQLQ scores than men in the same age group (5.44 versus 5.89, p<0.001), while no difference was found between postmenopausal women and men of similar ages. The adjusted odds for premenopausal women for asthma exacerbations was 2.0 (95%CI 1.22-3.43) as compared with men in the same age group. No differences were found when comparing postmenopausal women with men of similar ages.Conclusions: Half the primary health care centres had an asthma clinic and the majority had access to a spirometer. Patients at primary health care centres with asthma clinics reported better knowledge of their disease, and asthma control is more often achieved if the nurse is allocated more time. Achieving asthma control is associated with better quality of life in patients in primary care. Premenopausal women had lower quality of life and less often asthma control then men of the same ages, while no corresponding difference was found between postmenopausal women and men of similar ages.
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