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At least 1,369 records · Page 76Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Association of body mass index and body fat distribution with risk of lung cancer in older women.

Obesity has been associated with an increased risk of cancer at a number of sites. A notable exception appears to be lung cancer, for which several studies suggest a modest inverse association. However, cigarette smoking is directly associated with lung cancer and inversely associated with body mass index. To investigate the hypothesis that body mass index is associated with lung cancer independent of cigarette smoking, the authors analyzed data from a prospective cohort study of 41,837 Iowa women aged 55-69 years at baseline in 1986. In addition, they examined whether central adiposity (high waist/hip ratio) was associated with lung cancer incidence. Through 1992 (6 years of follow-up), 233 cases of lung cancer were identified through the State Health Registry of Iowa. The body mass index at several ages was calculated from self-reports of height at baseline and weights at ages 18, 30, 40, and 50 years and at baseline. Current and former smokers generally had lower mean body mass indices than did nonsmokers at all ages except 18 years. Cases generally had lower body mass indices than did noncases at all ages except 18 and 30 years but, among current smokers, cases had higher mean body mass indices than did noncases at all ages except baseline, although the differences were not statistically significant. An apparent positive association of a high waist/hip ratio with lung cancer in the total cohort was found to be primarily accounted for by a higher waist/hip ratio in current and former smokers. When stratified by smoking status and adjusted for other risk factors, including age and pack-years of smoking, the body mass index at baseline, body mass index at age 50 years, and waist/hip ratio were not associated with lung cancer. The results of multivariate analyses suggest that the inverse association of body mass index with lung cancer can be explained by smoking status and that the positive association of waist/hip ratio with lung cancer can be explained by pack-years of smoking.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1996

The 67gallium pulmonary leak index in assessing the severity and course of the adult respiratory distress syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the value of the 67Gallium (Ga) pulmonary leak index, a marker of increased permeability edema of the lungs, in assessing the severity and course of the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Medical intensive care unit of a university hospital. PATIENTS: Seventeen consecutive, mechanically-ventilated ARDS patients. Eleven patients (recovering from ARDS) improved, as defined by the ability to taper the level of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) to 0 cm H2O at a median of 7 days after admission. Ten patients survived. Six patients did not recover and died a median of 3.5 days after admission. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The pulmonary leak index (i.e., upper limit of normal 14.1 x 10(-3)/min) was measured within 72 hrs after admission, and repeated within 48 hrs at the time of recovery in recovering patients. At admission and recovery, respiratory variables were recorded and a lung injury score was calculated. At admission, the pulmonary leak index was increased in each patient to 32.3 (range 15.6 to 52.4) and 28.7 (range 26.0 to 40.8) x 10(-3)/min in recovering and nonrecovering patients, respectively (NS). Groups did not differ with respect to the oxygenation ratio, the level of PEEP, radiographic abnormalities, and the lung injury score. At recovery, the pulmonary leak index in recovering patients had decreased in each patient and had normalized in four patients, averaging 15.2 (range 5.6 to 25.9) x 10(-3)/min, concomitantly with an increased oxygenation ratio, less radiographic abnormalities, and a decreased lung injury score (p < .01 vs. admission). For pooled recovering and nonrecovering patient data, the pulmonary leak index directly related to the lung injury score (p < .005). CONCLUSIONS: The 67Ga pulmonary leak index may be a clinically useful tool to quantify the severity and course of ARDS, since clinical recovery from the syndrome may be characterized by amelioration of increased microvascular permeability.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Plasma L-arginine concentration, oxygenation index, and systemic blood pressure in premature infants.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationships between plasma L-arginine concentrations and the severity of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) or systemic blood pressure in premature infants. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. SETTING: Neonatal intensive care, tertiary referral hospital. SUBJECTS: Fifty-three premature infants. INTERVENTIONS: We measured arginine and nutritional intake, plasma arginine concentration, total amino acid concentrations, and blood pressure on days 3, 7, 14, and 21 of life. In 33 infants who received assisted ventilation, oxygenation index could be calculated to reflect the severity of RDS. The relationships between plasma arginine and oxygenation index or blood pressure were analyzed using multiple linear regression. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: On day 3, plasma arginine concentrations were decreased compared with normal published values. Arginine concentrations increased with the day of life of measurement (p < .001) and with arginine intake (p < .001). After adjusting for arginine intake and day of life, an inverse relationship was found between oxygenation index and plasma arginine concentrations: (p = .025). No similar relationship was found between oxygenation index and the concentration of total amino acids. A weak positive relationship was found between plasma arginine concentration and systemic blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Increments in the oxygenation index, reflective of an increased severity of RDS, are associated with a decrease in plasma arginine concentration. This finding may reflect arginine consumption by the nitric oxide synthase pathway in the lungs of premature infants with RDS, or may be explained by increased arginine catabolism. The lack of a similar relationship between total plasma amino acids and oxygenation index supports the first interpretation.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1995

Combined effects of blood pressure and body mass index on left ventricular structure in middle-aged males: cross-sectional and 2-year longitudinal results.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the 2-year longitudinal with the cross-sectional relationships of blood pressure and body mass index with echocardiographic left ventricular measurements in middle-aged males with no history of cardiovascular disease or hypertension. METHODS: M-mode echocardiograms of adequate quality were obtained at initial and 2-year follow-up examinations in 177 subjects. Measurements of left ventricular wall thickness and internal dimensions were made, and estimates of left ventricular mass/height were calculated. Longitudinal changes in left ventricular measurements and risk factors were computed as the differences between the follow-up and initial values. RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly associated with left ventricular mass/height and wall thickness in cross-sectional and in longitudinal analyses. Similar results were observed after adjusting for age, body mass index, sport activity and heart rate. Although body mass index was strongly related to left ventricular mass/height, wall thickness and internal dimension in the cross-sectional study, no significant associations were observed between changes in body mass index and in left ventricular measurements. CONCLUSIONS: The present study emphasizes the differential effects of spontaneous changes in blood pressure and body mass index on the evolution of the left ventricular mass in middle-aged males. Spontaneous changes in SBP during the 2-year follow-up period were associated with rapid changes in left ventricular structure. The 2-year period might not have been sufficient for body mass index to induce changes in left ventricular structure. The duration and amplitude of body weight changes which entail changes in left ventricular mass remain to be determined by further longitudinal investigations.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1995

Proliferative activity and DNA index do not significantly predict survival in primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Proliferative activity and DNA index were analyzed and correlated with histology and survival in 30 primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL) in immunocompetent patients. Proliferative activity was determined using mitotic activity index and volume-corrected mitotic index, percentage of Ki-67 (MIB-1) immunopositive nuclei and flow cytometric S-phase fraction. Twenty-nine PCNSL were of B-cell origin and one of T-cell; by Kiel classification there were 23% low grade and 77% high grade and by Working Formulation there were 7%, 73% and 20% low, intermediate and high grade tumors, respectively. Mean survival time for non-survivors (n = 26) was 11.5 months and median 6.5 months. When indicators of proliferative activity were evaluated against histological grading, correlation existed only between mitotic activity index and Kiel classification. None of the proliferation markers or DNA index correlated significantly with survival, but there was a trend for patients with higher volume-corrected mitotic index to have shorter survival. In conclusion, most PCNSL have poor prognosis irrespective of their histological grade and proliferative activity. Furthermore, because at present stereotactic biopsy is recommended for establishing the diagnosis, exact histological subtyping and determination of proliferation activity in such small samples appears to be of only marginal significance.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Construction and validation of the scoliosis quality of life index in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cross-sectional design was used to evaluate the Scoliosis Quality of Life Index (SQLI). SQLI is a 22-item self-reporting health-related quality-of-life questionnaire for idiopathic scoliosis patients. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to evaluate the psychometric qualities of SQLI. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: SQLI, a modification of the Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) questionnaire, is intended to be more applicable to patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) between 10 and 18 years of age. METHODS: Eighty-four subjects with a mean age of 14.9 years participated. We determined reliability, validity, distribution of scores, and clinical utility of SQLI in a hospital setting. Seventy patients were AIS patients (16 postsurgical, 30 braced, 24 unbraced) with a mean Cobb angle of 30.7 degrees, and 14 patients were sibling controls. RESULTS: Reliability: Intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability of the global index was very good (ICC 2,1 = 0.80); Spearman's rho correlations between items and domains was 0.39 to 0.89 and between domains and global index was 0.55 to 0.78; Cronbach's alpha scores were more than 0.80 (0.82-0.89). VALIDITY: construct validity was established by correlations between SQLI's global index and Quality of Life Profile for Spine Deformities (QLPSD) global index (Spearman's rho, 0.79) and between SQLI domains and QLPSD domains (0.46-0.81); discriminate validity was established by SQLI's global index successfully partitioned controls and AIS subjects (Kruskal-Wallis test, P = 0.0013). Time required by the patient averaged 2.5 minutes per administration. CONCLUSIONS: SQLI is reliable and valid and demonstrates satisfactory distribution of scores. SQLI is a promising instrument in the assessment of AIS patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Font adaptive word indexing of modern printed documents.

We propose an approach for the word-level indexing of modern printed documents which are difficult to recognize using current OCR engines. By means of word-level indexing, it is possible to retrieve the position of words in a document, enabling queries involving proximity of terms. Web search engines implement this kind of indexing, allowing users to retrieve Web pages on the basis of their textual content. Nowadays, digital libraries hold collections of digitized documents that can be retrieved either by browsing the document images or relying on appropriate metadata assembled by domain experts. Word indexing tools would therefore increase the access to these collections. The proposed system is designed to index homogeneous document collections by automatically adapting to different languages and font styles without relying on OCR engines for character recognition. The approach is based on three main ideas: the use of Self Organizing Maps (SOM) to perform unsupervised character clustering, the definition of one suitable vector-based word representation whose size depends on the word aspect-ratio, and the run-time alignment of the query word with indexed words to deal with broken and touching characters. The most appropriate applications are for processing modern printed documents (17th to 19th centuries) where current OCR engines are less accurate. Our experimental analysis addresses six data sets containing documents ranging from books of the 17th century to contemporary journals.

Abstracting and Indexing↗
PubMed2005

Is Helicobacter pylori seropositivity related to body mass index in the United States?

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection may decrease serum ghrelin and increase gastric leptin levels, which may, in turn, decrease body mass index. AIM: To determine whether H. pylori seropositivity is associated with body mass index. METHODS: Serum H. pylori and cytotoxin-associated gene product A (CagA) antibody levels were measured on 6724 adult participants of the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-91). We evaluated the association between H. pylori/CagA antibody status [both negative (-/-), H. pylori-positive/CagA-negative (+/-), or both positive (+/+)] and body mass index, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. We also investigated whether H. pylori/cytotoxin-associated gene product A antibody status was associated with fasting serum leptin levels. RESULTS: H. pylori/CagA antibody status was not associated with obesity (body mass index > or = 30 kg/m(2)) [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.2, 95% CI: 0.9-1.6 comparing (+/+) to (-/-) and adjusted OR 1.1, 95% CI: 0.8-1.5 comparing (+/-) to (-/-)], overweight (body mass index 25 to <30 kg/m(2)) [adjusted OR 1.0, 95% CI: 0.7-1.2 comparing (+/+) to (-/-) and adjusted OR 1.0, 95% CI: 0.8-1.3 comparing (+/-) to (-/-)], or fasting serum leptin level in the USA population. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori seropositivity and CagA antibody status are not associated with body mass index or fasting serum leptin level.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Modifying the Barthel Performance Index Score for use in patients with brain tumours.

Performance status scores are useful tools in the management of patients with malignant disease. No specific performance index score exist, however, for patients with glioma. The Barthel Index, has been used in our department because it has been widely used in patients following stroke and found useful. This study aims to establish whether a modification of the Barthel Index would be more appropriate for patients with glioma and, if so, what modifications should be made. The opinions of multidisciplinary health workers and carers experienced in helping patients with glioma were established by questionnaire. Difficulty with speech and the presence of seizures were statistically ranked the most significant disability in terms of overall performance status. As these are not included in the Barthel Index a modification is justified. However, to include new categories in a performance index but avoid increasing its complexity, existing categories have to be omitted. Therefore, the second aim of this study was to establish which categories within the Barthel contribute least to a change in the total score. Three-hundred-and-thirty-three prospectively recorded Barthel scores were evaluated in 81 patients over 2 years and the individual categories evaluated by multifactor analysis. The sensitivity of the categories 'bowel function' and 'independence in grooming' to a change in the total score was less than 1%. In conclusion, substituting 'speech difficulties' and the presence of seizure in place of 'bowel function' and 'independence in grooming' from the Barthel Index will improve the specificity for patients with glioma without reducing the sensitivity or acceptability for the patients and research nurses who most often complete them.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

The relationship between ankle-arm index and mortality in older men and women.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the ankle-arm blood pressure index is a useful predictor of mortality in a large group of patients aged 50 or older. DESIGN: Cohort study over a 13-year period. SETTING: Peripheral vascular laboratory in a hospital affiliated with an academic health center. PARTICIPANTS: 1,027 male and 903 female patients referred for arterial evaluation. OUTCOME MEASURES: All-cause and cause-specific mortality. RESULTS: A decrease in ankle-arm index was a strong independent predictor of all-cause mortality [relative risk (RR) for men = 1.8(95% CI 1.5, 1.9); for women = 1.5, (1.2, 2.0)] and atherosclerotic heart disease mortality [RR for men = 2.0 (1.4, 2.9); for women = 2.1 (1.4, 3.1)]. The risk of mortality was inversely proportional to the ankle-arm index. No relationship was found between the index and mortality due to stroke or cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a decreased ankle-arm index has important prognostic significance for mortality due to atherosclerotic heart disease in older men and women. Measurement of this index may be useful in identifying those at high risk who may benefit from aggressive therapeutic intervention.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1994

Nutrition and function: is there a relationship between body mass index and the functional capabilities of community-dwelling elderly?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if there is a relationship between body mass index and the ability to perform the usual activities of living in a sample of community-dwelling elderly. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis of The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey-I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study (1982-1984). Follow-up home interview of a population-based sample originally interviewed between 1971 and 1975 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey-I (NHANES-I). PARTICIPANTS: Survivors of the original NHANES-I cohort who were 65 years of age or older and who were living at home at the time of the second interview (n = 3061). Excluded were those who could not be found, refused participation, or were institutionalized (n = 220), and those without complete height and weight data (n = 194). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Functional status as measured by a 26-item battery. RESULTS: Bivariate analysis revealed a greater risk for functional impairment for subjects with a low body mass index or a high body mass index. The greater the extreme of body mass index (either higher or lower), the greater the risk for functional impairment. Logistic regression analysis indicated that both high and low body mass index continued to be significantly related to functional status when 22 other potential confounders were included in the model. CONCLUSION: The body mass index is related to the functional capabilities of community-dwelling elderly. The inclusion of this simple measurement in the comprehensive assessment of community-dwelling elderly is supported.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1976

Testing the internal and external validity of a simplified dental caries index on an adult population.

This analysis of a caries index, proposed in 1966 to WHO as a simplified method of measurement, as tested on a 16- to 45-year-old population who were seeking dental care at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry revealed several weaknesses associated with the index. An analysis of the external validity of this index, a comparison with subjects' DMFS scores, revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.71. Although the index purports to measure the prevalence and severity of dental caries by dividing the dentition into five zones representing increasing severity of dental caries experience, an analysis of this index's internal validity, i.e. whether these five zones truly represent a rank-order scale of severity, revealed misclassification rates of from 21% for the total population up to 44% for a subgroup. When zones were recombined to reduce the misclassification rates, the descriptive capabilities of the index were greatly reduced as most subjects were then classified in only one or two of the zones.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Prevalence and distribution of gingivitis, periodontitis and missing teeth in adolescents and adults according to GPM/T index.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the distribution and the prevalence of periodontal disease in adolescents and adults using the WHO method TRS 621 and to propose a method of presenting the results by a simple index system. On the basis of a medium term longitudinal 5-yr project 1048 subjects were examined in age group 1 (15-19 yr) and 425 subjects in age group 2 (35-44 yr). Each subject had a full mouth examination for the presence of supra- or subgingival calculus, pocketing, bleeding and recession and the PI (Russell). These epidemiologic data were characterized by the ratio Gingivitis:Periodontitis:Missing teeth by using solely the recordings for bleeding, pockets and missing teeth. The mean GPM index in Group 1 was 15.4:0.6:0.8. The mean GPM index in Group 2 was 12.0:4.6:7.7. The Periodontal Index is more subjective than the TRS 621 method. Full mouth recording is required for the suggested GPM/T index analogous to the DMFT index. This new scoring ratio makes it possible to present data of the progression rate of periodontal disease by the increment of tooth related P/T and M/T. Both indices with the common M-value (Missing) might be used for longitudinal programs of control and prevention of periodontal disease and dental caries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Associations between central obesity and indexes of hemostatic, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Results of a 1-year intervention from the Oslo Diet and Exercise Study.

The relationships of central obesity and physical fitness to indexes of hemostatic, lipid and glucose metabolism both at baseline and after 1 year of diet and exercise intervention were examined in 209 sedentary middle-aged men and women with increased coronary risk factor levels. Central obesity was measured as either waist circumference or waist/hip ratio. Maximal oxygen uptake was used as a measure of physical fitness. The cross-sectional results show that there were significant correlations between waist circumference and euglobuline clot lysis time (r = 0.23), factor VII (r = 0.16), glucose and insulin before and after 1 h glucose load (r ranging from 0.32 to 0.50). The 1-year intervention gave the following associations between changes in waist circumference and changes in: euglobuline clot lysis time (r = 0.27), factor VII (r = 0.19), carbohydrate variables and lipids (magnitude of r ranging from 0.19 to 0.43). Also the other indexes of obesity and physical fitness showed significant correlations to indexes of hemostatic, lipid and glucose variables, both cross-sectionally and for changes after the 1-year intervention. The associations between changes in central obesity and changes in indexes of hemostatic, carbohydrate and lipids were generally stronger during 1 year of diet and exercise intervention than those found at baseline. Multiple regression analyses with waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, percent body fat and Vo2 max as independent variables and indexes of hemostatic, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism as dependent variables showed that waist circumference was a significant predictor for indexes of the hemostatic, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, mostly independent of physical fitness. The cross-sectional and 1-year change results support each other and therefore underscore the importance of abdominal obesity as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Evaluation and use of an index of oral health status.

OBJECTIVES: The goals of this investigation were (1) to evaluate the Oral Health Status Index in relation to demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, and preventive behaviors of an adult population; and (2) to understand how individual index components performed as indicators of oral health status compared to the composite index. METHODS: The Oral Health Status Index (OHSI) was used on a probability sample of adults, aged 18-93 years, living in the Detroit tricounty area. Data were collected on 509 subjects via in-home dental examinations. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare the OHSI and its components, including decayed, missing, and replaced teeth, free ends, and moderate and severe periodontal disease measures. RESULTS: The mean OHSI score for subjects was 77.3 (SE = 1.83) with a range of -8.0 to 100.0. In regression analyses, OHSI scores were positively correlated with subjects' education level, self-rated oral health scores, and frequency of dental checkups and negatively correlated with age, nonwhite race, and smoking. Of the index components, missing teeth performed well as an indicator of oral health status. Missing teeth were positively correlated with age, nonwhite race, and smoking and negatively correlated with education level, self-rated oral health, and use of Medicaid. About 53 percent of variance in OHSI scores was explained by the multivariate models, compared to 46 percent for missing teeth. CONCLUSIONS: Choosing an indicator of oral health status likely will depend upon the characteristics of the population to be studied. As a composite measure of oral health status, the OHSI performed acceptably; however, missing teeth, an index component, also worked well. Continued evaluation of the OHSI is warranted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Specific caries index: A new system for describing untreated dental caries experience in developing countries.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a reproducible surface-specific caries index that provided qualitative and quantitative information about untreated dental caries, that could be used in conjunction with the DMFS index and would provide information on not only the caries prevalence but also the location and type of caries lesion in an individual based on clinical examination. METHODS: Untreated carious lesions were divided into six types based on the location of the lesions. 339 rural school children in the age group of 12-15 years were examined for dental caries using both the DMFS index and the Specific Caries Index. RESULTS: Type 1 and 2 were found to be the most common type of caries lesions. The reproducibility of the Specific Caries Index was also found to be good. CONCLUSIONS: Encouraging indications about the validity and reproducibility of this new caries index was found, suggesting the need for further studies to test its applicability in larger and different populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Further validation of the BILAG disease activity index in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association among the BILAG disease activity index components and their relations with global assessments, health status, and laboratory tests with regard to the validity of the BILAG index. METHODS: A cross sectional study of consecutive patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) attending a specialist lupus outpatient clinic between July 1994 and February 1995. The internal consistency of the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) index-a disease activity assessment system for SLE patients, based on the principle of the physician's intention to treat-was examined using Cronbach's coefficient alpha. The association of the components of the BILAG index with health status as measured with the MOS Short Form 20 (SF-20), with patients' and doctors' global assessments of patient wellbeing and with laboratory tests was analysed with Spearman rank correlations. RESULTS: 133 female and eight male patients, age 20.1 to 88.7 years (mean 41.1, SD 12.5), were included. With few exceptions, the components of the BILAG index which reflect disease activity in different organ systems were not associated with each other. With the exception of the mucocutaneous component, we found a significant relation between all components of BILAG and global assessment of patient wellbeing, health status, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, or serum C3 level. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms the validity of all but the mucocutaneous component of the BILAG index. However, disease activity in different organ systems in SLE does not follow a common pattern. Thus the individual BILAG components should be used rather than the total BILAG score as a primary endpoint in clinical and epidemiological studies. To capture the total effect of SLE on an individual measures of disease activity, damage, and health status are all needed.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Carbohydrates, dietary glycaemic load and glycaemic index, and risk of acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relation between selected carbohydrate foods, dietary glycaemic load and glycaemic index, and the risk of non-fatal acute myocardial infarction in a population with a high intake of refined carbohydrates. DESIGN AND SETTING: Hospital based case-control study conducted in Milan, Italy, between 1995 and 1999. PATIENTS: 433 non-diabetic subjects with a first episode of non-fatal acute myocardial infarction, and 448 controls admitted to hospital for a wide spectrum of acute conditions unrelated to known or potential risk factors for acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: Information was collected by interviewer administered questionnaires. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: Compared with patients in the lowest tertile of intake, the multivariate OR for those in the highest tertile was 1.00 for bread, 1.27 for pasta and rice, 1.38 for soups, 0.78 for potatoes, 0.97 for desserts, and 1.00 for sugar. The OR for the highest tertile of score was 1.08 for glycaemic load and 1.38 for glycaemic index. None of the estimates was significant. A significant association with acute myocardial infarction risk was found for glycaemic index in patients aged > or = 60 years (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.07 to 3.07 for the highest tertile of score compared with the lowest) and in those with a body mass index > or = 25 kg/m2 (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.21 to 3.34). CONCLUSIONS: In this Italian population high glycaemic load and glycaemic index were not strongly associated with acute myocardial infarction risk, but slightly increased odds ratios were observed for glycaemic index in elderly people and in association with overweight.

Adult↗