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Biomedical subjects

I Vohlonen

Publications and source records attributed to I Vohlonen.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Prevalence and incidence of chronic bronchitis and farmer's lung with respect to socioeconomic factors.

This study was based on data provided by 9,483 farmers from a larger sample of 12,056 Finnish farmers. The data were gathered in two postal surveys (with a 3-year interval between surveys) conducted by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. When age, sex, atopy, and smoking habits were controlled, neither the family structure nor the level of vocational education significantly affected the occurrence of either chronic bronchitis or farmer's lung. The prevalence of farmer's lung was smallest on farms with the largest area under cultivation; the difference in prevalence between the area categories was statistically significant. An opposite trend, although not statistically significant, was present in the incidence rate of but not in the prevalence of chronic bronchitis. The incidence of farmer's lung was largest (p less than 0.05) on the farms with the most intensive cattle raising. Other chronic diseases occurred more often among farmers with chronic bronchitis or farmer's lung than among farmers without respiratory symptoms. Our results imply that factors associated with farm work may be more involved in the occurrence of chronic bronchitis or farmer's lung among farmers, than the socioeconomic background per se.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Prevalence and incidence of chronic bronchitis and farmer's lung with respect to the geographical location of the farm and to the work of farmers.

Prevalence and incidence of chronic bronchitis and farmer's lung in the Finnish farming population were studied by cross-sectional and follow-up surveys of 12,056 farmers. Occurrence of both these diseases varied greatly according to geographical location of the farm. The incidence of chronic bronchitis (2,687 new cases annually per 100,000 farmers) was twice as large in southwestern as in northern Finland. Chronic bronchitis was more common among farmers in livestock production than among those in grain production. The definition of farmer's lung adopted confined the occurrence of the disease among farmers engaged in animal tending. In livestock production, chronic bronchitis was strongly associated with swine tending, but farmer's lung with both cattle and swine tending. Use of a harvester with a sack loader turned out to be characteristic of the chronic bronchitis cases, and the number of new cases was largest among farmers who used a batch type cell drier. The farmers with grain driers that use unheated air most frequently suffered from farmer's lung. Of all (147) the characteristics of farming occupation analyzed, the methods of grain handling and drying were the most important factors for predisposing farmers to chronic bronchitis and farmer's lung.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Role of environment in the development of chronic bronchitis.

Based on data in the Finnish Twin Registry, which was obtained by postal questionnaire, the prevalence of chronic bronchitis among non-smoking farmers was 3.6% and among a corresponding group of non-farmers (reference subjects) 3.4%. The six-year incidences of chronic bronchitis for these 2 groups were 2.7% and 0.7%, respectively. The difference in incidence between these groups was significant (p less than 0.001). The fact that the incidence among farming subjects was three times the incidence among non-farming subjects indicates that chronic bronchitis is a work-related disease among farmers. This is analogous to previous findings that symptoms compatible with chronic bronchitis occur more often among grain elevator workers than among urban dwellers. The occurrence of chronic bronchitis among both farmers and grain elevator workers probably is associated with exposure to grain dusts.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Prevalence of allergic symptoms in rural and urban populations.

In order to compare the prevalences of common allergic symptoms identical postal questionnaires were sent to all farmers of a rural municipality in eastern Finland and to a sample of similar size in the adjacent industrialized urban municipality. To investigate the validity of the survey random subsamples of each study group participated in health examinations. In both the rural and urban populations subjects most frequently suffered from allergic rhinitis, 26.7% and 28.8%, respectively of the two populations. The proportions of individuals with any one of the five allergic symptoms recorded did not differ significantly in the two populations. Asthma was somewhat more frequent among the urban than among the rural population. The difference was not statistically significant, however, and could be due to the difference in smoking habits. The factors reported to provoke allergic symptoms were significantly different in the two groups. In the rural population the provoking factors were mostly work-related, whereas in the urban population these factors were related to living conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Clinical assessment of the pelvic cavity and outlet.

A clinical assessment of the pelvic midplane (or cavity) and the pelvic outlet was made in 1,286 singleton pregnancies with a cephalic presentation of the fetus. 43 cases (3.4%) of pelvic contraction were excluded. The mothers were divided into two groups: those with an adequate pelvis and those with a borderline pelvis (18.6%). Those with a borderline pelvis were further subdivided into three categories: those with a borderline outlet, those with a borderline midplane and those with a borderline midplane and outlet. With a funnel pelvis the incidence of occiput posterior positions and vacuum extractions was three times as high and the duration of the first and the second stages of labor slightly longer when compared with those who had a normal pelvis. A borderline midplane seemed least harmful type with lower incidences of caesarean section and vacuum extraction, and a first stage of normal duration. Although birthweight had an effect on the duration of the first stage of labor in women with an ample pelvis, this was not the case with a borderline pelvis. The assessment of fetal weight therefore seems unnecessary in with a borderline midplane or outlet. With a borderline midpelvis and outlet the course of labor seemed normal in most cases. Clinical assessment of the midpelvis and the pelvic outlet seems to be the best method of measuring pelvic capacity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Familial aggregation of IgG antibody response to antigens associated with farmer's lung.

The levels of circulating IgG antibodies to Aspergillus umbrosus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris, and Micropolyspora faeni were determined by enzyme immunoassay in 197 subjects selected for a study of farmer's lung (FL). The material consisted of five study groups: 37 patients with clinically confirmed FL, 31 spouses of the patients, 44 immediate relatives of the patients, 35 immediate relatives of the patients' spouses, and 50 unrelated people who were spouses of the 79 people in both relative groups. The mean titres of IgG antibodies to all four microbes were highest in patients with clinically established FL. In the other groups the mean titre of Aspergillus umbrosus, a mould found much more frequently in Finnish farm environments than other moulds under study, was significantly higher (p less than 0.01) in the relatives of FL patients than in other people. This finding remained irrespective of whether the subjects had suffered from FL symptoms or not or whether they worked or lived on the same farm as the patient or on a different one. The difference in the mean titre was not due to the differences between the study groups in age, sex, smoking habits, atopic background, frequency of handling of plant materials, or time interval from the most recent handling of visibly mouldy hay. The results imply that genetic factors may be important in the IgG antibody response to microbial antigens associated with FL.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1985

Allergy to storage mites or cow dander as a cause of rhinitis among Finnish dairy farmers.

The role of storage mites Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor, and Tyrophagus putrescentiae, compared with that of cow dander, as a cause of allergic rhinitis was studied by nasal challenges in a population of 106 non-smoking dairy farmers. Thirty-six of the subjects were challenged with storage mites alone, each with only one of the three species in consecutive order, 43 with cow dander alone, and 27 with both. Thus mite challenges were performed on 63 farmers and cow dander challenges on 70. Challenges with any one of the storage mite species were positive in 18% and with cow dander in 20% of farmers with allergic rhinitis. All challenges to asymptomatic farmers were negative. Five of the eight positive reactions to storage mites were due to Lepidoglyphus destructor, and three to Tyrophagus putrescentiae. Acarus siro was not responsible for any of the positive reactions. The results indicate that, among dairy farmers, storage mites are as common as cow dander as a cause of allergic occupational rhinitis.

Allergens↗
PubMed1984

Familial aggregation of symptoms of farmer's lung.

Not all farmers exposed to moldy plant materials develop farmer's lung. With the use of a postal questionnaire the occurrence of symptoms suggestive of farmer's lung was studied among the immediate relatives of 37 patients with clinically established farmer's lung, among 36 immediate relatives of the patients' spouses, and among 50 unrelated persons (spouses of relatives). Symptoms of farmer's lung had occurred about twice as frequently among the relatives of farmer's lung patients as among the subjects in the other study groups. The results, supported by findings from earlier studies, imply that genetic factors may be involved in the pathogenesis of farmer's lung.

Asthma↗
PubMed1983

Ear disease and hearing sensitivity in mentally retarded children.

The population screened for mental retardation consisted of 12,882 children, 8 years old. One hundred and fifty-one mentally retarded children were clinically studied. No borderline case was included. One hundred and one children were randomly chosen to form a control group. On clinical examination the children were 9-10 years old. Tympanograms were obtained from 206 children (81.8%). The tympanograms in respect to 30.9% of ears were classed as abnormal in the case of mentally retarded children, but in only 17.8% of non-retarded children. The difference is statistically significant (P less than 0.01). Pure tone audiometry was performed in 213 children. Thirty children were tested in open sound field, and 9 children remained untested. The examinations revealed 31 children with decreased hearing sensitivity (24 with conductive impairment, 7 with sensorineural hearing loss). Three children with profound sensorineural hearing loss and 21 with conductive impairment were among the mentally retarded. The threshold values were also examined using two-way analysis of variance. The groups were classified according to findings in psychological tests and according to the clinical findings in relation to the tympanic membrane. These two sets of findings constituted the two independent variables. These two factors had a highly significant (P less than 0.001) effect, but their interaction was not significant. Mentally retarded children clearly have middle ear disease much oftener than non-retarded children, and such ear disease is accompanied by decreased hearing sensitivity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMed1982

Longitudinal cross-national analysis of coronary mortality.

In this study an attempt was made to investigate the application of epidemiological methodology in a cross-national context of studying the variation of coronary mortality. The data on the exposing factors of coronary mortality, the consumption of cigarettes and dairy products, were obtained from OECD statistics, and the data concerning the mortality of coronary heart disease were obtained from World Health Organization statistics. From the correlation and regression analyses performed on the basis of data from 14 countries it appeared that the cross-sectional exposure measurements strongly correlate over decades. For the consumption of cigarettes the time-lag found was from one to two years, while for the consumption of dairy products the respective time-lag was about six to eight years with respect to the effects on the coronary mortality. Because of the small number of observations available the statistical results should not be examined in terms of precise estimates of magnitude but rather in terms of the existence and the direction of relationship between the changes in coronary mortality and the consumption of cigarettes and dairy products. Although the data were insufficient to examine the confounding between the grouping of observations, and length of exposure, they did provide enough information to illustrate the importance of these two methodological aspects in analyses of populations.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Smoking does affect fecundity.

A total of 2198 mothers were interviewed at the 20th week of pregnancy and their smoking habits before pregnancy and the time from discontinuation of contraception to the beginning of the pregnancy were registered. This information was used to investigate whether smoking affects conception delay; i.e., fecundity and a multifactorial analysis were used. The longer the conception delay, the more significant was the deleterious effect of even light smoking, the odds ratio shifting from 1.1 at 6 months to 3.2 at 18 months. The effect of smoking on fecundity seemed to be mostly dose-dependent. In mothers becoming successfully pregnant in 12 months, both maternal and paternal smoking increased the risk of conception delay (OR 1.5 and 1.3), and the effect was potentiated by increasing age (OR 2.3 and 1.6). In addition to smoking, previous recurrent spontaneous abortions were also associated with fecundity.

Alcohol Drinking↗