To investigate how close we can come to the aetiology of acute bronchitis in adults in a primary care setting.
Prospective study.
General practice population in Gardabaer district, south-western Iceland.
140 patients > or = 16 years old who were diagnosed as having acute bronchitis during a two-year period (1992-1993).
Laboratory investigations (twice with a minimum four-week interval), used in general practice to analyse respiratory tract infections. They included serology for Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory tract viruses, and the level of C-reactive protein.
Of a total of 140 patients, two blood samples were taken on scheduled time in 113 patients. Serology confirmed recent infection in 18 (16%) of these patients. Only two (2%) had a bacterial infection (one C. pneumoniae, one M. pneumoniae). The others (84%) did not have a significant increase in antibody titres. Only four (4%) had C-reactive protein levels higher than 48 mg/l.
The study indicates that it is difficult to come close to a precise aetiology with respect to infectious agents of acute bronchitis in general practice. We conclude that the disease is rarely caused by atypical bacteria such as C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae, and rarely caused by bacterial infections severe enough significantly to increase the level of C-reactive protein.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of adverse reactions to food and food allergy in Icelandic and Swedish 18-month-old children. DESIGN: Prospective multicentre comparative study. SETTING: Primary health care centres in Sweden and Iceland. SUBJECTS: A total of 324 children in Iceland and 328 in Sweden who attended for regular 18-month check-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Adverse reaction to food according to questionnaire, and food allergy according to skin prick tests and double blind food challenge tests. RESULTS: Adverse reactions to food were reported in 27% of children in Iceland and 28% in Sweden. Food allergy was confirmed in 2.0% in both countries. Allergy among other family members was reported in 45% of the Icelandic children and 62% in the Swedish (p
In a prospective population study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden, three examinations were conducted with 12-year intervals between 1968-1969 and 1992-1993. There were 1462 participants aged 38-60 years in the baseline study in 1968-1969, with a participation rate of 90.1%. This paper describes longitudinal changes and secular trends with respect to women's alcohol habits. An alcohol frequency questionnaire was validated at baseline and was re-administered at all examinations. Between 1968-1969 and 1980-1981, the proportion of alcohol abstainers decreased significantly both in 38-year-old and 50-year-old women. Women reporting alcohol intake at least once per week had higher socio-economic status and higher education than other women. Serum gamma-glutamyl transpepsidase concentration was higher in women with the heavier alcohol intake, while a number of potential cardiovascular risk indicators were higher in women with the lower intake. Daily intake of wine and spirits was about as common at all three examinations, whereas moderate intake of wine and spirits was more common in 1980-1981 and 1992-1993 than in 1968-1969. There seemed to be an increase in overall consumption of alcohol, mainly due to the increase in moderate drinking, but there was no indication of a large increase in heavy consumption of alcohol.
Bacteriuria in a population sample of women: 24-year follow-up study. Results from the prospective population-based study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The aims of the study were to estimate the prevalence of bacteriuria in a female urban population, to follow up the same population over the years, and to relate bacteriuria to long-term prognosis with respect to mortality and kidney disease. The study was based on a randomly selected population sample comprising 1462 women aged 38-60 years at entrance to the study in 1968-69 with an initial participation rate of 90.1%. Bacteriuria was observed in 3-5%, increasing with age, and most often asymptomatic. Bacteriuria on one occasion meant increased risk of having bacteriuria 6 and 12 years later. The percentages of different types of bacteria and the resistance pattern were similar initially and at follow-up studies after 6 and 12 years. There were no differences in mortality or incidence of severe kidney disease during a 24-year follow-up between those with and those without bacteriuria in the baseline study.
The aim of this study was to analyse how long babies born in Akureyri district in 1990 were breast-fed, compared with babies born in 1985. Possible predictive factors for the length of breast-feeding were studied by univariate and multivariate analyses. From 1985 to 1990, the proportion of infants exclusively breast-fed at the age of 3 months increased from 57% to 70% (p
A longitudinal population study of 1462 women aged 38-60 was carried out from 1968-9 to 1980-1 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The initial and follow up examinations included questions concerning history of diabetes and antihypertensive treatment. A considerably increased risk of developing diabetes was observed for subjects with hypertension taking diuretics (895 patient years), subjects taking beta blockers (682 patient years), and subjects taking a combination of diuretics and beta blockers (281 patient years) compared with subjects not taking antihypertensive drugs (13 855 control years). When diuretics and beta blockers were compared no difference was found in relative risk. Despite this increased risk, and because little is known about the relation between other forms of antihypertensive treatment and diabetes, diuretics and beta blockers should remain the treatments of choice in arterial hypertension.
OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation of antimicrobial consumption with the carriage rate of penicillin resistant and multiresistant pneumococci in children. DESIGN: Cross sectional and analytical prevalence study. SETTING: Five different communities in Iceland. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage of penicillin resistant pneumococci in children aged under 7 years in relation to antibiotic use as determined by information from parents, patient's records, and total sales of antimicrobials from local pharmacies in four study areas. RESULTS: Total antimicrobial sales for children (6223 prescriptions) among the four areas for which data were available ranged from 9.6 to 23.2 defined daily doses per 1000 children daily (1.1 to 2.6 courses yearly per child). Children under 2 consumed twice as much as 2-6 year olds (20.5 v 10.9 defined daily doses per 1000 children daily). Nasopharyngeal specimens were obtained from 919 children, representing 15-38% of the peer population groups in the different areas. Pneumococci were carried by 484 (52.7%) of the children, 47 (9.7%) of the isolates being resistant to penicillin or multiresistant. By multivariate analysis age (
OBJECTIVE--To assess the effect of workplace-oriented dietary intervention on serum lipids. DESIGN--A cohort study. Screening for blood lipids and subsequent dietary intervention performed at a ferro-alloy factory where all the workers have at least one meal per working day served by the factory kitchen. SETTING--Employees at Grundartangi ferro-alloy factory, Iceland. SUBJECTS--From 1 June 1989 to 1 June 1991, 155 workers participated in the screening and prevention programme. INTERVENTION--Changing the food served by the kitchen to 200 workers by lowering the total number of calories and increasing the content of fibre and unsaturated fats in the diet. RESULTS--The mean serum cholesterol was lowered from 6.64 to 6.09 mmol/l or by -8.28% for the whole group (p
OBJECTIVE--To establish epidemiological data on the health problems within family practice in Iceland by multicentre analysis of well-defined geographic areas. DESIGN--Prospective practice audit. SUBJECTS AND SETTINGS--Thirteen Icelandic health centres (HC) with computerized contact data from 1 January - 31 December 1988. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Health problems during one year in a population, as perceived by health care providers. RESULTS--A total of 176 384 health problems during one year in a population of 31 248, as perceived by the health care provider, were analysed. Musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 9.3% of all health problems (prevalence 210.6/1000 inhabitants), respiratory disorders 9.4% (189.9/1000), accidents 7.4% (203.2/1000), cardiovascular disorders 7.4% (112.0/1000) and mental disorders 6.1% (87.6/1000). The commonest single health problems were: hypertension, upper respiratory tract infections and non-articular rheumatism. The health problems accounting for the most frequent contacts were: mental disorders (4.0 contacts per individual per year), cardiovascular (3.7), and endocrine, nutrition and metabolic (3.2). CONCLUSION--Problem-oriented medical records from HCs, computerized in a uniform standardized way, can give extensive information about the content and burden of health problems in family practice and presumably public health. Our results are valuable because the population (the denominator) and the geographic study area are well defined. This information is an important part of clinical epidemiology and can be of great value for educators and health care planners.
OBJECTIVES: To follow the clinical course of herpes zoster and to determine the incidence, frequency of complications and association with malignancy in children and adolescents. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study in a primary health care setting in Iceland. The main outcome measures were age and sex distribution of patients and discomfort or pain 1, 3 and 12 months after the rash and general health before and 3 to 6 years after the zoster episode. RESULTS: During observation of the target population for a period of 75750 person years, 121 episodes of acute zoster developed (incidence 1.6/1000/year) in 118 patients. End points were gained for all 118 patients after 554 person years of follow-up. Systemic acyclovir was never used. No patient developed postherpetic neuralgia, moderate or severe pain or any pain lasting longer than 1 month from start of the rash (95% confidence interval, 0 to 0.03). Potential immunomodulating conditions were diagnosed in 3 patients (2.5%) within 3 months of contracting zoster. Only 5 (4%) had a history of severe diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The probability of postherpetic neuralgia in children and adolescents is extremely low. Zoster is seldom associated with undiagnosed malignancy in the primary care setting.
