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Biomedical subjects

C Bengtsson

Publications and source records attributed to C Bengtsson.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Effects of a health examination programme on quality of life and subjective well-being.

The effects on quality of life and psychological well-being of a health examination programme in a branch of Swedish industry were studied by means of questionnaires in 124 white-collar workers. They were asked to answer two questionnaires, one before and the other one month after the examination (the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the Psychological General Well-being Schedule (PGWB)). Both are well-known and well-documented standard questionnaires used for estimating quality of life and degree of subjective well-being. The answers were compared with those of a control group comprising other white-collar workers in the same industry, of the same sex and age but who did not participate in the health examination and who were asked to complete the same questionnaires twice. The group that had participated in the health examination did not differ generally from the control group with respect to intra-individual differences as studied in the questionnaires on the two occasions. This indicates that no deterioration of quality of life or of psychological well-being was experienced by the participants in the health examination.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Results from an intervention programme dealing with cardiovascular risk factors. Experiences from a study of men aged 33-42 in Habo, Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term effect of a health examination and intervention programme in a Swedish community. DESIGN: A health examination was carried out with the purpose of improving cardiovascular risk factors. A health profile was created as an educational tool, by means of which a nurse discussed the results of the health examination with the participants. Follow-up studies were carried out after 1 year and after 3-6 years. PARTICIPANTS: All men aged 33-42 living in a Swedish community (Habo) were invited to the health examination. Altogether 652 participated, corresponding to a participation rate of 86.1%. MAIN RESULTS: In the 1-year follow-up study, improvement with respect to cardiovascular risk factors was seen in a high-risk group (n = 161) for systolic blood pressure and lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, mental stress, mental health, and for the sum of risk points according to the health profile. Corresponding improvement was not seen in other men of similar age in the same community who had not participated in the health survey. In the 3-6 year follow-up only minor improvements remained, mainly for blood pressure and sum of risk points. CONCLUSION: Even if the results are rather promising in the short run, it seems urgent to make the methods for improving cardiovascular risk factors better, especially with regard to long-term results.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Reproductive history in relation to relative weight and fat distribution.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between reproductive history and body composition. DESIGN: Prospective population study in Sweden. SUBJECTS: 1462 randomly selected women representing five separate age cohorts (38, 46, 50, 54 and 60 at the 1968-1969 baseline examination) have been followed longitudinally. MEASUREMENTS: Relative weight, fat distribution, and fat cellularity were related to menarche, parity, lactation, menopause and oestrogen medication. RESULTS: Age of menarche did not show any association with subsequent fat distribution, nor did length of lactation time. On the other hand parity was positively associated to total as well as central obesity, and lactation time was positively associated to abdominal fat cell diameter. Premenopausal women showed higher mean body weight and hip circumference than postmenopausal women of the same age. Change from pre- to postmenopausal status was associated with increase of waist circumference as well as reduction of hip circumference, resulting in an increased waist-hip ratio (WHR). Oestrogen replacement suggested some postponement of this increase. CONCLUSION: Parity and menopause are the reproductive factors most associated with gradual changes in body fat distribution. Oestrogen medication seems to play an additional role in diminishing waist circumference increase and could thus contribute to decreased cardiovascular morbidity in women.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1995

Dietary fat intake and weight gain in women genetically predisposed for obesity.

The influence of dietary fat intake on subsequent change in body mass index (BMI) of adult women was examined while taking into account predisposition for obesity. A representative population sample of 361 Swedish women aged 38-60 y was first examined in 1968-1969 and followed up 6 y later. Dietary intake was estimated by diet history interview, and parental fatness was assessed by questionnaire. Women already overweight with > or = 1 obese parent were considered predisposed to obesity. When total energy intake, smoking habits, physical activity, and menopausal status were controlled for in regression analysis, high dietary fat intake was significantly associated with a 6-y gain in BMI only the predisposed women (P = 0.003), but not among obese women with lean parents, or lean women with or without obese parents. High dietary fat intake may have an obesity-promoting effect in women with a genetic predisposition.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Interrelation between risk factors for cardiovascular disease in men aged 33-42. A study from Habo in Skaraborg County, Sweden.

OBJECTIVES: The main purpose was to study associations between different risk factors for coronary heart disease in order to find out whether such associations already exist during the fourth decade of life. SETTING: A study carried out by the primary healthcare staff in the community of Habo in Skaraborg County in south-western Sweden. SUBJECTS: All men living in Habo aged 33-42 years who were willing to participate in the study--in total 652 men (participation rate 86%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk factors for coronary heart disease considered as markers of lifestyle: body-mass index as a measure of general obesity, waist-to-hip circumference ratio as a measure of central obesity, arterial blood pressure, serum cholesterol concentration and serum triglyceride concentration. RESULTS: There were statistically significant correlations between all the factors analysed including anthropometric data, blood pressure and serum lipids. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate associations between different risk factors at an early age and emphasises the need for a multifactorial view on risk as early as at the ages which were the focus of this study.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Concentrations of blood, serum and urine components in relation to number of amalgam tooth fillings in Swedish women.

Altogether 1462 women aged 38, 46, 50, 54 and 60 yr were examined in 1968/69 in a combined medical and dental population study in Gothenburg, Sweden. Number of tooth surfaces restored with amalgam fillings was assessed. The examination was repeated in 1980/81 including a new dental examination. The results from a number of biochemical analyses of blood, serum and urine were analyzed for a possible statistical relationship to number of dental amalgam fillings. As emphasis has been put in the literature on special influence from amalgam on kidney function and on the immunological system, special attention was paid to variables which might reflect these functions in our analyses. When potential confounders were taken into consideration, no significant correlations remained which seemed to be of clinical importance. Specifically, amalgam fillings were not found to be associated with impairment of the kidney function or the immunological status.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Medical audit used for estimation of optimum level of outpatient care.

OBJECTIVE: To create a model for determining the optimum level of outpatient medical care and to determine this level. DESIGN: Expert committees were established comprising one or two hospital physicians and two general practitioners who checked medical records for all outpatient visits to doctors made by a defined population during a defined period of time. The determination of optimum level was made blindly by each member of the expert committee. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised all visits to physicians during 10 weeks, in total more than 4,000, made by the people in a Swedish community, of which 2,084 were randomized. RESULTS: Total agreement between the members of the committee was initially reached for 84% of the visits and, after a common discussion between the committee members, for 99%. A general practitioner was considered to be the optimum level of care for 76% of the patients in the total series, in the upper ages (above 80) for about 85%. CONCLUSION: This method seemed suitable for determining the optimum level of care in a population and may be of value when planning for an optimum health care service. Based on the results from our study it seems reasonable to assume that general practitioners whose training corresponds to that of Swedish ones are competent to treat about 75% of all consultations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Differences in cancer incidence between parts with different socio-economic structure within a Swedish big-city area.

Two subareas with different socio-economic structure in the same big-city area were compared with respect to cancer incidence. Pulmonary cancer was overrepresented in the low socio-economic area. Smoking was more common in the same area, which may be a main contributory factor for the increased incidence of pulmonary cancer in that area. The results indicate that useful information, to be used as a base for local preventive measures, can be obtained from cancer statistics on the community level.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Iron balance in menstruating women.

OBJECTIVES: To study factors determining iron balance in menstruating women by examining the relationships between total iron requirements, based on menstrual iron losses and basal iron losses, and serum ferritin concentration, transferrin saturation, blood haemoglobin concentration, bone marrow haemosiderin and absorption of iron from a test dose of ferrous sulphate (0.56 mg Fe). SUBJECTS: The study was made in 203 women all aged 38 years, randomly selected from the census register of Göteborg. The study was originally made in 1968-69. Serum ferritin in frozen sera was first analysed in 1978. Reanalyses, calibrated to the International Standard 80/602, and studies on the effect of storage of sera, were made in 1992. This allowed a complete re-examination of the importance of different determinants of iron balance in women. RESULTS: With increasing iron requirements there was an increase in iron absorption, and a decrease in serum ferritin concentration and transferrin saturation. Above a certain level of iron requirement there was a rather sudden decrease in haemoglobin concentration and in stainable iron in bone marrow smears, indicating the critical level of iron requirements in these women that could be balanced by an increased iron absorption from the present diet. This level represents the maximal adaptation to maintain iron balance in an iron-replete state that can be achieved with this diet and corresponds to a prevalence of iron deficiency of about 25%. CONCLUSIONS: The continuous regulation of iron absorption from iron deficiency to iron repletion has a critical balance point determined by the properties of the diet.

Absorption↗
PubMed1995

Detection in blood and urine of recombinant erythropoietin administered to healthy men.

A method for the detection of administered recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) in the blood and urine of healthy individuals was evaluated. The method is based upon the observation that the electric charge of the rhEpo molecule is less negative than that of endogenous Epo. Fifteen healthy males were treated with subcutaneous injections of 20 IU rhEpo per kg body weight three times a week for 7-9 wk. The charge of Epo in blood and concentrates of urine was determined by electrophoresis in 0.10% agarose suspension expressed as electrophoretic mobility. rhEpo was detected in serum at 24 h after injection in all 15 individuals, at 48 h in 18 of 20 samples from 11 individuals, and at 72 h in 7 of 9 individuals. In urine the rhEpo was detected in all 22 samples taken from 11 individuals up to 24 h after injection and in 9 of 12 samples from 3 individuals at 48 h after injection. rhEpo was not detected in serum or urine at 1-3 wk after the last injection. The charge of both rhEpo and endogenous Epo in urine was more negative (P < 0.001; P < 0.01) than in the paired serum samples. It is suggested that the principle of this method should be further evaluated for use in doping control.

Electrophoresis, Agar Gel↗
PubMed1994

The quantitative relationship between "the metabolic syndrome" and abdominal obesity in women.

Abdominal obesity is closely associated with the presence of metabolic risk factors and elevated blood pressure in selected materials. This has, however, never been analyzed quantitatively in a non-selected cohort. Therefore, in a population-based study of 1462 Swedish women, four selected risk factors for non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), serum triglycerides, blood glucose and systolic blood pressure and also serum insulin in a subsample, were examined in relation to regional and overall obesity. This was performed by subdividing the age adjusted sample into quintiles of waist to hip circumference ratio (WHR) or body mass index (BMI) as indicators of abdominal distribution of body fat and overall obesity, respectively. The risk factors serum triglycerides, blood glucose, blood pressure and serum insulin were defined as being elevated when the value of the risk factor was higher than the mean plus one or two standard deviations of the total age-adjusted cohort. The percentage of women with elevated risk factors according to this definition was then calculated in each of these quintiles. Having a risk factor which was elevated according to the definition was significantly correlated to WHR and BMI (p<0.0001) independent of age. The presence of one or several of these elevated risk factors was clearly higher than expected in the fifth quintile of WHR, and to a lesser extent in the fifth quintile of BMI while this was not the case in the lower quintiles of WHR and BMI. When studying the combination of the WHR and BMI, the presence of risk factors higher than the mean plus two standard deviations increased gradually with WHR in all five quintiles of BMI. A significant association was observed between WHR and presence of risk factors independent of BMI (p<0.0001) but BMI did not remain significantly correlated to presence of risk factors when controlling for WHR (p=0.09). These results indicate that abdominal distribution of body fat in women independently of general obesity is closely associated with metabolic risk factors including elevated blood pressure, a metabolic syndrome with increased risk for cardiovascular disease and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1994

Experiences of social support among participants in self-help groups related to coronary heart disease.

Self-help groups for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients were initiated by the Swedish National Association for Heart and Lung Patients in co-operation with Halland University College of Caring Science. Professional support was given in the form of a guidebook with health advice to be used at group meetings. The aims of this study were to describe the experiences of social support and the effects of health advice among people suffering from CHD and their next-of-kin participating in self-help groups. A questionnaire was developed containing three scales with questions about social support in connection with group participation and the effects of health advice shared during the programme. The results showed that 84% of participants knew about risk factors; all group members had changed their attitudes in some way concerning their life-style and 65% thought that they had changed their daily life activities as a consequence of the group participation. Most participants had experienced social support, through both support received (82%) and their own ability to provide support (7.1, scale range 0-10). In self-help groups layman support is the most effective kind of support, but the results indicate that health professionals also have an important role to play. In future research and clinical planning of rehabilitation of people with CHD, self-help groups, both from a human and economic point of view are well worth considering.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Antihypertensive drugs and glucose metabolism: a comparison between a diuretic and felodipine, a new calcium antagonist, when added to a beta-blocker in non-diabetic hypertensive women.

Felodipine, a vascular selective antihypertensive calcium antagonist, was compared with hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic, with respect to glucose tolerance. An open crossover study was performed comprising 16 non-diabetic hypertensive women (age range 59-75 years). The women continued to take a beta-blocker as a basal therapy. Each treatment period lasted three months. The blood pressure was similar irrespective of treatment. Blood glucose values were not significantly different during the oral glucose tolerance test. Serum insulin levels after glucose administration were lower when the patients were treated with felodipine than when taking hydrochlorothiazide. A possible explanation for this observation may be an increased insulin release as a consequence of treatment with a diuretic in order to maintain normal blood glucose levels during the glucose tolerance test. Felodipine appears preferable to hydrochlorothiazide as an addition to a beta blocker in hypertensive patients from a glucose metabolism point of view.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1994

Malignant disease observed in a cohort of women. A validation of Swedish Cancer Registry data.

A longitudinal study of altogether 1462 women aged 38 to 60 years started in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1968-69. Based on information from the population study and from the Swedish Cancer Registry 35 women had a history of malignant disease when initially examined in 1968-69. During a 12-year follow-up period a total of 79 malignant tumours developed in 73 women. A comparison was made between the 1988 Cancer Registry listing and the observations made in the population study. All but one out of 103 cases (99%) were registered in the Cancer Registry and all but one (99%) in the population study. It may be concluded that the accuracy of the population study registration as well as that of the Cancer Registry at that time were very high. This enables us to draw relatively safe conclusions from our own material when testing for risk factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

A study of men aged 33-42 in Habo, Sweden with special reference to cardiovascular risk factors. Design, health profile and characteristics of participants and non-participants.

An intervention study of men living in the Community of Habo in southwestern Sweden has been carried out. All men aged 33-42 and living in the community were invited. Altogether 652 men participated. The study included a questionnaire, an interview made by a nurse, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure measurements, measurements of respiratory function and work performance capacity, and blood sampling for chemical analyses. The participation rate was high, 86.1%, after one mail invitation even considering the fact that two reminders were sent. Most of the non-participants had recently been in contact with the health care organisation, either because they were high-consumers of health care, or because they had attended a health examination at work. A health profile was worked out comprising 11 different potential risk factors for coronary heart disease. This health profile turned out to be a useful educational tool when discussing the results of the examination with the participants. Risk points were given according to certain predetermined criteria. The distribution of risk factors was similar in the different ages studied. Most of the participants had at least one risk factor as defined, but many of them had two or more risk factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Pulmonary cancer from the general practitioner's point of view. Experience from the health centre area of Kungsbacka, Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: To study the incidence of pulmonary cancer in a community with special reference to the diagnostic process and the role of the general practitioner. DESIGN: Study of the records of all patients within the community with pulmonary cancer reported to the Swedish Cancer Registry during the years 1980-1984. SETTING: The community of Kungsbacka in southwestern Sweden with about 48,000 inhabitants. PARTICIPANTS: 40 subjects with pulmonary cancer. OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence, main symptoms, level of care, doctor delay, survival rate. RESULTS: The incidence was 16 per 100,000 per year. Most patients first visited a general practitioner. Most common initial symptom was cough. Mean doctor delay was 12.5 weeks. The five-year mortality rate was 95%. CONCLUSION: The high mortality emphasizes the importance of an early diagnosis. The general practitioners are very important in the diagnostic process.

Adult↗