Previous studies have indicated that fat distribution is important in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We investigated the association between fat distribution, as measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and the incidence of stroke.
A cohort of 2751 men and women aged =40 years was recruited. Baseline levels of abdominal, gynoid and total body fat were measured by DXA. Body mass index (BMI, kg?m(-2)) was calculated. Stroke incidence was recorded using the regional stroke registry until subjects reached 75 years of age.
During a mean follow-up time of 8 years and 9 months, 91 strokes occurred. Of the adiposity indices accessed abdominal fat mass was the best predictor of stroke in women (hazard ratio (HR)=1.66, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.23-2.24 per standard deviation increase), whereas the ratio of gynoid fat to total fat mass was associated with a decreased risk of stroke (HR=0.72, 95% CI=0.54-0.96). Abdominal fat mass was the only of the adiposity indices assessed that was found to be a significant predictor of stroke in men (HR=1.49, 95% CI=1.06-2.09). The associations between abdominal fat mass and stroke remained significant in both women and men after adjustment for BMI (HR=1.80, 95% CI=1.06-3.07; HR=1.71, 95% CI=1.13-2.59, respectively). However, in a subgroup analyses abdominal fat was not a significant predictor after further adjustment for diabetes, smoking and hypertension.
Abdominal fat mass is a risk factor for stroke independent of BMI, but not independent of diabetes, smoking and hypertension. This indicates that the excess in stroke risk associated with abdominal fat mass is at least partially mediated through traditional stroke risk factors.
Accidental poisoning in pre-school children requiring hospital admission has increased sixfold from 1955 to 1975 in the Stockholm area. The mortality from this accident has decreased from 0.5 to less than 0.1 per 100 000 pre-school children in the whole of Sweden during the same period. Medical and psychosocial background factors were investigated in 104 consecutive in-patients (0--6 years old) with accidental poisoning and compared to an out-patient group, a group of patients who only had called the poison control centre, and a matched control group from Child Health Centres. There were no difference between the groups regarding health and history of earlier accidents except that 20--25% of the families of the poisoned children and 7% of the control families had called the Poison Control Centre before. Change of residence during the last 6 months was much commoner among families of poisoned children than of nonpoisoned. Other social stress factors were more common among in-patients than out-patients. The measures taken by the parents to combat the poisoning were adequate in most cases. The decrease in mortality inspite of the increase in potentially dangerous accidental poisonings may be attributed to a good knowledge among parents about adequate measures and where to seek advice resulting in early treatment, and to intensive care and antidote therapy.
Rehabilitation of the majority of hearing handicapped in Sweden consists of hearing aid fitting, provision of technical devices and information during about four visits to a Hearing Centre. Generally there is no structured guidance of the hearing handicapped on how to proceed with the hearing aid at home between appointments. A programme of active fitting (AF) of hearing aids, with a task-oriented diary, 'Try Your Hearing Aid' as a basic part, was therefore developed. We conducted a series of studies from 1985 to 1988 with the aim of investigating the benefit and applicability of the programme. A total of 128 new hearing aid candidates participated in three studies at the Sahlgrens hospital and at four other hearing centres in smaller Swedish towns. In a controlled study the AF group was more positive to their hearing aids and to the fitting period after 10 months. They used their hearing aids more frequently and felt psychologically more secure with them. It was established that the AF programme could well be applied in the clinical routine for a majority of new hearing aid patients. Old age per se was not found to be a relevant exclusion criterion. The positive outcome of the AF programme has stimulated the Swedish Institute of the Handicapped to print 'Try Your Hearing Aid' with a manual, and to introduce it to all hearing centres in Sweden.
BACKGROUND: A population-based case-control study was performed in Stockholm to assess the influence of air pollution on the occurrence of severe wheezing bronchitis in children. METHODS: The study included 197 children aged 4 months to 4 years, who were hospitalized because of breathing difficulties with wheezing, and 350 population controls. Information on potential risk factors for childhood wheezing and a residential history was obtained at home interview with parents. Outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations at home addresses and day care centres from birth on were estimated from validated models, mainly using data on traffic intensity from municipal registers. RESULTS: The risk of wheezing bronchitis was related to time-weighted mean outdoor NO2 exposure in girls (P = 0.02), but not in boys. A gas stove in the home appeared to be a risk factor primarily for girls. All analyses controlled for parental asthma and maternal smoking, which were independent risk factors for wheezing bronchitis. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that exposure to combustion products containing NO2 may be of particular importance for the development of wheezing bronchitis in girls.
The aim of this study was to assess the influence of social environmental factors on school performance and behavioural problems among 14-year-old children who had been exposed to amphetamine during foetal life. The study group comprised a cohort of 65 children who had suffered intrauterine exposure to amphetamine due to maternal drug abuse. This group has been followed since birth and examined at regular intervals. Information regarding the academic performance of the children was gathered from the school authorities. The psychosocial environment of the children was determined through interviews and through information obtained from the social authorities. Of the 64 children who attended a school within the state school system, 10 (15%) were a year behind for their age. The mean grades were significantly lower than those of their classmates. Behavioural problems were mentioned in the social authority documentation of one-third of the children, regardless of whether the child was placed in a foster home or was residing with the biological mother. A positive significant correlation was found between maternal age and the outcome of the children, as well as between therapy during pregnancy and outcome, whilst several environmental factors, particularly during the child's first four years, correlate negatively to outcome. Psychosocial factors early in life influence the outcome at 14 years. The positive effect of intervention during pregnancy illustrates the importance of early identification preferable during pregnancy.
The adverse effects of amphetamine addiction during pregnancy and the neonatal period were studied in 69 Swedish women. Almost one-third of the women (Group I) succeeded in overcoming their addiction in early pregnancy. The women in Group I (n = 17), unlike those in Group II (n = 53), received the same amount of prenatal care as the average Swedish woman. An increased rate of preterm deliveries (25%) as well as a higher perinatal mortality (7.5%) was found in Group II. During the neonatal period an increased incidence of mother-infant separation was found since many of the infants (46%) were transferred to pediatric wards for medical and social reasons. All newborns in Group I and 74% of infants born to mothers with continuous amphetamine addiction throughout pregnancy remained in their mother's custody following discharge from the maternity clinic.
Sixty-five children born to women who all used amphetamine during pregnancy have been followed prospectively since birth 1976-77. They have been tested and examined at one, 4 and 8 years of age. In addition, information about the school situation was collected after 10 years. Twenty percent of the children were put in foster homes at birth, and after 10 years 70% were in foster homes. The children showed a normal intellectual capacity. However, at 10 years of age 8 children (12%) attended one class below what was normal for their biological age (normal in Sweden
Sixty-five children born to women who all abused amphetamine during pregnancy have been followed prospectively since their birth in 1976-77. At the age of 14-15 years, information about growth and school achievement was collected from school records. For comparison of school achievements the means of schoolmates were used, and for growth a group of Stockholm children born in the same year. By the age of 14 years only 14 children (22%) had stayed with their biological mothers for the whole period since birth. In the eighth grade, 10 (15%) were one grade lower than indicated by their biological age. The norm for Sweden is less than 5%. The means of the points in mathematics, Swedish language and sports were statistically below those of their classmates. At the age of 10 years the girls were significantly shorter and lighter than their peers born in 1976. At the age of 14 years the boys were statistically taller and heavier than their peers. It can be concluded that maternal amphetamine abuse during pregnancy will influence children at lest up to the age of 14-15 years even though many of them have been living in foster homes since a young age.
During the period 1973--1976, a significant decrease in perinatal mortality from 14.2 to 10.4/10 newborns occurred in Sweden. In the Stockholm area, the mean perinatal mortality during the same period varied significantly between the different maternity hospitals, even when pre-term and high risk pregnancies were excluded from the comparison. The majority of hospitals with fewer deliveries and without pediatric wards had a perinatal mortality above the mean. Some explanations of these differences were also looked for in differences between the total population of the referral area of each maternity hospital. In the referral areas of the hospitals with a perinatal mortality above the mean, there were higher percentages of low-income households and over-crowded dwellings and fewer professional people than in the other area. The results suggest a need for analysis of individually-based data to find etiological factors which account for differences in perinatal mortality.
AIM: Palivizumab (Synagis) was registered in Sweden in 1999 for prophylaxis against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in premature infants. The high costs and the limited knowledge of the efficacy of this substance have led to debate about how and when it should be used. National guidelines for the use of palivizumab in Sweden were constructed in the year 2000. The aim of this study was to evaluate the guidelines. METHODS: A nation-wide prospective study was conducted during the two RSV seasons of the years 2000-2002. The paediatric departments in Sweden reported the use of palivizumab, the indication for its use, and the number of infants born preterm before 36 wk of gestation and less than 2 y old who were admitted to hospital for RSV infection. RESULTS: During the two seasons, 218 (3.8%) children who were born before 36 wk of gestation, and 97 (5.4%) who were born before 33 wk, were hospitalized because of RSV infection. Five children were treated with mechanical ventilation. No death caused by RSV was reported. A total of 390 children were treated with palivizumab, and 16 (4.1%) of those who received prophylactic treatment were admitted to hospital with RSV infection. CONCLUSION: We consider the comparatively restrictive Swedish recommendations to be safe and recommend that palivizumab should also be used very restrictively in the future. In our opinion, palivizumab in preterm children could be recommended only for those with chronic lung disease younger than 1 y of age, and with active treatment for their disease.
