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PubMed2006

Attitudes towards and perceptions about contraceptive use among married refugee women of Somali descent living in Finland.

OBJECTIVES: To assess attitudes towards and perceptions about contraceptive use among married refugee women of Somali descent living in Finland. METHOD: A sample of 100 married refugee women of Somali descent (18-50 years of age) were invited to participate in a study on contraceptive use in Finland (30 women refused). Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect the data. Questionnaire of the first data set was written in the Somali language. Interviews were conducted in the Somali language. RESULTS: The attitudes and opinions of these women towards contraceptive use (73% did not use contraceptives, 27% did use them) were connected with religious beliefs and issues involving marital relations. Religious or gender issues did not seem to influence those who used contraception. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated that the majority of the married refugee women of Somali descent living in Finland did not use contraception. The process of starting the use of contraception was possible because of an access to good reproductive health care and family planning services, changes in life situations, and adaptations to Finnish social and cultural norms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Two loci on chromosomes 2 and X for premature coronary heart disease identified in early- and late-settlement populations of Finland.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a complex disorder constituting a major health problem in Western societies. To assess the genetic background of CHD, we performed a genomewide linkage scan in two study samples from the genetically isolated population of Finland. An initial study sample consisted of family material from the northeastern part of Finland, settled by a small number of founders approximately 300 years ago. A second study sample originated from the southwestern region of Finland, settled approximately 2,000 years ago. Families were ascertained through probands exhibiting premature CHD, defined as >50% stenosis of at least two coronary arteries at a young age, as verified by coronary angiography. Both study samples and the pooled data set provided evidence for linkage in two chromosomal regions. A region on chromosome 2q21.1-22 yielded two-point LOD scores of 3.2, 1.9, and 3.7, in the affected sib-pair (ASP) analyses of the northeastern, southwestern, and pooled study samples. The corresponding multipoint maximum-likelihood scores (MLSs) for these three study samples were 2.4, 1.3, and 3.0. In addition, a region on chromosome Xq23-26 resulted in two-point LOD scores of 1.9, 3.5, and 2.9 and in multipoint MLSs of 3.4, 3.1, and 2.5, respectively. In conclusion, this study identifies two loci likely to contribute to premature CHD: one on chromosome 2q21.1-22 and another on chromosome Xq23-26.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed2002

Lactobacillus bacteremia during a rapid increase in probiotic use of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG in Finland.

Lactobacilli supposedly have low pathogenicity; they are seldom detected in blood culture. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, which originates indigenously in the human intestine, became available for use as a probiotic in 1990 in Finland. We evaluated the possible effects of the increased probiotic use of L. rhamnosus GG on the occurrence of bacteremia due to lactobacilli. Lactobacilli were isolated in 0.02% of all blood cultures and 0.2% of all blood cultures with positive results in Helsinki University Central Hospital and in Finland as a whole, and no trends were seen that suggested an increase in Lactobacillus bacteremia. The average incidence was 0.3 cases/100,000 inhabitants/year in 1995-2000 in Finland. Identification to the species level was done for 66 cases of Lactobacillus bacteremia, and 48 isolates were confirmed to be Lactobacillus strains. Twenty-six of these strains were L. rhamnosus, and 11 isolates were identical to L. rhamnosus GG. The results indicate that increased probiotic use of L. rhamnosus GG has not led to an increase in Lactobacillus bacteremia.

Bacteremia↗
PubMed1986

Levels of some biological risk indicators among elderly men in Finland.

A 25-year follow-up survey of the Finnish men examined in the Seven Countries Study and now 65-84 years old was carried out in the East and the South-West of Finland in 1984. The follow-up examinations were carried out as in the previous surveys. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were now significantly lower in the East than in the South-West of Finland. Serum total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were on the same level in both areas. The East/South-West difference in serum cholesterol, observed in previous studies, had levelled off and that in the blood pressure level had even reversed among the study cohorts. The mean fasting serum glucose was higher in the East than in the South-West of Finland. The mean serum calcium level was the same in both areas.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Spatial clustering of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Finland at place of birth and place of death.

Previous evidence for spatial clustering of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is inconclusive. Studies that have identified apparent clusters have often been based on a small number of cases, which means the results may have occurred by chance processes. Also, most studies have used the geographic location at the time of death as the basis for cluster detection, rather than exploring clusters at other points in the life cycle. In this study, the authors examine 1,000 cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis distributed throughout Finland who died between June 1985 and December 1995. Using a spatial-scan statistic, the authors examine whether there are significant clusters of the disease at both time of birth and time of death. Two significant, neighboring clusters were identified in southeast and south-central Finland at the time of death. A single significant cluster was identified in southeast Finland at the time of birth, closely matching one of the clusters identified at the time of death. These results are based on a large sample of cases, and they provide convincing evidence of spatial clustering of this condition. The results demonstrate also that, if the cluster analysis is conducted at different stages of the cases' life cycle, different conclusions about where potential risk factors may exist might result.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The effect of correcting for troponins on trends in coronary heart disease events in Finland during 1993-2002: the FINAMI study.

AIMS: The object of this study is to analyse the trends in coronary events in Finland during 1993-2002, correcting for the effect of troponins. METHODS AND RESULTS: A population-based myocardial infarction register recorded all coronary events (n=14 782) in four geographical areas of Finland during 1993-2002. Correction coefficients for the effect of troponins were calculated on the basis of 4359 coronary events, with simultaneous determination of troponins and the 'old' enzymatic markers of myocardial injury. Coronary mortality declined steeply, except in women aged > or = 75 years. The incidence of first coronary events declined 2.0% (95% confidence interval -3.0, -0.9%) per year among men and 1.0% (-2.7, 0.6%) per year among women aged 35-74 years. After correcting for the effect of troponins, also the decline among women became statistically significant: 2.7% (-4.5, -0.8%) per year. The effect of troponins tended to be stronger in women and older individuals than in men and younger individuals. The 28-day case fatality declined among men, but not among women. The effect of troponins on case fatality trends was weak. CONCLUSION: Declining trends in the incidence of coronary events in Finland during 1993-2002 were partly hidden by the effect of troponins. Both incidence and case fatality declines have contributed to the decline in mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Self-reported health in the Republic of Karelia, Russia and in north Karelia, Finland in 1992.

BACKGROUND: Major differences in mortality, cardiovascular disease risk factors and health behaviour are known to exist between the populations of eastern Finland and the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Little is known, however, whether similar differences exist in subjective health. METHODS: In spring 1992 a population survey was conducted in North Karelia, Finland and in the area of Pitkäranta, Republic of Karelia, Russia. Random population samples (n = 2,000 in North Karelia and n = 1,000 in Pitkäranta) stratified for age and sex were taken from the population registers. The subjects completed questionnaires and were examined at local health centres. RESULTS: In North Karelia 50% of men reported their health as being quite good or very good, compared to 34% in Pitkäranta (p < 0.0001 for area difference). Among women the corresponding percentages were 58% in North Karelia and 22% in Pitkäranta (p < 0.0001). High household income and education were associated with good self-rated health among both sexes in North Karelia and among women but not men in Pitkäranta. Self-reported physical condition was better in North Karelia than in Pitkäranta (p < 0.0001). Psychosomatic symptoms (p = 0.0002 among men and p < 0.0001 among women) and many somatic symptoms were more prevalent in Pitkäranta than in North Karelia. CONCLUSION: In general, people in North Karelia, Finland feel healthier than people in the neighbouring Republic of Karelia, Russia. Socioeconomic differences in subjective health are less prominent in the Republic of Karelia.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Widening socioeconomic mortality disparity among diabetic people in Finland.

BACKGROUND: A clear social class gradient in mortality has been consistently reported among western populations. However, in the early 1980s in Finland, no major socioeconomic differences in mortality were found among people with diabetes. The present study examines whether this exceptional finding persisted in the 1990s. METHODS: All residents of Finland aged 30 to 74 in the 1980 and 1990 population censuses were classified as diabetic or non-diabetic according to entitlement to reimbursement for diabetes medication. The patient's age at onset of the disease was used as a proxy for diabetes type. All diabetic and non-diabetic persons were followed up for mortality in 1981-1985 and 1991-1996. Age-adjusted relative death rates were obtained from Poisson regression models. RESULTS: From the early 1980s to the early 1990s marked socioeconomic mortality disparities favouring the better-off emerged among diabetic people. The increase in socioeconomic mortality differences from 1981-1985 to 1991-1996 was mainly due to divergence in deaths from diabetes, which contributed 52% of the increase in mortality disparity among women and 35% among men, and from cardiovascular diseases, whose contribution was 21% for women and 25% for men. CONCLUSIONS: From the early 1980s to the 1990s in Finland a clear socioeconomic gradient in mortality emerged in every age group of diabetic people. This was largely due to a much worse development among blue-collar than white-collar workers in deaths from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Contribution of deaths related to alcohol or smoking to the gender difference in life expectancy: Finland in the early 1990s.

BACKGROUND: In comparison to most other countries in Western Europe, Finland ranks high with regard to male excess mortality. This study examined the contribution of smoking and alcohol to the gender difference in mortality in Finland during 1991-93 among the population aged 15 or over. METHODS: The study is based on data from linked registers. The number of alcohol-related deaths was assessed on the basis of information included in the death certificate, while the conventional method of population attributable fraction was applied to estimate the aggregated contribution of smoking. In combining the effects of alcohol and smoking, three alternative assumptions of their overlap were used. RESULTS: Approximately 51-56% of the gender difference of 7.6 years in the life expectancy at age 15 was estimated to be attributable to alcohol or smoking, depending on the assumption about the overlap of the contribution of alcohol and smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms the important role of alcohol and smoking as a mechanism contributing to the difference in mortality between men and women in Finland.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

East-West gradient in semen quality in the Nordic-Baltic area: a study of men from the general population in Denmark, Norway, Estonia and Finland.

BACKGROUND: Denmark and Norway have a three-fold higher incidence of testicular cancer than Estonia and Finland. Groups of young men from Denmark, Norway, Finland and Estonia were investigated to elucidate whether semen parameters and other related parameters follow a gradient between these countries, as does the gradient in incidence of testicular cancer. METHODS: In total, 968 young men from the general population in these four countries were investigated according to the same protocol. Possible confounders were evaluated, and included in the statistical analysis when appropriate. Inter-laboratory differences in assessment of sperm concentrations were controlled by an external quality control programme and morphology assessment was centralized to one person. RESULTS: The Finnish and Estonian men had an adjusted median sperm concentration of 54 and 57 x 10(6)/ml, respectively and the Norwegian and Danish men 41 x 10(6)/ml. The corresponding total sperm counts were 185, 174, 133 and 144 x 10(6). The frequency of normal sperm in men from Finland was 8.9%, Estonia 9.2%, Norway 6.9% and Denmark 6.4%. Within all four groups of men, a relationship between increasing levels of inhibin-B and increasing sperm counts was observed. However, inhibin-B levels were not predictive of sperm count differences between countries. CONCLUSIONS: It is believed that the men examined were representative of the normal population of young men in all four countries as they were recruited from groups attending a compulsory medical examination, and not selected for known fertility or semen quality. Moreover, the majority of participants had no prior knowledge of their fertility potential. It appears that an east-west gradient exists in the Nordic-Baltic area with regard to semen parameters, this being in parallel with the incidences of testicular cancer. Further investigations are required to determine whether these findings are due to genetic differences, to different environments, or perhaps to a combination of both factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The prevalence and regional distribution of antibodies against Chlamydia pneumoniae (strain TWAR) in Finland in 1958.

The occurrence of nonavian 'ornithosis' was reported in Scandinavia at the end of the 1950s. In order to find out whether Chlamydia pneumoniae had been present in Finland, we examined the IgG antibody prevalence to C pneumoniae in samples representing the whole rural population of Finland in 1958. The total number of sera studied using micro-immunofluorescence was 2000. Trend-surface analysis was used to examine the regional patterns of antibody prevalence. C pneumoniae antibodies were present throughout the country. The mean antibody prevalence was 56% among adults and 27% among children. Thus the possible role of C pneumoniae in nonavian 'ornithosis' in Finland between 1958 and 1960 cannot be excluded.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Chlamydia pneumoniae IgG antibody prevalence in south-western and eastern Finland in 1982 and 1987.

Chlamydia pneumonia IgG antibody prevalence was examined in a representative sample (2342 subjects) of the population aged 25-59 years in south-western and eastern Finland in 1982 and 1987. Microimmunofluorescence was used to measure IgG antibodies. Prevalence of C. pneumoniae was modelled using the GLIM statistical package assuming that the prevalence had a binomial distribution. The prevalence was assumed to be a function of the year, subjects' gender, age and place of residence. The effect of the year on the prevalence was significant in both regions (P < 0.05 in the south-west and P < 0.001 in the east). In each year the prevalence was higher in the south-west than in the east and it increased between 1982 and 1987 from 55% to 63% in the south-west and from 41% to 59% in the east. The prevalence increased with age, but the age-related antibody pattern was different between sexes. The highest prevalence was found in men aged 49-59 years. The different increase in prevalence with age in the south-western and the eastern parts of the country indicates that the outbreaks of infection were not related. The endemic level of C. pneumoniae infection in the south-west is consistently higher than in the east, or there was an outbreak of C. pneumoniae infection in both the years we examined. Thus it is more likely that the high prevalence in south-western Finland was connected more with the epidemics reported elsewhere in Scandinavia in the same years than with the occurrence of C. pneumoniae infection in eastern Finland.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Water traffic accidents, drowning and alcohol in Finland, 1969-1995.

OBJECTIVE: To examine age- and sex-specific mortality rates and trends in water traffic accidents (WTA), and their association with alcohol, in Finland. MATERIALS AND METHODS: National mortality and population data from Finland, 1969-1995, are used to analyse rates and trends. The mortality rates are calculated on the basis of population, per 100000 inhabitants in each age group (<1, 1-4, 5-14, 15-24, 25-44, 45-64, > or = 65), and analysed by sex and age. The Poisson regression model and chi2 test for trend (EGRET and StatXact softwares) are used to analyse time trends. RESULTS: From 1969 through 1995 there were 3473 (2.7/100000/year; M:F= 20.4:1) WTA-related deaths among Finns of all ages. In 94.7% of the cases the cause of death was drowning. Alcohol intoxication was a contributing cause of death in 63.0% of the fatalities. During the study period the overall WTA mortality rates declined significantly (-4% per year; P < 0.001). This decline was observed in all age groups except > or = 65 year olds. The overall mortality rates in WTA associated with alcohol intoxication (1987-1995) also declined significantly (-6%; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In Finland, mortality rates in WTA are exceptionally high. Despite a marked decline in most age groups, the high mortality in WTA nevertheless remains a preventable cause of death. Preventive countermeasures targeted specifically to adult males, to the reduction of alcohol consumption in aquatic settings and to the use of personal safety devices should receive priority.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1989

Bacteriologic epidemiology of Hemophilus influenzae type b strains causing invasive infections in Finland.

Consecutive Hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) isolates (333 total) from children with invasive disease in Finland in 1985-1986 were analyzed. All belonged to the common genetic clusters described in the USA and Europe. However, detailed typing demonstrated some characteristics unique to Hib strains in Finland. Of the isolates, 86% belonged to one of four distinct patterns according to the combination of outer membrane protein subtype, biotype, and lipopolysaccharide serotype: 1-I-1 (25%), 1-II-9 (8%), and 1c-I-1 (18%). Pattern 1-II-9 has not been previously reported; it was most commonly found in the most densely populated area of Finland and among children cared for outside the home. Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis revealed that 87% of isolates with the pattern 1c-I-1 belonged to the electrophoretic type 21.8, which is seldom recovered from patients with invasive Hib disease in other countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Motherhood, milk, and money: infant mortality in pre-industrial Finland.

This article presents an analysis of the levels, trends and determinants of infant mortality in various regions of Finland between the late seventeenth and early twentieth centuries. Nursing habits were of critical importance as were diet and hygiene. It is suggested that there were differences in the frequency of breastfeeding with the landless being more and the farmers being less likely to breastfeed their children. In areas where cows milk was readily available as a substitute for breast milk other influences on infant mortality were the contamination of drinking water and the water in which feeding utensils were washed. At the end of the eighteenth century, in the south-west of Finland, the introduction of the potato created a suitable food for women and children and lowered the mortality rate of infants aged 3-6 months. By contrast, in the regions where the first solid food given to infants was chewed by the mothers, infant mortality remained high. In the part of Finland adjacent to St Petersburg infant mortality actually increased as local mothers were engaged as wet-nurses by the city's foundling hospital.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Epidemiology of orofacial clefts in Finland: a review.

Epidemiological studies on clefts in Finland seem to give support to the following theories: 1. Both genetic and environmental factors seem to play a role in the pathogenesis of cleft lip and/or cleft palate, which in the majority of cases are probably two different anomalies. 2. The incidence of cleft lip and/or cleft palate in Finland has increased, probably because of a change in the environmental factors. 3. The incidence of cleft palate in Finland is higher than anywhere, which seems to be the result of differing genetic factors. 4. The exogenous factors remain unidentified, but in cleft lip and/or cleft palate parallel fluctuations and an increasing trend have been noticed, arguing for similar and simultaneous factors. 5. More patients with cleft palate than cleft lip/palate have "cleft syndromes."

Cleft Lip↗
PubMed2000

Total but not high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is consistently associated with coronary heart disease mortality in elderly men in Finland, Italy, and The Netherlands.

We studied the relation between serum total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and 10-year coronary heart disease mortality in elderly men in different European countries. The Finland, Italy and the Netherlands Elderly (FINE) Study is a prospective follow-up study in 2,132 elderly men ages 65-84 years in Finland, the Netherlands, and Italy. We estimated relative risks using Cox proportional hazard analysis with time-dependent covariates. Total cholesterol was positively related to coronary heart disease mortality in all three countries. The combined relative risk for the total population of the FINE Study was 1.17 (95% confidence interval = 1.06-1.29) for each 1.00 mmol/liter increase in total cholesterol. HDL cholesterol was inversely related to coronary heart disease mortality in Finland, but not in the Netherlands and Italy. In Italy we noted an interaction among HDL cholesterol, body mass index, and alcohol intake, with an inverse association for HDL cholesterol in lean men who drank <40 gm of alcohol daily and a positive association for HDL cholesterol among overweight men who drank > or =40 gm of alcohol per day. Serum total cholesterol remains an important predictor of coronary heart disease mortality in elderly men in different European countries. The effect of HDL cholesterol differed among the three countries.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Chernobyl fallout in southern and central Finland.

To study the levels and distributions of radionuclides released in the Chernobyl accident, we sampled surface peat from 62 sites in Southern and Central Finland and measured 131I, 134Cs, 137Cs, 132Te, 140Ba, 103Ru, 90Sr, 141Ce, and 95Zr. The distribution of fallout activities was highly uneven, depending on movement of the contaminated air mass and rainfall distribution during the critical days. The highest values observed were 420 kBq m-2 of 131I and 70 kBq m-2 of 137Cs. The nuclide ratios showed wide and partly unexpected variations. The high-boiling-point, or nonvolatile, elements Ce and Zr were spread mostly on a 200-km-wide zone extending across Finland from southwest to northeast. The more volatile elements, I, Ce, and Te, showed quite a different, more widespread, fallout distribution, while an intermediate behavior was observed for Ba, Ru, and possibly Sr. These results can be explained by assuming that pulverized nuclear fuel material released in the reactor explosion on 26 April reached Finland via Poland and the Baltic Sea and traversed the country along the above-mentioned narrow zone, while volatile material, evaporated in the reactor fire from 26 April to 5 May, arrived in several waves and was consequently more widely and evenly spread. From their elemental melting and boiling points, Ru and Mo would appear to belong to the nonvolatile group and Sr to the volatile. Yet, their actual behaviors were opposite; Ru in particular was found in the nonvolatile as well as the volatile fallout, possibly because Ru activities were present in the fuel partly in the metallic state and partly as volatile oxides.

Accidents↗