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Biomedical subjects

L Abenhaim

Publications and source records attributed to L Abenhaim.

64 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Risk of recurrence of occupational back pain over three year follow up.

A random sample including 2342 cases representative of all occupational back injuries in Quebec (1981) was followed up prospectively over three years to assess the recurrence rate of back problems (lumbar, thoracic, and cervical). Each medical and accident report was reviewed to obtain the site of symptoms and occupation. Age, sex, industrial sector, and number of episodes of absence from work were abstracted from the computerised Quebec Compensation Board files. The recurrence rate was 20.0% at one year follow up and 36.3% at three years. A multivariate analysis using a Poisson regression, was performed to model the risk of recurrence over time. Men had a higher chance of recurrence (risk ratio = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.50-2.27) but among recurrent cases, the average total number of episodes was comparable between men and women. Age showed a protective effect on the probability of recurrence (10 years: RR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.88-0.98) due to the lower recurrence rate in the 45-64 year old group (31.8%). Cervical and lumbar symptoms had identical recurrence profiles whereas thoracic symptoms had a significantly lower recurrence rate. Drivers had the highest recurrence rate (42.1%) and nurses had the highest average number of recurrences (2.03) among recurrent cases. Both occupations had statistically significant excesses after controlling for the other variables.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Working disability due to occupational back pain: three-year follow-up of 2,300 compensated workers in Quebec.

A cohort of 2,342 cases constituting a random sample of all occupational back injuries compensated in Quebec (Canada) during 1981 was observed prospectively for 3 years to study associations between cumulative duration of absence from work and sex, age, site of symptoms (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar), and occupation. Of the cohort members, 227 (9.7%) cumulated 6 months of absence or more. A logistic regression model showed age and site of symptoms to be the two most important risk factors associated with absences of 6 months or more. No association was found with sex or occupation. The results showed discrepancies between measures of frequency distribution of back injuries and duration of absence from work, an important finding in terms of identifying health priorities.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1988

[Video display terminals and pregnancy. Evaluation of risks by consensus. Report of an INSERM working group].

INSERM established a working group to evaluate the effects of VDT work on pregnancy outcome. The group examined all available scientific papers concerning radiation emitted by VDTs, animal experimentation, and epidemiological studies. An estimation of risk was made for each outcome (congenital malformations, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, premature birth, and low birthweight) according to a decisional algorithm, a method that gives preponderance to epidemiological arguments. On this basis, the group was able to show that the use of VDTs poses no increased risk of congenital anomalies, stillbirth, or premature birth. Consensus evaluation of divergent epidemiological results concluded that VDT work is not a risk factor significantly affecting spontaneous abortions. The risk of low birthweight could not be validly assessed.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1987

Importance and economic burden of occupational back pain: a study of 2,500 cases representative of Quebec.

The objectives of the study were to estimate the rate of 1-year incidence of occupational back pain, describe the duration of absence from work, and assess medical and economic aspects of this problem. A total of 2,523 files of occupational back pain, representative of the Province of Quebec for the year 1981, were examined by a multidisciplinary team. Census data from 1981 were used for the denominators. The overall 1-year incidence in 1981 was 1.37%. The age-specific incidence rates show an increase-decrease pattern that could be interpreted as a "healthy worker effect". The male to female relative risks by age range from 5.6 (20 to 24 years old) to 1.8 (55 to 64 years old). In the 1-year follow-up, 74% of the workers were absent for less than 1 month. The 7.4% of cases who were absent from work for more than 6 months accounted for nearly 75% of lost days, medical costs, and indemnity payments. We pinpoint some methodologic issues of studies on occupational back pain.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1981

Platelet phenolsulfotransferase and catecholamines: physiological and pathological variations in humans.

The phenolsulfotransferase (PST) is the main sulfoconjugating enzyme of catecholamines. We have described a standardized, sensitive, and reproducible method of measurement of PST activity from human blood platelets. The affinity of PST was, in descending order, towards dopamine (DA) greater than norepinephrine (NE) greater than epinephrine (E) (Km (DA) equals 17.6 microM, Km (NE) equals 66.6 microM, Km (E) equal 330 micro M). The optimum pH was found to be 5.9. Platelet PST measurements in 26 subjects led to the following observations, (i) The individual PST activity remains relatively stable during manipulations such as direct venous puncture, upright posture, physical exercise, and consumption of a copious meal. (ii) The mean platelet PST activity was 67 plus or minus 34 (mean plus or minus SD) U/mg protein in men and 43 plus or minus 19 U/mg protein in women. (iii) The platelet PST activity varies during the menstrual cycle with a marked decrease 7-10 days before menstruation. (iv) Essential hypertensive patients, appearing clinically as a syndrome imitating pheochromocytoma, had absent or low conjugated catecholamines. In one of them, no PST activity could be detected in platelets using catecholamines as substrates whereas a considerable activity was present with p-nitrophenol. The potential usefulness of the platelet PST measurements is discussed.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Agent orange and the risk of gestational trophoblastic disease in Vietnam.

There have been claims of an increased risk for gestational trophoblastic disease (i.e., hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma) in Vietnam since the period of Agent Orange sprayings. In 1990, we conducted a case-control study in Ho Chi Minh City to investigate risk factors for gestational trophoblastic disease in Vietnam. Eighty-seven married women, all of whom had a recent pathologic diagnosis of gestational trophoblastic disease, identified in the Obstetrical and Gynecological Hospital, were included in the study. Eighty-seven married women who were admitted mainly in the surgery departments of the same hospital were the controls, and they were matched to cases for age and area of residence. Odds ratios (ORs), adjusted for matching variables and other potential confounders, were estimated with unconditional logistic regression. A statistically significant trend in risk was observed with previous live births (p = .01). Cases were found to eat less meat per wk (OR = 0.4, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.2-0.9 for > or = five meat dishes) and to own fewer consumer goods than controls. An increase in risk was associated with the breeding of pigs (OR = 5.7, 95% CI = 1.2-27.6 for raising three or more pigs). A cumulative Agent Orange exposure index was constructed, using the patient's complete residence history. No significant difference was found between cases and controls for this index (OR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.2-1.8 for high-exposure category), nor was such a difference noted for the agricultural use of pesticides.

2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A case-control analysis of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and Alzheimer's disease: are they protective?

In many studies of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), the exposure to NSAIDs was concurrent with AD or based on self (or surrogate) report. We conducted a case-control analysis of the Québec participants in the Canadian Study of Health and Aging who received a diagnosis of AD (cases) or were found to be cognitively unimpaired on screening (controls). Information on drug use was obtained from the Québec Provincial Pharmaceutical Services Database. There was no significant difference in the proportion of cases and controls who had received any NSAID prescriptions in the 3 years prior to the onset of symptoms of dementia; amongst NSAID users, there was no difference in mean dose or duration. Our findings, using a measure of drug use prior to symptom onset and not subject to recall bias, do not support a protective effect for NSAIDs.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Monitoring of drug utilization in public health surveillance activities: a conceptual framework.

The surveillance of individual and aggregate patterns of prescribed medication can potentially provide some very useful information to those involved in public health. At present however, this activity has attracted relatively little attention in Canada. This article will introduce a conceptual framework with which to examine the possibilities of prescription drug monitoring as a tool for public health surveillance. The sources of data available to undertake this activity as well as their limitations, will be presented along with some recent concrete applications.

Databases, Factual↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Postmarketing surveillance of the safety of cyclic etidronate.

To evaluate the safety of cyclic etidronate in routine clinical practice, we obtained information from 550 general practices in the United Kingdom that provide the medical records to the General Practice Research Database. A group of 7977 patients taking cyclic etidronate and two age-, gender-, and practice-matched control groups, one with osteoporosis and one without, were analyzed. For the group taking cyclic etidronate, the average age was 71.6 years and follow-up was 10,328 person-years. Conditions that do not induce osteoporosis generally occurred in these patients at a rate comparable to that in the control groups. The incidence of osteomalacia was low and comparable between patients taking cyclic etidronate and controls with osteoporosis. No medically significant increases in frequency were observed among patients taking cyclic etidronate for a broad group of diseases that may potentially be induced by exposure to the drug. These data support the favorable risk:benefit ratio of cyclic etidronate.

Aged↗