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L J Melton

Publications and source records attributed to L J Melton.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Impact of increased overweight on the projected prevalence of osteoporosis in older women.

INTRODUCTION: Overweight is increasing worldwide, but particularly in the United States of America. Higher body weight is associated with higher bone density, so our goal was to estimate whether the higher prevalence of overweight is likely to reduce osteoporosis among older women. METHODS: We calculated the prevalence of osteoporosis by weight status in older women using data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-94). We defined overweight as a body mass index (BMI) >or=25 and osteoporosis as a femur neck bone mineral density (BMD) value 2.5 standard deviations or more below the mean of that of young women. To estimate the expected prevalence of osteoporosis, we applied the prevalence of osteoporosis by weight status from NHANES III to the corresponding weight status prevalence from NHANES 1999-2002. RESULTS: Of older women in NHANES 1999-2002, 68% were overweight compared to 62% in NHANES III. Overweight status was significantly related to osteoporosis prevalence (P < 0.001). However, the expected prevalence of osteoporosis in NHANES 1999-2002 was only slightly lower than that seen in NHANES III (16.8% vs 18.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The increasing prevalence of overweight among older US women appears unlikely to be accompanied by a significant reduction in osteoporosis.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Potential for bone turnover markers to cost-effectively identify and select post-menopausal osteopenic women at high risk of fracture for bisphosphonate therapy.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Over half of all fractures among post-menopausal women occur in those who do not have osteoporosis by bone density criteria. Measurement of bone turnover may cost-effectively identify a subset of women with T-score >-2.5 for whom anti-resorptive drug therapy is cost-effective. METHODS: Using a Markov model, we estimated the cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) for five years of oral bisphosphonate compared to no drug therapy for osteopenic post-menopausal women aged 60 to 80 years with a high (top quartile) or low (bottom 3 quartiles) level of a bone turnover marker. RESULTS: For women with high bone turnover, the cost per QALY gained with alendronate compared to no drug therapy among women aged 70 years with T-scores of -2.0 or -1.5 were $58,000 and $80,000 (U.S. 2004 dollars), respectively. If bisphosphonates therapy also reduced the risk of non-vertebral fractures by 20% among osteopenic women with high bone turnover, then the costs per QALY gained were $34,000 and $50,000 for women age 70 with high bone turnover and T-scores of -2.0 and -1.5, respectively. CONCLUSION: Measurement of bone turnover markers has the potential to identify a subset of post-menopausal women without osteoporosis by bone density criteria for whom bisphosphonate therapy to prevent fracture is cost-effective. The size of that subset highly depends on the assumed efficacy of bisphosphonates for fracture risk reduction among women with both a T-score >-2.5 and high bone turnover and the cost of bisphosphonate treatment.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2006

Alternating bowel pattern: what do people mean?

BACKGROUND: With the introduction of new therapies, the subgrouping of patients based on bowel pattern has become important. However, the appropriate definition of an alternating bowel pattern remains unclear. AIM: To determine if specific symptoms are reported by people with an alternating bowel pattern. METHODS: Using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, a series of population-based surveys were undertaken in which valid self-report gastrointestinal symptom questionnaires were mailed to 4029 randomly selected members of the community. One question asked was 'How would you describe your usual bowel pattern in the last year'? RESULTS: 3022 subjects (74%) provided questionnaire data and 2718 were eligible for this analysis, the mean age was 57 years, with a range of 20-98 years (median = 61). Of these, 9.2%, 2.5% and 7.6% reported their usual bowel pattern as being constipated, diarrhoea, or alternating respectively. At least 50% of those reporting alternating bowel pattern reported incomplete evacuation (63%), urgency (57%), straining (55%) and loose stool (50%). The proportion of alternators reporting each individual symptom was between that of diarrhoea and constipation except for mucus and incomplete evacuation; however, no symptom was unique to alternators. CONCLUSION: People who self-report an alternating bowel pattern appear to represent a blend of constipation and diarrhoea symptoms, rather than a distinct subgroup.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Influence of baseline deformity definition on subsequent vertebral fracture risk in postmenopausal women.

INTRODUCTION: Approaches for recognizing vertebral fractures remain controversial. METHODS: An age-stratified population sample of 512 postmenopausal women was followed with serial radiographs for up to 12 years (4455 person-years). RESULTS: 112 women experienced a new vertebral fracture (20% reduction in any vertebral height from baseline) within this study period, for an annual age-adjusted (to US white women > or =50 years of age in 2000) incidence of 23 per 1000. Depending on the morphometric definition used, the prevalence of vertebral deformities at baseline ranged from 3 to 90%. A recent method to standardize vertebral heights produced the best agreement with a qualitative clinical reading of the films [kappa (kappa), 0.53]. Almost all of the different baseline definitions predicted future vertebral fractures, but most of the predictive power was attributable to the severe (e.g., 4 SD) deformities included within more generous (e.g., 3 SD) classifications. Whereas the generous definitions were more sensitive, and the restrictive ones more specific, their overall abilities to predict a new vertebral fracture were roughly comparable as evaluated by the c-index (analogous to the area under an ROC curve). CONCLUSION: This result suggests that the choice of a morphometry definition depends on the particular application and, in particular, on whether it is more important to maximize sensitivity or specificity.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Survival and cause specific mortality in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a long term outcome study in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1940-2004.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We followed a population based cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from Olmsted County, Minnesota, in order to analyse long term survival and cause specific mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 692 patients were followed for a median of 14 years. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs, observed/expected deaths) were calculated for specific causes of death. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to determine if clinical variables were independently associated with mortality. RESULTS: Fifty six of 314 Crohn's disease patients died compared with 46.0 expected (SMR 1.2 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9-1.6)), and 62 of 378 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients died compared with 79.2 expected (SMR 0.8 (95% CI 0.6-1.0)). Eighteen patients with Crohn's disease (32%) died from disease related complications, and 12 patients (19%) died from causes related to UC. In Crohn's disease, an increased risk of dying from non-malignant gastrointestinal causes (SMR 6.4 (95% CI 3.2-11.5)), gastrointestinal malignancies (SMR 4.7 (95% CI 1.7-10.2)), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (SMR 3.5 (95% CI 1.3-7.5)) was observed. In UC, cardiovascular death was reduced (SMR 0.6 (95% CI 0.4-0.9)). Increased age at diagnosis and male sex were associated with mortality in both subtypes. In UC but not Crohn's disease, a diagnosis after 1980 was associated with decreased mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In this population based study of IBD patients from North America, overall survival was similar to that expected in the US White population. Crohn's disease patients were at increased risk of dying from gastrointestinal disease and COPD whereas UC patients had a decreased risk of cardiovascular death.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The use of multiple sites for the diagnosis of osteoporosis.

INTRODUCTION: It has been suggested that bone mineral density (BMD) measurements should be made at multiple sites, and that the lowest T-score should be taken for the purpose of diagnosing osteoporosis. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the use of BMD measurements at the femoral neck and lumbar spine alone and in combination for fracture prediction. METHODS: We studied 19,071 individuals (68% women) from six prospective population-based cohorts in whom BMD was measured at both sites and fracture outcomes documented over 73,499 patient years. BMD values were converted to Z-scores, and the gradient of risk for any osteoporotic fracture and for hip fracture was examined by using a Poisson model in each cohort and each gender separately. Results of the different studies were merged using weighted beta-coefficients. RESULTS: The gradients of risk for osteoporotic fracture and for hip fracture were similar in men and women. In men and women combined, the risk of any osteoporotic fracture increased by 1.51 [95% confidence interval (CI)=1.42-1.61] per standard deviation (SD) decrease in femoral-neck BMD. For measurements made at the lumbar spine, the gradient of risk was 1.47 (95% CI=1.38-1.56). Where the minimum of the two values was used, the gradient of risk was similar (1.55; 95% CI=1.45-1.64). Higher gradients of risk were observed for hip fracture outcomes: with BMD at the femoral neck, the gradient of risk was 2.45 (95% CI=2.10-2.87), with lumbar BMD was 1.57 (95% CI=1.36-1.82), and with the minimum value of either femoral neck and lumbar spine was 2.11 (95% CI=1.81-2.45). Thus, selecting the lowest value for BMD at either the femoral neck or lumbar spine did not increase the predictive ability of BMD tests. By contrast, the sensitivity increased so that more individuals were identified but at the expense of specificity. Thus, the same effect could be achieved by using a less stringent T-score for the diagnosis of osteoporosis. CONCLUSIONS: Since taking the minimum value of the two measurements does not improve predictive ability, its clinical utility for the diagnosis of osteoporosis is low.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed2005

Body mass index as a predictor of fracture risk: a meta-analysis.

Low body mass index (BMI) is a well-documented risk factor for future fracture. The aim of this study was to quantify this effect and to explore the association of BMI with fracture risk in relation to age, gender and bone mineral density (BMD) from an international perspective using worldwide data. We studied individual participant data from almost 60,000 men and women from 12 prospective population-based cohorts comprising Rotterdam, EVOS/EPOS, CaMos, Rochester, Sheffield, Dubbo, EPIDOS, OFELY, Kuopio, Hiroshima, and two cohorts from Gothenburg, with a total follow-up of over 250,000 person years. The effects of BMI, BMD, age and gender on the risk of any fracture, any osteoporotic fracture, and hip fracture alone was examined using a Poisson regression model in each cohort separately. The results of the different studies were then merged. Without information on BMD, the age-adjusted risk for any type of fracture increased significantly with lower BMI. Overall, the risk ratio (RR) per unit higher BMI was 0.98 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97-0.99) for any fracture, 0.97 (95% CI, 0.96-0.98) for osteoporotic fracture and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.91-0.94) for hip fracture (all p <0.001). The RR per unit change in BMI was very similar in men and women ( p >0.30). After adjusting for BMD, these RR became 1 for any fracture or osteoporotic fracture and 0.98 for hip fracture (significant in women). The gradient of fracture risk without adjustment for BMD was not linearly distributed across values for BMI. Instead, the contribution to fracture risk was much more marked at low values of BMI than at values above the median. This nonlinear relation of risk with BMI was most evident for hip fracture risk. When compared with a BMI of 25 kg/m(2), a BMI of 20 kg/m(2) was associated with a nearly twofold increase in risk ratio (RR=1.95; 95% CI, 1.71-2.22) for hip fracture. In contrast, a BMI of 30 kg/m(2), when compared with a BMI of 25 kg/m(2), was associated with only a 17% reduction in hip fracture risk (RR=0.83; 95% CI, 0.69-0.99). We conclude that low BMI confers a risk of substantial importance for all fractures that is largely independent of age and sex, but dependent on BMD. The significance of BMI as a risk factor varies according to the level of BMI. Its validation on an international basis permits the use of this risk factor in case-finding strategies.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Overlap of gastrointestinal symptom complexes in a US community.

BACKGROUND: Although the Rome criteria define a number of individual functional gastrointestinal disorders, people may have symptoms of multiple disorders at the same time. In addition, therapies may be effective in subsets of people with specific disorders, yet at the same time help people with multiple disorders. AIM: To estimate the prevalence of combinations of gastrointestional (GI) symptom complexes. METHODS: A valid self report questionnaire which records GI symptoms was mailed to an age- and gender-stratified random sample of Olmsted County, MN residents aged 30-64 years. Standard definitions were used to identify people with gastro-oesophageal reflux, dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation and diarrhoea. The prevalence of people meeting multiple symptom complexes was estimated. Specifically, combinations of dyspepsia, IBS and constipation were compared to dyspepsia, IBS and diarrhoea. RESULTS: A total of 657 (69%) of 943 eligible subjects responded; 643 provided data for each of the necessary symptom questions. Each two-way combination of symptom group was present in between 4 and 9% of the population; each three-way combination was present in 1-4% of the population. The overlap between dyspepsia, IBS and constipation was similar to dyspepsia, IBS and diarrhoea, except body mass index was higher in the diarrhoea overlap group (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Symptom complex overlap is common in the community; for each condition, the majority of sufferers reported an additional symptom complex. This overlap of symptoms challenges the current paradigm that functional GI disorders represent multiple discreet entities.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Smoking and fracture risk: a meta-analysis.

Smoking is widely considered a risk factor for future fracture. The aim of this study was to quantify this risk on an international basis and to explore the relationship of this risk with age, sex and bone mineral density (BMD). We studied 59,232 men and women (74% female) from ten prospective cohorts comprising EVOS/EPOS, DOES, CaMos, Rochester, Sheffield, Rotterdam, Kuopio, Hiroshima and two cohorts from Gothenburg. Cohorts were followed for a total of 250,000 person-years. The effect of current or past smoking, on the risk of any fracture, any osteoporotic fracture and hip fracture alone was examined using a Poisson model for each sex from each cohort. Covariates examined were age, sex and BMD. The results of the different studies were merged using the weighted beta-coefficients. Current smoking was associated with a significantly increased risk of any fracture compared to non-smokers (RR=1.25; 95% Confidence Interval (CI)=1.15-1.36). Risk ratio (RR) was adjusted marginally downward when account was taken of BMD, but it remained significantly increased (RR=1.13). For an osteoporotic fracture, the risk was marginally higher (RR=1.29; 95% CI=1.13-1.28). The highest risk was observed for hip fracture (RR=1.84; 95% CI=1.52-2.22), but this was also somewhat lower after adjustment for BMD (RR=1.60; 95% CI=1.27-2.02). Risk ratios were significantly higher in men than in women for all fractures and for osteoporotic fractures, but not for hip fracture. Low BMD accounted for only 23% of the smoking-related risk of hip fracture. Adjustment for body mass index had a small downward effect on risk for all fracture outcomes. For osteoporotic fracture, the risk ratio increased with age, but decreased with age for hip fracture. A smoking history was associated with a significantly increased risk of fracture compared with individuals with no smoking history, but the risk ratios were lower than for current smoking. We conclude that a history of smoking results in fracture risk that is substantially greater than that explained by measurement of BMD. Its validation on an international basis permits the use of this risk factor in case finding strategies.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2004

Incidence of a clinical diagnosis of the irritable bowel syndrome in a United States population.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of irritable bowel syndrome is uncertain. We aimed to determine the incidence of clinically diagnosed irritable bowel syndrome in the community. METHODS: Using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, all diagnoses of irritable bowel syndrome made among adult residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, over a 3-year period were identified. The complete medical records of a random sample of the potential subjects were reviewed for the 10 years prior to the irritable bowel syndrome diagnosis and any patient who had received a previous diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome was excluded (prevalent cases). RESULTS: The diagnostic index listed 1245 possible irritable bowel syndrome patients; 416 patient charts were reviewed and, of these, 149 were physician diagnosed incident cases of irritable bowel syndrome. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate was 196 per 100,000 person-years and increased with age (P = 0.006). The age-adjusted annual incidence per 100,000 in women was higher than in men: 238 vs. 141 (ratio 3:2; P = 0.005). The overall symptom frequency at the time of diagnosis was abdominal pain (73%), diarrhoea (41%) and constipation (16%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of a clinical diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome in adults was estimated to be two per 1000 per year, increased with age and was higher in women than men. As many people with irritable bowel syndrome do not seek care, the true incidence of irritable bowel syndrome is likely to be higher.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Impact of functional gastrointestinal disorders on health-related quality of life: a population-based case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The health-related quality of life is impaired in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders seen in referral centres. AIM: To determine whether the health-related quality of life is impaired in subjects with functional disorders in the community and whether any differences can be explained by psychological co-morbidity. METHODS: In a population-based, nested, case-control study, subjects reporting symptoms of either dyspepsia or irritable bowel syndrome and healthy controls were interviewed and completed a battery of psychological measures plus a validated, generic, health-related quality of life measure (Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short form health survey, SF-36). The association between irritable bowel syndrome and dyspepsia and the physical and mental composite scores of SF-36 were assessed with and without adjustment for psychological state. RESULTS: One hundred and twelve cases (30 dyspepsia, 39 irritable bowel syndrome, 32 dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome and 11 gastrointestinal symptoms but not dyspepsia or irritable bowel syndrome) and 110 controls were enrolled. In the unadjusted linear regression models, irritable bowel syndrome (but not dyspepsia) was negatively associated with the physical composite score (P < 0.05); in an adjusted model, the association between the physical health-related quality of life and irritable bowel syndrome was explained by the Symptom Checklist-90 somatization score alone. In unadjusted models, irritable bowel syndrome and dyspepsia were each negatively associated with the mental composite score (P < 0.05). The association between the mental health-related quality of life and dyspepsia remained after adjusting for psychological covariates, but the association between this and irritable bowel syndrome was not significant after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: In the community, health-related quality of life is impaired in subjects with irritable bowel syndrome and dyspepsia; however, much of this association can be explained by psychological factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A meta-analysis of previous fracture and subsequent fracture risk.

Previous fracture is a well-documented risk factor for future fracture. The aim of this study was to quantify this risk on an international basis and to explore the relationship of this risk with age, sex, and bone mineral density (BMD). We studied 15259 men and 44902 women from 11 cohorts comprising EVOS/EPOS, OFELY, CaMos, Rochester, Sheffield, Rotterdam, Kuopio, DOES, Hiroshima, and two cohorts from Gothenburg. Cohorts were followed for a total of 250000 person-years. The effect of a prior history of fracture on the risk of any fracture, any osteoporotic fracture, and hip fracture alone was examined using a Poisson model for each sex from each cohort. Covariates examined were age, sex, and BMD. The results of the different studies were merged by using the weighted beta-coefficients. A previous fracture history was associated with a significantly increased risk of any fracture compared with individuals without a prior fracture (RR = 1.86; 95% CI = 1.75-1.98). The risk ratio was similar for the outcome of osteoporotic fracture or for hip fracture. There was no significant difference in risk ratio between men and women. Risk ratio (RR) was marginally downward adjusted when account was taken of BMD. Low BMD explained a minority of the risk for any fracture (8%) and for hip fracture (22%). The risk ratio was stable with age except in the case of hip fracture outcome where the risk ratio decreased significantly with age. We conclude that previous history of fracture confers an increased risk of fracture of substantial importance beyond that explained by measurement of BMD. Its validation on an international basis permits the use of this risk factor in case finding strategies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

A family history of fracture and fracture risk: a meta-analysis.

The aims of the present study were to determine whether a parental history of any fracture or hip fracture specifically are significant risk factors for future fracture in an international setting, and to explore the effects of age, sex and bone mineral density (BMD) on this risk. We studied 34,928 men and women from seven prospectively studied cohorts followed for 134,374 person-years. The cohorts comprised the EPOS/EVOS study, CaMos, the Rotterdam Study, DOES and cohorts at Sheffield, Rochester and Gothenburg. The effect of family history of osteoporotic fracture or of hip fracture in first-degree relatives, BMD and age on all clinical fracture, osteoporotic fracture and hip fracture risk alone was examined using Poisson regression in each cohort and for each sex. The results of the different studies were merged from the weighted beta coefficients. A parental history of fracture was associated with a modest but significantly increased risk of any fracture, osteoporotic fracture and hip fracture in men and women combined. The risk ratio (RR) for any fracture was 1.17 (95% CI=1.07-1.28), for any osteoporotic fracture was 1.18 (95% CI=1.06-1.31), and for hip fracture was 1.49 (95% CI=1.17-1.89). The risk ratio was higher at younger ages but not significantly so. No significant difference in risk was seen between men and women with a parental history for any fracture (RR=1.17 and 1.17, respectively) or for an osteoporotic fracture (RR=1.17 and 1.18, respectively). For hip fracture, the risk ratios were somewhat higher, but not significantly higher, in men than in women (RR=2.02 and 1.38, respectively). A family history of hip fracture in parents was associated with a significant risk both of all osteoporotic fracture (RR 1.54; 95CI=1.25-1.88) and of hip fracture (RR=2.27; 95% CI=1.47-3.49). The risk was not significantly changed when BMD was added to the model. We conclude that a parental history of fracture (particularly a family history of hip fracture) confers an increased risk of fracture that is independent of BMD. Its identification on an international basis supports the use of this risk factor in case-finding strategies.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2003

Areal and volumetric bone density in Hong Kong Chinese: a comparison with Caucasians living in the United States.

It is a common perception that Asians have lower bone density than Caucasians. However, such relationships could be confounded by bone size. In this study, the skeletal status of a convenience sample of 482 men and 887 women living in Hong Kong is compared with published data for Caucasians living in Rochester, Minnesota. Areal bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm(2)) and volumetric bone mineral apparent density (BMAD, g/cm(3)) were determined for the lumbar spine and proximal femur, using the Hologic QDR 2000 instrument. Cross-calibration was performed by measuring a common phantom, and the Hong Kong data were adjusted by a multiplication factor. Lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD and BMAD of Chinese men and women were all significantly lower ( P<0.001 by t-test) than those of Caucasians, but the differences in BMAD were on average only about half the size of the differences in BMD. For instance, in postmenopausal Chinese women, BMD at the femoral neck and lumbar spine were 15.2% and 18.8% lower respectively, but BMAD at the femoral neck and lumbar spine were only 7.8% and 12.4% lower respectively. Similar trends were observed in men. After adjusting for age, body height and weight, the difference in BMAD between Caucasians and Chinese was further reduced and only statistically significant among postmenopausal women and among men younger than age 50 years for the lumbar spine. For instance, the adjusted BMAD in postmenopausal Chinese women at the femoral neck and lumbar spine were 3.9% ( P=0.03 by ANCOVA) and 7.3% ( P<0.001 by ANCOVA) lower respectively, while the adjusted BMAD at the lumbar spine for Chinese men younger than 50 years was 11.7% lower ( P<0.01 by ANCOVA). Predictors of BMAD in Hong Kong Chinese women include body weight, age at menarche, cigarette smoking, and oral contraceptive use ( P<0.001), while body weight was the only independent predictor of BMAD in Hong Kong Chinese men ( P<0.001). We conclude that bone density is lower in Hong Kong Chinese men and women than in Caucasians, although such differences were attenuated by adjustments for bone size, body weight and height.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Is irritable bowel syndrome more likely to be persistent in those with relatives who suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms? A population-based study at three time points.

BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that subjects with relatives who suffered from abdominal pain or bowel dysfunction would be at an increased risk of more persistent irritable bowel syndrome. METHODS: A valid, self-report questionnaire was mailed to an age- and gender-stratified random sample of residents, aged 30-64 years, in Olmsted County, MN, USA, on three occasions over a 4-year period. Persistent irritable bowel syndrome was defined as the presence of irritable bowel syndrome on at least two of the three surveys, and fluctuating irritable bowel syndrome was defined as the presence of irritable bowel syndrome on only one of the surveys. RESULTS: Subjects were less likely to have persistent irritable bowel syndrome over the age of 50 years [odds ratio (OR), 0.20; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.09, 0.47]. A positive family history was reported by 23%. A family history of gastrointestinal symptoms was independently associated with persistent irritable bowel syndrome (vs. no irritable bowel syndrome: OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3, 4.9) and fluctuating irritable bowel syndrome (vs. no irritable bowel syndrome: OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3, 4.4). However, subjects reporting a positive family history were not more likely to report persistent vs. fluctuating irritable bowel syndrome (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.5, 2.9). The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.2, 4.3) and a history of food sensitivity (OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.9, 6.9) were the only other predictors of persistent irritable bowel syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: A history of abdominal pain or bowel troubles in first-degree relatives appears to be independently associated with both persistent and fluctuating irritable bowel syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Cost-equivalence of different osteoporotic fractures.

METHODS: Among 985 Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents who experienced an osteoporotic fracture (distal forearm, humerus, clavicle/scapula/sternum, ribs, vertebrae, pelvis, hip, other femur or tibia/fibula [the latter in women only]), we estimated the incremental cost of direct medical care in the following year compared with age- and sex-matched controls without a fracture randomly sampled from the same community. RESULTS: The overall median incremental (case minus control) cost in the succeeding year was $2,390, with a particularly high incremental cost for hip fractures ($11,241). There was fair concordance between the incremental cost of the different fractures, relative to hip fracture alone, and the previously published disutility associated with each fracture type relative to hip fracture. Overall, the incremental cost for all osteoporotic fractures combined was 46% greater than that for hip fractures alone in women and 47% greater in men. This is consistent with the earlier report that overall morbidity from all osteoporotic fractures combined is 47% and 39% greater in women and men, respectively, than the morbidity attributable solely to hip fractures. CONCLUSION: These data lend support to the notion that other osteoporotic fractures can be quantified relative to hip fracture on the basis of their cost, as well as their morbidity and mortality. This may simplify health economic analyses by allowing all fracture outcomes to be modeled relative to hip fractures (i.e., hip fracture 'equivalents') and will provide a more comprehensive assessment of osteoporosis outcomes than is possible by focusing only on hip fractures.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

The effect of new diagnostic criteria for irritable bowel syndrome on community prevalence estimates.

The 'Rome' criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have evolved over 15 years with four published versions. The impact of these changes on community prevalence rates is not known. Study aims were to estimate the prevalence of IBS using the four Rome criteria and agreement between Rome II and previous criteria. Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of Olmsted County, Minnesota residents in 1992. Age- and gender-adjusted prevalence estimates were calculated for Rome II (1999), Rome I (1992), Rome (1990), and Rome (1989) criteria. Per cent agreement and kappa values were calculated to assess agreement. Of 892 eligible subjects, 643 (72%) responded. The age- and gender-adjusted prevalence of IBS was 5.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.1, 7.0], 6.8% (95% CI: 4.7, 8.9), 5.1% (95% CI: 3.2, 7.1) and 27.6% (95% CI: 23.6, 31.5), respectively. In comparison with Rome II criteria, per cent agreement and kappa values were 97.2% and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.69, 0.88), 96.4% and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.80), and 79.0% and 0.29 (95% CI: 0.19, 0.40), respectively. Thus, although differences were seen with the older criteria, compared with the Rome I criteria, good agreement was seen and community prevalence estimates were similar with the Rome II criteria.

Adult↗