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Biomedical subjects

H O Hein

Publications and source records attributed to H O Hein.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Alcohol consumption, serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and risk of ischaemic heart disease: six year follow up in the Copenhagen male study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the interplay between use of alcohol, concentration of low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and risk of ischaemic heart disease. DESIGN: Prospective study with controlling for several relevant confounders, including concentrations of other lipid fractions. SETTING: Copenhagen male study, Denmark. SUBJECTS: 2826 men aged 53-74 years without overt ischaemic heart disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incidence of ischaemic heart disease during a six year follow up period. RESULTS: 172 men (6.1%) had a first ischaemic heart disease event. There was an overall inverse association between alcohol intake and risk of ischaemic heart disease. The association was highly dependent on concentration of low density lipoprotein cholesterol. In men with a high concentration (> or = 5.25 mmol/l) cumulative incidence rates of ischaemic heart disease were 16.4% for abstainers, 8.7% for those who drank 1-21 beverages a week, and 4.4% for those who drank 22 or more beverages a week. With abstainers as reference and after adjustment for confounders, corresponding relative risks (95% confidence interval) were 0.4 (0.2 to 1.0; P<0.05) and 0.2 (0.1 to 0.8; P<0.01). In men with a concentration <3.63 mmol/l use of alcohol was not associated with risk. The attributable risk (95% confidence interval) of ischaemic heart disease among men with concentrations > or = 3.63 mmol/l who abstained from drinking alcohol was 43% (10% to 64%). CONCLUSIONS: In middle aged and elderly men the inverse association between alcohol consumption and risk of ischaemic heart disease is highly dependent on the concentration of low density lipoprotein cholesterol. These results support the suggestion that use of alcohol may in part explain the French paradox.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Adverse effects on risk of ischaemic heart disease of adding sugar to hot beverages in hypertensives using diuretics. A six year follow-up in the Copenhagen Male Study.

Non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and essential hypertension (EH) are two of several manifestations of the insulin resistance syndrome. Although subjects with NIDDM and subjects with EH share a common defect in carbohydrate metabolism, only diabetics are advised to avoid sugar. We tested the theory that an adverse effect of diuretics treatment in men with EH with respect to risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) would depend on the intake of dietary sugar using sugar in hot beverages as a marker. The cohort consisted of 2,899 men from the Copenhagen Male Study aged 53-74 years (mean 63) who were without overt cardiovascular disease. Potential confounders were: age, alcohol,smoking, physical activity, body mass index, blood pressure, fasting lipids, cotinine, NIDDM,and social class. A total of 340 men took antihypertensives; 211 took diuretics (95% thiazides and related agents), and 129 used other antihypertensives. During 6 years, 179 men (6.2%) had a first IHD event. Among the 340 men taking antihypertensives, the incidence rate was 11%. Diuretics use was associated with a high risk of IHD in hypertensive men with a relatively high intake of dietary sugar; the cumulative incidence rate was 22%; in diuretics treated men with a low intake of sugar, the rate was 7%. After controlling for potential confounders, relative risk (95% ci.) was 3.1(1.3-7.6), p = 001. Among the 129 men who took other forms of antihypertensive drugs, the IHD incidence rate was 8%, and independent of the intake of sugar. The results indicate that the risk of IHD in hypertensives using diuretics is associated with intake of dietary sugar, which may explain at least some of the discouraging effects of antihypertensive agents on the reduction of risk of IHD.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Do physical and chemical working conditions explain the association of social class with ischaemic heart disease?

The aim of this study was to examine whether physical and chemical working conditions explain the association of social class with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). We investigated the issue in a cohort of 2974 males aged 53-75 years (mean 63) free from overt cardiovascular disease. Potential confounders included were: alcohol consumption, physical activity, tobacco smoking, serum cotinine, serum lipids, serum selenium, body mass index, blood pressure, hypertension, social class, and retirement status. During the follow-up period (1985-1986 to 31 December 1991), 184 men (6.2%) had a first IHD event; 44 events were fatal. Compared to higher social classes (classes I, II and III), lower classes (classes IV and V) had a significantly increased risk of IHD (P < 0.05); the age-adjusted relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence limits was 1.44 (1.06-1.95), P = 0.02. Mean who had been occupationally long-term exposed (> or = 5 years) to either soldering fumes or organic solvents had a significantly higher risk of IHD than unexposed: RRs were 2.1 and 1.7, respectively. After adjustment for all the above potential confounders and including also these two occupational factors, the RR of low social classes was reduced to a non-significant 1.24 (0.87-1.76), P = 0.24, i.e. by 45%. Adjusting for non-occupational factors only reduced the RR from 1.44 to 1.38 (1.0-1.90), P = 0.05, i.e. by about 14%. Assuming that the association of soldering fumes and organic solvents with risk of IHD was causal, it was estimated that 16% of IHD cases in low social class could be ascribed to these exposures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Lewis phenotypes and the insulin resistance syndrome in young healthy white men and women.

An increased risk of ischemic heart disease in men with the Lewis blood group phenotype Le(a-b-) has been reported. It has been suggested that the Le(a-b-) phenotype is a genetic marker of the insulin resistance syndrome. To examine whether Le(a-b-) confers the insulin resistance syndrome, we studied a random sample of unrelated healthy young white men and women living in Copenhagen (n = 380, 18 to 32 years). All individuals had their insulin sensitivity estimated using Bergman's minimal model (intravenous glucose in combination with tolbutamide) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured with a London School of Hygiene Sphygmomanometer. A number of anthropometric measurements including body mass index (BMI, kilograms/meters squared) and biochemical characteristics were performed. The Lewis blood group typing was carried out on erythrocytes. Twenty-one men had the Le(a-b-) phenotype. Compared to all other men (N = 165), the Le(a-b-) men had a significantly higher SBP (6 mm Hg, P = .0024). They also had higher values of BMI (8%, P = .016), total body fat mass (25%, P = .015), fasting values of serum insulin (32%, P = .006), serum C-peptide (20%, P = .029), and plasma glucose (8%, P = .003). The fasting values of serum lipids, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) activity, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen, and insulin sensitivity did not differ between Le(a-b-) men and men with other Lewis phenotypes. Altogether 194 women participated in the study of which 21 women had the Le(a-b-) phenotype. Except for a lower PAI-1 activity (45%, P = .044), no values differed between Le(a-b-) women and women with other Lewis phenotypes. The women were also stratified according to use of oral contraceptives. Le(a-b-) women using oral contraceptives (N = 8) had a significantly lower plasma level of fasting PAI-1 activity (P = .029) and t-PA antigen (P = .004) compared to women using oral contraceptives without the Le(a-b-) phenotype (N = 42). Our data support the hypothesis that Le(a-b-) men exhibit features of the insulin resistance syndrome, including higher levels of BMI, SBP, and fasting levels of serum insulin and plasma glucose. In young women no signs of the insulin resistance syndrome were found in subjects with the Le(a-b-) phenotype.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Coffee consumption and risk of ischaemic heart disease--a settled issue?

OBJECTIVE: Based on a meta-analysis, it was recently stated that there is no association between coffee consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease. Why then, have studies on the issue shown quite variable results? DESIGN SETTING AND SUBJECTS: A prospective study was performed in the Copenhagen Male Study on 2975 men (53-74 years) without cardiovascular disease at baseline in 1985/1986. They were classified according to self-reported consumption of filter coffee. Some 147 men (5%) were coffee abstainers. Potential confounders were alcohol use, physical activity, smoking, serum cotinine, serum lipids, serum selenium, body mass index, blood pressure, Lewis blood group, hypertension, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and social class. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) 1985/86-1991. RESULTS: Some 184 men had a first IHD event. There was no significant difference between those consuming 1-4, 5-8 or > or = 9 cups per day after controlling for confounders (P-value of trend test: 0.14). The crude incidence rates were 6.8, 6.7 and 4.6%, respectively; the adjusted rates were 6.8, 6.7 and 4.0%, respectively. Coffee consumption was significantly (P < 0.05) inversely correlated with serum selenium concentration (never previously described) and, positively or negatively, with a number of other potential risk factors: smoking, alcohol use, serum triglycerides, serum cholesterol, blood pressure, social class, body mass index, and serum selenium. In nonsmokers and smokers of only a small amount of tobacco, coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of IHD (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the association between coffee consumption and risk of IHD is conditioned by known risk factors correlated with use of coffee, which may partly explain the inconsistencies in the results of previous studies.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Snoring, family history, and genetic markers in men. The Copenhagen Male Study.

BACKGROUND: No studies have attempted to examine the genetic influence on the habit of snoring. The aim of the present study was to examine whether an association existed between self-reported snoring and family history of snoring and a number of genetic markers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data were derived from a primarily cardiovascular disease cohort study of 3,387 men aged 54 to 74 years. A number of sleep-related questions were included. Some 3,308 men had given valid questionnaire information on snoring and whether they had their own bedroom due to snoring and were regarded eligible for the present study. Men who reported that they snored often or always were considered habitual snorers, and those who reported that they seldom or never snored were considered nonsnorers. We considered habitual snorers who reported that they had their own bedroom due to snoring to be a group with a presumably more severe form of snoring. Information about other health and lifestyle parameters was obtained from a comprehensive questionnaire. Four major blood groups were determined: ABO, Rhesus, MNS, and Lewis, together with complement C3. A saliva sample was taken for determination of ABH secretor status. RESULTS: There was a strong relationship between habitual snoring and family history of snoring among grandparents, parents, siblings, and children. Odds ratios were from 2.4 to 4.2, and all associations were significant (p < 0.05). In multivariable analysis, the factor which most strongly separated habitual snorers from nonsnorers, was self-reported habitual snoring among family members. Looking at habitual snorers only, the factors most strongly separating those with their own bedroom due to snoring from those without, were the Lewis blood group phenotype, Le(a+b-) (29.6 vs 18.8%; p < 0.001; age, 63.4 vs 62.1 years; p < 0.01), and selfreported family history of habitual snoring (35.2 vs 29.0%; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There was an overall strong association between habitual snoring and family history of snoring. Among habitual snorers, two genetic markers and age, were the only factors that separated men who had their own bedroom due to snoring from others. The results of this study indicate that snoring, to some extent, is hereditary.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1995

Risk of ischemic heart disease in self-reported snorers. A prospective study of 2,937 men aged 54 to 74 years: the Copenhagen Male Study.

Former studies have demonstrated an association between habitual snoring and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Control for the influence of potential confounders has been inadequate. To further elucidate the issue, we examined the association between snoring and future risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) while controlling for a number of major cardiovascular risk factors and potential effect modifiers. Some 2,937 men without overt cardiovascular disease, aged 54 to 74 y (mean = 63 years), were classified according to snoring habits and followed up prospectively during 6 years (1985 to 1991). Potential cardiovascular disease risk factors included in the study were as follows: smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, hypertension, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) (kg x m-2), social class, and serum concentrations of selenium, cotinine, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. During the 6-year follow-up period, 182 men (6.2%) had an IHD event (42 were fatal), and 274 men died from all causes (9.3%). There was no difference in the prevalence of snorers among those who had an IHD event and those who did not during the follow-up period, 49.9% vs 50.5%, respectively. Among the younger half of the cohort (54 to 63 years), the age-adjusted incidence of IHD was slightly but not significantly increased in snorers, relative risk (RR) = 1.2 (0.8 to 1.9). When adjustments were made for relevant confounders--use of tobacco, alcohol consumption, and BMI--the RR dropped to 1.0 (0.6 to 1.6). Among the older half (64 to 74 years), there was no increased risk in snorers, RR = 1.0 (0.7 to 1.6). We conclude that there was a slightly increased risk that did not reach statistical significance of IHD in snorers. After multivariate adjustment, snoring was not associated with risk of IHD in middle-aged and elderly men.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

[Does intake of antihypertensive agents and sedatives explain the increasing incidence of colonic neoplasms?].

Not much attention has been given to drug use and risk of colorectal cancer. We investigated the issue in an 18-year prospective cohort study of 5249 Copenhagen males aged 40-59 years. Potential confounders included were tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, coffee drinking, physical activity, and social class. Colon cancer was diagnosed in 51 men, rectal cancer in 42 (all adenocarcinomas). Estimated from a Cox proportional hazards regression equation, use of antihypertensive medicine was highly significantly associated with risk of colon cancer, relative risk (95% confidence limits) was 3.5 (1.6-7.5), p = 0.001. Frequent use of minor tranquillizers or sleeping pills was also associated with a highly significantly increased risk of colon cancer, relative risk was 3.2 (1.6-6.6), p = 0.002. By contrast, there was no such association with rectum cancer. We suggest that use of antihypertensive medicine and use of minor tranquillizers or sleeping pills may be strong risk factors for colon cancer, and that their use may contribute substantially to explaining the increased incidence of colon cancer since 1945.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1994

[Alcohol intake, Lewis phenotypes and risk of ischemic heart disease. The Copenhagen Male Study].

In the Copenhagen Male Study we found an increased risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in men with the Lewis phenotype Le(a-b-). This study investigated whether, within the group of Le(a-b-) men, any conventional risk factors modified their increased risk. Three thousand, three hundred and eighty-three men aged 53 to 75 years were examined in 1985/86 and their morbidity and mortality over the next four years recorded. Three hundred and forty-three men with cardiovascular diseases were excluded at baseline. Potential risk factors examined were: alcohol consumption, physical activity, tobacco smoking, serum cotinine, serum lipids, body mass index, blood pressure, hypertension, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and social class. In eligible men with Le(a-b-), N = 280 (9.6%), alcohol was the only risk factor associated with risk of IHD. There was a significant inverse dose-effect relationship between alcohol consumption and risk. The age-adjusted p-values of trend tests were for risk of non-fatal + fatal IHD: p = 0.03; for risk of fatal IHD: p = 0.02. In eligible men with other phenotypes, N = 2,649 (90.4%) only a limited and non-significant negative association with alcohol. In Le(a-b-) men, a group genetically at increased risk of IHD, the risk was strongly and significantly negatively correlated with alcohol consumption.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Headache and cognitive dysfunctions in snorers. A cross-sectional study of 3323 men aged 54 to 74 years: the Copenhagen Male Study.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive symptoms, headache, and sleep-related complaints, including snoring, are commonly reported by patients with sleep apnea. Because patients with sleep apnea generally are snorers, we decided to study whether snoring per se is associated with cognitive complaints and headache. DESIGN: Cross-sectional epidemiologic follow-up study. SETTING: General community. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3323 men, aged 54 to 74 years, previously selected from among employees of public or private companies in the Copenhagen, Denmark, area. METHOD: Participants were classified according to self-reported snoring habits and these were compared with self-reported cognitive complaints and headache. Fourteen potential confounders were included. RESULTS: The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for headache was 1.5 (1.3 to 1.8, P < .0001) for self-reported snorers after adjustments for age, body mass index, and alcohol and tobacco consumption, whereas no relationships were found between snoring and memory or concentration problems in the total population. Snoring was not related to use of central nervous system medication; previous stroke; presence of parkinsonism, epilepsy, or psychiatric diseases; previous head trauma; or exposure to organic solvents. Hypersomnia was significantly associated with snoring (P < .0001), headache (P < .0001), memory problems (P < .0001), concentration problems (P < .0001), age (P < .01), body mass index (P < .001), and alcohol consumption (P < .05) and negatively correlated with smoking (P < .0001). Irrespective of the severity of hypersomnia, no association was found between snoring and memory or concentration problems. The relationship between snoring and headache was independent of severity of hypersomnia. CONCLUSIONS: Snoring is associated with headache but not with cognitive dysfunction. Hypersomnia shows a correlation to cognitive problems. If associations are found between snoring and cognitive dysfunction, these may be related in part to the presence of hypersomnia.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Serum validated tobacco use and social inequalities in risk of ischaemic heart disease.

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that the inverse social gradient in risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) was not explained by self-reported smoking habits. We pursued the issue in a follow-up study 15 years later, where use of tobacco was validated by serum cotinine. METHODS: Some 3216 men aged 53-75 years were included in a study on the association between self-reported tobacco use and serum cotinine concentration. The men had their morbidity and mortality recorded over 4 years. Some 2833 men without overt cardiovascular disease were included in the incidence study. Potential confounders examined were serum lipids, serum selenium, alcohol consumption, physical activity, hypertension, blood pressure, and body mass index. RESULTS: There was a strong positive correlation between serum cotinine level and self-reported tobacco smoking: r = 0.68, P < 0.0001. The misclassification rate of smokers as non-smokers was apparently higher in low social class. However, a larger proportion of men in low social class were users of chewing tobacco or snuff, and, when taking this into account, there was no social gradient (i.e. trend) in the estimated misclassification rates from social class I to social class V: 1.0%, 3.8%, 3.2%, 2.0%, 2.3%, P = NS. After validation of use of tobacco with serum cotinine measurements, compared with social class I, social class V had an overall significantly increased risk of IHD, relative risk = 4.5 (95% confidence interval: 1.6-12.9), P < 0.01, which was slightly higher than when no validation was performed. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that, (i) social differences in use of tobacco validated by measurements of serum cotinine did not account for social inequalities in risk of IHD in middle-aged and elderly men, (ii) no significant social differences existed in the misclassification of smokers as non-smokers, (iii) reclassification of self-reported non-smokers should not be done without due consideration of the use of chewing tobacco and snuff.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Heavy lifting at work and risk of genital prolapse and herniated lumbar disc in assistant nurses.

Lifting of heavy burdens increases the intra-abdominal pressure, and may induce an increased risk of prolapse of the female internal genitals. While taking care of patients, the nursing staff in hospitals and nursing homes are exposed to heavy lifting. Scientifically uncontrolled causal observations among assistant nurses gave rise to the assumption of an increased risk. To test this hypothesis, a register study was carried out to investigate the risk of genital prolapse among assistant nurses compared with the female Danish population in general. For validation, the incidence of operation due to herniated lumbar disc was investigated. Two registers were used for the analyses, a pension fund register and the Danish National Registry of Hospitalized Patients. Some 28,619 assistant nurses, aged 20-69 years, and 1,652,533 controls of similar age were included. Operations due to genital prolapse and herniated lumbar disc were recorded during one year. The odds ratio (OR) with 95 per cent confidence intervals for the risk of operation due to genital prolapse was significantly increased among assistant nurses, OR = 1.6 (1.3-1.9), P < 0.0001. Correspondingly, the risk of operation for herniated lumbar disc was significantly increased for assistant nurses, OR = 1.6 (1.2-2.2), P < 0.01. We conclude that operations due to genital prolapse are more common among assistant nurses than among the overall female population. Based on this finding, we hypothesize that heavy lifting at work may be the underlying cause. This study confirmed the suggestion of previous epidemiological studies that herniated lumbar disc is associated with heavy lifting at work.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Cardiovascular risk factors in snorers. The Copenhagen Male Study].

Former studies on the association between snoring and cardiovascular disease (CVD) have only partly taken established CVD risk factors into consideration. In the Copenhagen Male Study, 3323 men aged 54-74 years were classified according to self-reported snoring habits. Eleven CVD risk factors were examined. The prevalence of snoring decreased with age, with a 50% higher frequency of snorers in the youngest quintile than in the oldest, p < 0.00001. Snoring, age adjusted, was positively associated with tobacco smoking, p < 0.001, alcohol consumption p < 0.0001, body mass index (BMI), p < 0.0001, serum triglyceride level, p < 0.01, systolic blood pressure, p < 0.05 and diastolic blood pressure, p = 0.07. Snorers were less physically active in leisure time than others, p < 0.01. The association between self-reported snoring and blood pressure disappeared when other factors, including BMI, were taken into consideration. No significant associations were found between snoring and social class, snoring and low or high density lipoprotein, nor between snoring and hypertension. We conclude that snoring is associated with major cardiovascular risk factors. Accordingly, it is evident that in studies on snoring and cardiovascular disease, proper controlling for the influence of potential confounders is a sine qua non.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Physical activity or physical fitness as a predictor of ischemic heart disease? 17 years' incidence in The Copenhagen Male Study].

Physical activity in leisure time and physical fitness are strongly correlated, and both are inversely correlated to risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Does it mean, however, that a very fit man has a lower risk of IHD, even if he is inactive? And does it also mean that an unfit, but active man, does not have a lower risk of IHD than an unfit sedentary man? In The Copenhagen Male Study we studied the joint effect of physical activity in leisure time and physical fitness. In 1970/71 4,999 men free from IHD aged 40-59 years were classified according to level of physical activity, and to level of physical fitness, ie indirectly measured maximal oxygen uptake, and their mortality was recorded over the next 17 years. In sedentary men, fitness was no predictor of risk of death from IHD. Age-adjusted baseline values were similar in later IHD cases and survivors: 32.3 versus 32.1 ml O2 x kg-1 x min-1, p = 0.91. In medium and highly active men, however, fitness was a strong predictor. The corresponding fitness values were: 33.1 versus 34.8 ml O2 x kg-1 x min-1, p < 0.001. The least fit physically active men had a lower IHD mortality rate (6%) than the least fit sedentary men (10%). Adjusted for age, social class, and smoking in a multiple logistic regression equation, this was estimated to a RR(95% C.I.) of RR = 1.7 (1.1-2.6), p = 0.03.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Social inequalities as a risk of ischemic heart disease--a matter of smoking habits? 17 years' follow-up in the Copenhagen Male Study].

The Copenhagen Male Study is a prospective, cardiovascular cohort study initiated in 1970 and consisting of 5249 employed men aged from 40 to 59 years. A total of 4710 men, who had reported their tobacco habits and were initially free of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), had their mortality and morbidity recorded over a 17-year period: 585 men suffered a first incident of ischaemic heart disease, and 248 cases were fatal. There was a strong social gradient in the risk of IHD, Kendall's Tau B = 0.12, p < 0.001. After adjusting for age, blood pressure, physical activity, body mass index and alcohol consumption in a multiple logistic regression equation, men in the lowest social class had a relative risk (95% confidence interval) of IHD of: RR = 3.6 (2.5- 5.3) compared to men in the highest social class. We determined whether differences in smoking habits could explain at least some of this large increase in risk. Adjusting for the above factors as well as the form of tobacco smoked, the amount of tobacco smoked and presence or absence of inhalation had very little effect on the estimate: the relative risk was 3.5 (2.4-5.2). There was no social gradient in age at the start of smoking. When comparing social class V to social class I according to smoking habits, the relative risk was 7.7 (2.6-22.4) in cigarette smokers, 6.0 (1.1-32.1) in pipe smokers, 3.5 (1.7-7.1) in mixed smokers, 2.25 (0.4-12.9) in cheroot smokers, 3.8 (2.4-5.9) in all smokers, 1.95 (0.8-4.6) in exsmokers and 4.7 (1.01-22.2) in never smokers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Alcohol consumption, Lewis phenotypes, and risk of ischaemic heart disease.

We have previously found an increased risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in men with the Lewis phenotype Le(a-b-) and suggested that the Lewis blood group has a close genetic relation with insulin resistance. We have investigated whether any conventional risk factors explain the increased risk in Le(a-b-) men. 3383 men aged 53-75 years were examined in 1985-86, and morbidity and mortality during the next 4 years were recorded. At baseline, we excluded 343 men with a history of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, intermittent claudication, or stroke. The potential risk factors examined were alcohol consumption, physical activity, tobacco smoking, serum cotinine, serum lipids, body-mass index, blood pressure, prevalence of hypertension and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and social class. In 280 (9.6%) men with Le(a-b-), alcohol was the only risk factor significantly associated with risk of IHD. There was a significantly inverse dose-effect relation between alcohol consumption and risk; trend tests, with adjustment for age, were significant for fatal IHD (p = 0.02), all IHD (p = 0.03), and all causes of death (p = 0.02). In 2649 (90.4%) men with other phenotypes, there was a limited negative association with alcohol consumption. In Le(a-b-) men, a group genetically at high risk of IHD, alcohol consumption seems to be especially protective. We suggest that alcohol consumption may modify insulin resistance in Le(a-b-) men.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

[A stink bomb in an office environment. Sick building syndrome with toxic rhinitis after exposure to fusel].

In 1983 WHO, defined "The Sick Building Syndrome". Various conditions influence the indoor climate, among others the degassing of chemicals. An epidemic of sick building syndrome is described in a two year old office building. The symptoms appeared after exposure to toxic chemicals released by a stink bomb--a form of exposure not previously described in the literature. Gas chromatographic analysis of the content of the stink bomb revealed 22 different chemicals likely to be remains from an alcoholic fermentation process. Twenty-four employees were exposed. A questionnaire investigation of the employees revealed that seven had symptoms related to the exposure. A clinical investigation of those who claimed to have symptoms took place. Six of the seven patients were investigated. They all had toxic rhinitis with bleeding. Owing to an unsystematic procedure it took more than two months before the indoor climate was normalized. The toxic rhinitis and other symptoms gradually decreased over more than four months. In order to minimize potential health damage due to the sick building syndrome, we recommend that experts should be consulted within this particular field.

Adult↗