Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T Theorell

Publications and source records attributed to T Theorell.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Personality traits in a group of individuals with functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and their correlation with gastrin, somatostatin and oxytocin levels.

The Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) and some dimensions of the Bergman scale reflecting social dependency and self-confidence were used in 24 individuals with functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients showed higher scores of somatic anxiety, indirect aggression and irritability and lower scores in socialization when compared with a reference group. The levels of gastrointestinal symptoms as well as the levels of some hormones related to vagal nerve activity in this patient group have been reported in a previous publication. When the scores obtained in personality inventories were related to symptom levels, we found significant correlations with intestinal but not abdominal symptoms. Gastrin levels correlated inversely with socialization. Somatostatin levels on the other hand, correlated negatively with social dependency and positively with self-confidence in the Bergman scale. Interestingly, oxytocin levels correlated positively with social dependency and in addition with indirect aggression and verbal aggression. The correlation between hormone levels and scores of personality dimensions will be interpreted and discussed within a physiological context.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Gastrin, somatostatin and oxytocin levels in patients with functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and their response to feeding and interaction.

Twenty-four individuals with functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract participated in the study. Symptoms from the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract were recorded by means of a self-administered questionnaire before, 3 months and 3 yr after participation in group therapy. Blood was sampled from the patients while they were subjected to three different provocations (a friendly greeting, a food stimulus and a stress stimulus). Ten subjects without gastrointestinal symptoms participated in an identical experiment. Gastrin, somatostatin and oxytocin levels were measured with radioimmunoassay. Both gastrin and somatostatin levels were influenced by the provocations and by the greeting and the stress stimulus in particular. In principle, the controls tended to react with a parasympathetic response pattern following the interactive stimuli, whereas the individuals with functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract reacted with an activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Somatostatin levels were significantly higher and oxytocin levels lower in patients than in controls and gastrin levels tended to be higher in patients than in controls. Most individuals reported both gastric as well as intestinal symptoms. Gastrin levels correlated positively with total symptom level and somatostatin levels with intestinal symptoms scores reported by the patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The effects of the strain of returning to work on the risk of cardiac death after a first myocardial infarction before the age of 45.

Seventy-nine men who had suffered a myocardial infarction before the age of 45 while they were vocationally active in the greater Stockholm area were followed for five years. Forty-nine survived without cardiac complications and 13 died due to ischaemic heart disease during the period of follow-up. These two contrasting groups were compared with regard to psychosocial risk factors at work before the first myocardial infarction (as reported by the patient when he was interviewed during the weeks after the onset of disease). It was hypothesized that returning to stressful work (high demands and limited possibilities of influencing decisions and developing skills) would be associated with an increased risk of death. All the subjects who died had returned to the work that they had performed prior to the first myocardial infarct. Work performed by these patients was described as having significantly higher psychological demands in relation to the possibility of learning new things and higher demands in relation to variety as well as almost significantly higher demands in relation to influence. Multivariate logistic regression with these factors concerning employment, together with biomedical risk factors recorded at the same time, showed that increasing age, increasing degree of coronary atherosclerosis and number of stenosed coronary arteries, as well as high demands in relation to the possibility of learning new things, were independent predictors of death due to coronary arterial disease. The remaining 17 subjects either survived a re-infarction, or had coronary arterial by-pass surgery during the period of follow-up. This heterogeneous group occupied intermediate positions with regard to psychosocial job factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Clinical symptoms in young adults with atypical chest pain attending the emergency department.

Clinical symptoms were studied in 69 consecutive patients below the age of 40 years who were attending the emergency unit because of unexplained chest pain. In a structured interview a few weeks after the emergency visit, only one-third of the patients reported that they believed in the doctor's diagnosis; they believed in a psychological or cardiac origin of the pain more often than the doctors. The chest pain was most often described as oppressive and/or stabbing. In 95% of cases it was central or left-sided. Associated symptoms were commonly reported, breathlessness being most commonly reported by two-thirds of the patients, followed by dizziness, palpitation and numbness/tingling. Mental symptoms such as tiredness, anxiety and tension were frequently reported. On the basis of the background literature the aetiology is discussed. We conclude that immediate symptom analysis, including psychosomatic symptoms, particularly breathing problems, is of central importance.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The role of paid work in Swedish chronic dialysis patients--a nation-wide survey: paid work and dialysis.

The role of paid work in chronic illness has been investigated in this nation-wide study of all Swedish-speaking patients on chronic dialysis above the age of 16 years, who were not too tired or severely ill to participate and who had been treated for at least 3 months. Young age and female gender were consistently associated with increased prevalence of self-reported depression, poor psychological health, psychosomatic symptoms and sleep disturbance. In multivariate analyses paid work, strong emotional support, and care at intermediate or small units were independently associated with a good quality of life. Chronic dialysis patients who did paid work (19.6% of the patients below 65 years of age) perceived their work as more socially supportive than did men and women in the normal working population. It may be concluded that paid work is of particular importance to this patient group because it may give extra social support to patients whose social network is in general rather poor.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Psychosocial cardiovascular risks--on the double loads in women.

The author discusses gender differences in the psychosocial correlates of cardiovascular risk. A moderate amount of overtime work was associated with a decreased risk of myocardial infarction in men but a corresponding increased risk in women. The reason for this difference may be the double role (home and paid work) of women. Emotional states in diaries differed between men and women in the same occupations, and these differences seemed to some extent to be occupation specific.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Life events and coping patterns reported in HIV-infected hemophiliacs a year after diagnosis.

A nationwide study of the psychosocial situation of HIV-infected hemophiliacs was made in Sweden. Forty-three HIV-infected hemophiliacs aged between 12 and 72 years were compared with 30 age matched non-infected hemophiliacs. A group of 17 parents of HIV-infected boys was also studied. An unexpectedly high number of residential moves was found in the infected group during the period of diagnosis. The HIV infection diagnosis was rated the most disastrous event compared to all other studied events (including death of family member), particularly among parents of HIV-infected boys. With regard to coping, subjects were asked to record their "content of life" for the past, the present and the future. The most striking findings were the pessimistic ratings of expected number of activities with other people in the future. Such activities were assumed to decrease significantly in the infected, but not in the non-infected group. Furthermore, the ratings of possibility to influence activities were lower in the infected group compared to the non-infected. The content of activities, on the other hand, differed very little between the two groups, although non-infected men reported more hobbies and leisure activities and social activities than infected men.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Mortality and morbidity rates of discharged elderly day care patients. A one-year follow-up of an experimental day care programme.

The purpose of this study was to assess possible long-term effects of a focused psychosocial complementary programme added to a 3-month day care rehabilitation programme for elderly patients. Sixty-five referred elderly patients of a day care unit were randomly allocated to an experimental or control group. The experimental group was offered the chance to participate in the psychosocial addition aimed at enhancing personal control. Perceived health, autonomy, life satisfaction and psychophysiological state were shown to benefit from the psychosocial programme during the intervention period. A one-year follow-up of the patients showed no differences in mortality rates between the experimental (2/33) and control (2/32) groups. However, significantly fewer patients were readmitted to hospital from the experimental group (13/33, compared with 21/32, p = 0.02). Length of stay in hospital was significantly shorter in the experimental group (22.1 days, compared with 61.9 days in the control group, p = 0.03). The results indicate that patients benefit not only psychologically from the psychosocial intervention programme during the treatment period, but also in a longer time perspective. This programme also resulted in a reduction in in-patient health care costs.

Aftercare↗
PubMed1991

A follow-up of psychological state in relatives of cancer patients one year after the patient's death. Effects of an activation programme.

A follow-up of psychological state in relatives of cancer patients twelve months after the patient's death was carried out in a controlled study. Relatives who were offered an activation programme (activation group) were compared with relatives not offered this programme (comparison group). A translation of Holland and Sgroi's standardized rating schedule for psychologic states and an interview based upon Bowlby's attachment theory were used to assess psychological outcome. Relatives in the activation group reported better mental state and less depression than those in the comparison group. Relatives in the activation group also reported fewer problems with health and anger than those in the comparison group. Furthermore, relatives in the activation group showed a more positive attitude to the care than those in the comparison group. All the differences mentioned were statistically significant.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Job strain and ambulatory blood pressure profiles.

Occupational characteristics were used to study the role of job stress in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Ambulatory 24-h recordings of blood pressure were made for 161 men with borderline hypertension. From the occupational classification system scores for psychological demands, control, support, physical demands, and occupational hazards were obtained. The results indicated that the ratio between psychological demands and control (strain) was significantly associated with diastolic (but not systolic) blood pressure at night and during work. The association between job strain and diastolic blood pressure at night and during work was greatly strengthened when the subjects with occupations classified as physically demanding were excluded from the analysis. The conclusion was reached that a measure of job strain derived from the occupational classification is useful in predicting variations in diastolic blood pressure levels during sleep and work for men with borderline hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Life events, abdominal pain and depression in peptic ulcer and depressive disorder.

Three patients with documented peptic ulcer and four patients with depressive disorder were followed every month for 10 to 14 months. A life events inventory, clinical ratings of depressive mood and ulcer symptoms, and analysis of the urinary excretion of cortisol and melatonin were used on every occasion. Although the number of patients was small a few tentative findings were made. First of all, associations between life events and depressive mood seemed to be "delayed" more often in the ulcer patients than in the depression patients. Secondly, there were individual associations between cortisol excretion and life events or between cortisol excretion and ulcer symptoms, but these associations seemed to form individual patterns. Two of the ulcer patients who had correlations in the expected directions showed a personality profile close to the one expected from classical literature, whereas the third patient who showed no correlations showed alexithymic traits.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1991

Psychosocial job factors and symptoms from the locomotor system--a multicausal analysis.

The effects of physical and psychosocial work environment factors on emotions, psychosomatic and endocrine (cortisol and testosterone) states, back pain, symptoms of degenerative joint disease, and absenteeism for sickness, were studied in 147 men and 60 women in six occupations representing widely different physical and psychological activities. In most subjects, measurements were carried out twice to four times over one year. Statistical analyses were performed of the associations between different factor levels, such as age, gender, height, body mass index, and physical stressors at work. It was found that psychological work demands were associated with physiological indicators of strain (plasma cortisol and self-reported muscle tension) and that self-reported muscle tension was associated with several emotional reactions as well as with symptoms from the back, neck and shoulders. Little possibility for decision-making was associated with a high rate of absenteeism for sickness. In men, a high plasma testosterone level was associated with self-reported muscle tension. The results indicate that work environment factors influence mood, bodily tension and somatic symptoms, but that load on the locomotor system and opportunity to influence decisions play an important and more direct role in absenteeism for sickness.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1991

Physiological concomitants of an "autonomous day programme" in geriatric day care.

Sixty-five geriatric patients with a mean age of 74 years (range 61-90) who were referred to the day care unit of a geriatric hospital were randomly allocated to an experimental and a control group in groups of 5-8 patients, respectively. Controls were cared for according to usual routines. Patients in the experimental groups were subject to a new organizational routine. These patient groups constituted a forum for discussion and definition of individual treatment goals. Patients in the experimental and control conditions were observed before as well as 6, 12 and 24 weeks after the start of the treatment, which lasted for twelve weeks. Patients in the intervention programme had significantly lower plasma prolactin levels following the initiation of the programme than patients in the control group. According to literature, an absence of a plasma prolactin elevation during a crisis period may indicate active coping. Such a conclusion was supported by other observations in the study which indicated a progressively more internalized locus of control in the experimental group.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Threat of unemployment and cardiovascular risk factors: longitudinal study of quality of sleep and serum cholesterol concentrations in men threatened with redundancy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the threat of unemployment affects risk factors for cardiovascular disease. DESIGN: Longitudinal study of a cohort of middle aged shipyard workers followed up for a mean of 6.2 (SD 1.9) years and a group of controls observed for the same period. The first investigation took place during a period of relative economic stability for the shipyard and the second during the phase of its closure. SETTING: An age cohort health screening programme in Malmö, Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: 715 Male shipyard workers and 261 age matched male controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in 19 variables related to the risk of cardiovascular disease, and psychological variables, alcohol consumption, smoking, and dietary habits as assessed by questionnaire. RESULTS: Serum cholesterol concentrations increased more (mean 0.25 (SD 0.68) mmol/l v 0.08 (0.66) mmol/l) and serum calcium concentrations decreased less (-0.06 (0.10) mmol/l v -0.08 (0.09) mmol/l) in the shipyard workers than in the controls. A correlation was found between scores for sleep disturbance and changes in serum cholesterol concentration. In the whole series there was a greater increase in serum cholesterol concentrations among men threatened with unemployment (437/976; 44.8%) than among those who were not. In stepwise regression analysis the change in serum cholesterol concentration was correlated with changes in haemoglobin concentration, body weight, and serum triglyceride and calcium concentrations. A positive correlation was found between change in cholesterol concentration and change in blood pressure, indicating that the overall risk profile had worsened among men with increased serum cholesterol concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Risk of unemployment increases the serum cholesterol concentration in middle aged men, the increase being more pronounced in those with sleep disturbance. The increase in serum cholesterol is related to changes in other established risk factors for cardiovascular disease. These findings might partly explain the excessive mortality due to cardiovascular disease recorded among the unemployed and people with sleep disturbance.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Cortisol elevation and serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in response to adverse job conditions: how are they interrelated?

This study explores the use of plasma cortisol as an indicator of psychologically straining work. As plasma cortisol and liver function might be associated through biological mechanisms, this paper has a secondary object, namely to explore the interaction between cortisol and liver function. As an index of liver function the serum level of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GT) was used. The study sample was 2,000 prison employees from 67 different prisons in Sweden. Questionnaires and health examinations were used as well as measurements of plasma cortisol and serum GT. Very few work-related factors were associated with plasma cortisol unless analyzed separately for high and low level of serum GT. Two-way analyses of variance showed significant differences in the physiological "responses" to straining work with regard to psychic strain at work (men), social support at work (men), job role (men), loneliness at work (men and women), management style (women) and overtime work (women) between "low serum GT" and "high serum GT" individuals. Aggregated analyses showed that prison means of work-related factors were in some respects associated with prison means of plasma cortisol. The conclusion is that in individually based analyses plasma cortisol is difficult to use as an indicator of straining work, especially if the level of serum GT is unknown.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Job strain variations in relation to plasma testosterone fluctuations in working men--a longitudinal study.

Job strain, a high level of psychological demands combined with a low level of decision latitude, has been hypothesized to induce mobilization of energy and inhibition of anabolism. In the present project this hypothesis was tested using four repeated observations every third month in a group of 44 men working in six widely different occupations. On each occasion scores of self-reported demands and decision latitude were calculated for every participant. An earlier report has shown that systolic blood pressure during work hours--an indicator of mobilization of energy--increased with increasing job strain (ratio between demands and decision latitude). Blood samples were drawn in the morning at the work site. For each man the plasma testosterone levels--representing the general level of anabolic activity--on the two occasions with the worst strain (ratio between demands and decision latitude) were compared with the plasma testosterone levels on the two occasions with the least strain. The results indicated that total plasma testosterone (but not free testosterone) levels increased when strain diminished in sedentary but not in physically demanding work. Subjects with a family history of hypertension showed a greater decrease in testosterone levels than others when job strain increased.

Exercise↗