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Biomedical subjects

R Eggertsen

Publications and source records attributed to R Eggertsen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Screening for thyroid disease of 15-17-year-old schoolchildren in an area with normal iodine intake.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of thyroid disease in Swedish schoolchildren is today insufficiently known. The aim of the study was therefore to determine the prevalence of abnormal thyroid function and thyroid autoimmunity in teen-age schoolchildren and to compare the findings with a healthy control group of 60-65-year-old inhabitants from the same community. SETTING: A semirural community of approximately 15,000 inhabitants. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thyroid volume and serum concentrations of serum thyrotropin (TSH), total and free thyroxine (T4), total and free 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3), and antithyroperoxidase antibodies (TPOAb). RESULTS: Four schoolchildren (7%, 59 screened) had elevated TPOAb concentration, three of the subjects being girls (8%). One girl with a goitre was overtly hypothyroid and one girl showed borderline-high serum TSH concentration suggesting subclinical autoimmune thyroid disease. One euthyroid boy had a goitre and high concentration of TPOAb. The serum free T3 concentration was significantly higher in 15-17-year-old than 60-65-year-old (7.4 vs. 6.4 pmol L(-1), P < 0.001). The concentrations of other thyroid hormones and of TSH in 15-17-year-old did not differ from those of the 60-65-year-old. CONCLUSIONS: We found three cases of thyroid disease in need of immediate attention or later follow-up. The prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease was high as indicated from TPOAb measurements. Thyroid tests including TPOAb measurement should be performed on wide indications when teenagers seek medical advice. The reference intervals for teen-age children for commonly used first line tests (TSH and free T4) do not differ from those for adults.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Relations between Helicobacter pylori, thyroid disease and cardiovascular risk factors in a 56-65-year-old population.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of and relation between Helicobacter pylori (HP) and thyroid disease in a 56-65-year-old population with cardiovascular risk factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study including every second individual in the age group. SETTING: The primary health care district of Mölnlycke, with about 14,000 inhabitants. PATIENTS: 170 men and 217 women aged between 56 and 65 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Anthropometric (body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio (WHR)) and blood pressure measurements, biochemical analyses, including s-TSH, s-FT4 and HP serology. RESULTS: There was a high prevalence of metabolic risk factors in this pre-retirement group of individuals. The prevalence of HP was 42% in both men and women. Only a significant correlation between HP and WHR was seen in men. CONCLUSIONS: No reason could be found for including analysis of HP and thyroid tests in screening programmes for cardiovascular risk factors in men and women.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1999

[Ultrasonic measurement of residual urine is considerate and reliable].

The measurement of residual urine is often an invaluable aid in the examination of patients with prostate enlargement. As a result of the increasing scope of pharmacological treatment options in cases of such urinary problems, more such investigations are now being performed in primary care. Traditionally, residual urine has been measured by catheterisation of the urethra, which is associated with a risk of infection and other complications. As experience of ultrasound measurement of residual urine in 30 patients at a primary health centre suggests it to be a rapid, easily tolerated method unaccompanied by complications, it would seem to be an appropriate procedure even for use in the elderly with any of a variety of chronic diseases. It was also found easy for various categories of staff to learn.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

The relations of microalbuminuria to ambulatory blood pressure and myocardial wall thickness in a population.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between microalbuminuria (20-200 microg min(-1)) and 24 h ambulatory blood pressure and heart wall thickness, in a representative population sample of men and women aged 56-65 years. DESIGN: Every second individual aged 56-65 years (n=488) in the district, was invited for a health examination, which included determination of urinary albumin and creatinine (overnight sample). The highest and lowest decentile of urinary albumin/creatinine ratio were compared. SETTING: The district of the Primary Health Care and Research Centre of Mölnlycke, Sweden. SUBJECTS: After excluding 2 individuals with a urinary albumin excretion exceeding 200 microg min(-1). 26 subjects (group 1) could be compared with 27 subjects in the lowest decentile (group 2). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison between the determinations of the ambulatory blood pressure and echocardiographic variables in the two groups. RESULTS: Group 1 had significantly higher 24 h ambulatory blood pressure, and heart septum and posterior wall thickness as well as significantly higher fasting blood glucose and serum triglyceride concentrations. The differences in blood pressure (P < 0.05) but not heart wall thickness remained significant (P<0.05) after excluding subjects with hypertension, angina pectoris, treated diabetes mellitus, and/or history of heart or cerebrovascular disease. When excluding individuals with both treated and untreated diabetes mellitus, fasting blood glucose concentration was higher in group 1. The waist-hip ratio, weight and body mass index did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that microalbuminuria is related to signs of cardiovascular and metabolic influence and therefore could be a valuable tool for grading the risk of later cardiovascular morbidity.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

[A simple health control for the elderly. Screening for vitamin B12 deficiency and thyroid disease].

Screening for vitamin B12 deficiency and thyroid disease is cheap and enables early diagnosis to be made and treatment to be started while it is still simple and can prevent the development of such serious conditions as dementia, depression, or irreversible tissue damage. In 1995-6, 83% (126/151) of all 75-year-olds in Härryda, a district (population 28,500) to the east of Gothenburg, agreed to undergo a health control designed to detect hypo- or hyper-thyroidism or vitamin B12 deficiency among elderly residents without symptoms (or with atypical symptoms not easily recognised). Of the 126 participants, four (3%) had low plasma cobalamin (vitamin B12) levels (a figure similar to or lower than those reported by others), and were treated with vitamin B12 after further examination; eight (6%) had serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels below the lower normal limit, though further examination showed all eight to be euthyroid; and two (1.6%) were diagnosed as being hypothyroid (a lower prevalence than figures reported elsewhere), and were treated with laevothyroxine. The findings suggest that such screening might be useful in primary care. However, the clinical diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency, and of hypo- or hyperthyroidism, is often difficult, especially in the elderly; and although a low serum TSH level is also considered to be a reliable marker of hyperthyroidism, like others this study showed that it may occur even in the absence of disease. Thus, serum TSH and plasma B12 levels are useful screening variables, but need to be complemented by other tests before diagnosis is set.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Effect of coffee on ambulatory blood pressure in patients with treated hypertension.

Effects of caffeine on ambulatory blood pressure, heart rate, renin-angiotensin system, and ANP were studied in patients treated for mild to moderate hypertension in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial comparing 2 weeks of caffeine-free diet with 2 weeks of regular coffee use. Twenty-three patients (13 men; aged 28-74 years) with treated, mild to moderate essential hypertension and a regular intake of 3-4 cups of coffee daily completed the study. Mean 24-h, day- or night-time ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate were not different between regimens. Nor were there any effects on the renin-angiotensin system while ANP was significantly increased during caffeine intake. Compliance of the dietary regimen was excellent as assessed by serum caffeine concentration measurements. We conclude that habitual coffee drinking did not influence the 24-h blood pressure profiles or cardiovascular hormones in treated hypertensives.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The value of screening for retinopathy and microalbuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes in primary health care.

Patients with type 2 diabetes (NIDDM) attending the Primary Care Centre in Mölnlycke, Sweden, were evaluated regarding their metabolic status, microalbuminuria (UAER), and hypertension. An ophthalmological examination was performed, and two diagnostic methods, slit-lamp biomicroscopy and fundus photography, were compared. Nearly half the patients (42%) had diabetic retinopathy, mainly of the background type. Retinopathy was associated only with the duration of the disease, but the prevalence was as high as 20% within 0-4 years of the diagnosis. Fundus photography was easy to apply, except in the age groups above 80 years, in otherwise healthy and mentally cooperative patients. Fundus photography could not be applied in only 7% of the patients for ophthalmological reasons. The prevalence of microalbuminuria (20-200 micrograms/min) was high--34%--with another 8% above that range. Male sex, mode of antidiabetic treatment, and hypertension were associated with an increased UAER. Screening for retinopathy and microalbuminuria is valuable in primary health care in order to detect treatable diabetic retinopathy and to trace patients with microalbuminuria, a risk factor for clinically overt nephropathy as well as for cardiovascular diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Screening of an elderly population in primary care for primary hyperparathyroidism.

In order to assess the diagnostic outcome of a screening for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in an elderly population, we determined ionized calcium in serum from 368 individuals participating in a health control at Mölnlycke Primary Care Centre (200 women, 168 men; age range 75-95 years); four-fifths of the individuals living in their homes, the remainder in homes for aged or nursing homes. Intact parathyroid hormone was determined in the samples with oinized calcium concentration greater than mean + 3SD of the truncated population sample, and these individuals were also recalled for another blood sample. Moderate hypercalcaemia, probably due to PHPT, was found in eight individuals (2% of the complete sample, 3% of the women), five having neuropsychiatric or neuromuscular symptoms consistent with PHPT. Surgical intervention is probably indicated in only a small proportion of elderly patients. We conclude that optimal benefits in relation to costs of screening for PHPT in old people will depend on the availability of a safe and simple pharmacological treatment that could determine any causal relationship between hypercalcaemia and symptoms.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Swedish Isradipine Study in Hypertension: evaluation of quality of life, safety, and efficacy. SWISH Group.

This was a double-blind multicenter study to compare the efficacy, tolerability and effects on the quality of life with isradipine and atenolol in the treatment of essential hypertension. Of 588 patients entering the 6-week placebo run-in period, 549 were eligible for randomization to receive either isradipine or atenolol for 8 weeks. If, at the end of this period, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) remained greater than 90 mm Hg, then both agents were given in combination for a further 10 weeks. Tolerability and quality of life were assessed repeatedly during the placebo and active-treatment phases. A subgroup of 30 patients were followed by 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and their results are now being analyzed. In another subgroup of 26 patients, maximum exercise capacity, as determined by ergometer bicycle-testing, was measured once during placebo and twice during active treatment. At the end of the 24-week study period, both isradipine and atenolol as monotherapy had produced significant decreases in blood pressure. There were no significant differences overall between the compounds in quality-of-life and side-effect profiles, although there was a relative absence of ankle edema and headache with isradipine. Furthermore, patients receiving isradipine had no change in performance on exercise testing whereas patients on atenolol had a significant decrease (p less than 0.01).

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed1989

Additive effect of isradipine in combination with captopril in hypertensive patients.

The effects of combined treatment with the calcium antagonist isradipine and the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril were investigated in a randomized, placebo-controlled parallel-group trial comprising 28 patients with essential hypertension. The average age was 50 years (range, 31 to 65 years). After all patients were given captopril 50 mg twice daily plus placebo for four weeks, they were randomly assigned into groups receiving in addition either placebo or isradipine 1.25 mg twice daily in increasing doses at four-week intervals. During Weeks 20 to 24, the captopril plus placebo group was given hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg per day. Blood pressure was measured in the morning, 12 hours after tablet intake. Supine blood pressure was reduced in the captopril plus isradipine group by -8/-6, -14/-9, -16/-8, and -11/-7 mm Hg compared with the placebo group. Changes in diastolic blood pressure were statistically significant at Week 8, whereas changes in systolic blood pressure were statistically significant at Weeks 12, 16, and 20. With the addition of hydrochlorothiazide (Weeks 20 to 24), only supine systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced. One patient was withdrawn from the trial due to a rash. The results indicate that combined treatment with a calcium antagonist and an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor is effective in lowering blood pressure and that the combination is well tolerated during long-term therapy. The combination of captopril and isradipine was more effective than captopril given with a low dose of hydrochlorothiazide.

Adult↗