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Background: Psychosocial stress and depression are established risk factors for cardiovascular disease and a relationship to periodontitis has been suggested. We studied symptoms of depression and their relation to myocardial infarction and periodontitis. Methods: In a Swedish case-control study, 805 patients, <75 years with a first myocardial infarction and 805 controls without myocardial infarction were matched for age, gender and geographic area. Mean age was 62±8 years and 81% were male. Standardised physical examination and dental panoramic X-ray for grading of periodontal status was performed. Medical history including risk factors related to cardiovascular disease and periodontitis was collected as was detailed information on perceived stress at home and work, and symptoms of depression (Montgomery Åsberg Depression Scale). A Montgomery Åsberg Depression Scale score ⩾13 was considered clinically relevant. Results: A family history of cardiovascular disease, smoking and divorce was more frequent among patients than controls. Patients had more symptoms of depression than controls (14 vs 7%; p<0.001) but received less anti-depressive treatment (16 vs 42%; p<0.001). Symptoms of depression doubled the risk for myocardial infarction (Montgomery Åsberg Depression Scale: odds ratio 2.17 (95% confidence interval 1.41–3.34)). There was no difference in symptoms of depression between study participants with and without periodontitis. Conclusion: Patients with a first myocardial infarction were more frequently depressed than matched controls without myocardial infarction, but received less anti-depressive treatment. A relationship between depression and periodontitis could not be confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: the aim of this study was to identify whether factors beyond anatomical abnormalities are associated with low back pain (LBP) and LBP with sciatica (SCI) in older men. Material and methods: Mister Osteoporosis Sweden includes 3,014 men aged 69-81 years. They answered questionnaires on lifestyle and whether they had experienced LBP and SCI during the preceding 12 months. About 3,007 men answered the back pain (BP) questions, 258 reported BP without specified region. We identified 1,388 with no BP, 1,361 with any LBP (regardless of SCI), 1,074 of those with LBP also indicated if they had experienced LBP (n = 615), LBP+SCI (n = 459). Results: about 49% of those with LBP and 54% of those with LBP+SCI rated their health as poor/very poor (P < 0.001). Men with any LBP to a greater extent than those without BP had poor self-estimated health, depressive symptoms, dizziness, fall tendency, serious comorbidity (diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, pulmonary disease and/or cancer) (all P < 0.001), foreign background, were smokers (all P < 0.01), had low physical activity and used walking aids (all P < 0.05). Men with LBP+SCI to a greater extent than those with LBP had lower education, lower self-estimated health, comorbidity, dizziness and used walking aids (all P < 0.001). Conclusions: in older men with LBP and SCI, anatomical abnormalities such as vertebral fractures, metastases, central or lateral spinal stenosis or degenerative conditions may only in part explain prevalent symptoms and disability. Social and lifestyle factors must also be evaluated since they are associated not only with unspecific LBP but also with LBP with SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Impaired emotional well-being has detrimental effects on health outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Aims: To evaluate a nurse-led Coping Effectiveness Training (CET) group intervention for patients with CHF. It was hypothesized that CET would increase emotional well-being (primary outcome) and health-related quality (HRQoL) of life and improve clinical outcomes. Furthermore, changes in appraisal and coping as mediators of the intervention effect were examined. Methods: Participants were randomized to either control group (n=51) receiving standard health care or CET intervention group (n=52). Self-assessments of positive affect, negative affect, depression, anxiety, HRQoL, illness perception, coping strategies and social support were performed pre- and post-intervention and after six weeks, six months and 12 months. Time to death and hospitalizations were measured during the entire follow-up (median 35 months, interquartile range 11 months). Results: No significant improvements for emotional well-being and HRQoL in the intervention group compared with the control group were found. After excluding patients with clinical anxiety and depression at baseline the intervention group had significantly lower negative affect (p = 0.022). There were no significant differences regarding cardiovascular events between the groups. The intervention group had greater sense of control over their illness in the short-term (p = 0.036). Conclusion: CET intervention was found to increase sense of control over the illness in the short term. Psychosocial support programmes, like CET, for patients with CHF is currently lacking evidence for implementing in clinical practice. However, the results provide a basis for future studies with a modified CET intervention design and increased study size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The association between victimisation and adverse health in children is well established but few studies have addressed the effect of victimisation, especially multiple victimisations, in older adolescents and young adults. The aim of this study was to assess self-reported health in young women (15-22 years) victimised to one or more types of violence, compared with non-victimised. Methods: Young women visiting youth health centres in Sweden answered a questionnaire constructed from standardised instruments addressing violence victimisation (emotional, physical, sexual and family violence), socio-demographics, substance use and physical and mental health. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and attributable risk (AR) were assessed. Results: Of 1051 women (73% of eligible women), 25% were lifetime victims of one type of violence and 31% of two or more types of violence. Sexual-minority young women were more victimised than heterosexual women. Violence victimisation increased the risk for adverse health outcomes, especially evident for those multiply victimised. Victims of two or more types of violence had AOR 11.8 (CI 6.9-20.1) for post-traumatic stress symptoms, 6.3 (CI 3.9-10.2) for anxiety symptoms and 10.8 (CI 5.2-22.5) for suicide ideation. The AR of victimisation accounted for 41% of post-traumatic stress symptoms, 30% of anxiety symptoms and 27% of suicide ideation. Stratified analyses showed that lower economic resources did not influence health negatively for non-victimised, whereas it multiplicatively reinforced ill-health when combined with violence victimisation. Conclusion: Violence victimisation, and particularly multiple victimisations, was strongly associated with mental ill-health in young women, especially evident in those with low economic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Person-centred care (PCC) aims to engage patients as active partners in their care and treatment to improve the management of their illness. Self-efficacy is an important concept and outcome in PCC as it refers to a patient’s belief in their capability to manage the events that affect their lives. Recovery after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is demanding and a PCC approach may promote self-efficacy and thereby facilitate recovery. Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a PCC intervention was able to improve self-efficacy after hospitalization for ACS. Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, patients <75 years of age and hospitalized for ACS were assigned to either a usual care group or a PCC intervention group. Self-efficacy was assessed at baseline and up to six months after discharge using the Swedish Cardiac Self-Efficacy Scale (S-CSES), which consists of three dimensions: control symptoms, control illness and maintain functioning. Results: In total, 177 patients were included in the study: 93 in the usual care group and 84 in the PCC group. At the one-month follow-up the PCC group had improved significantly more (p=0.049) on the control symptoms dimension (mean change 0.81; SD 3.5 versus mean change −0.20; SD 3.0). No difference between groups was seen at the six-month follow-up in any of the S-CSES dimensions. Conclusions: Our results indicate that PCC added to usual care promotes and hastens the development of patients’ confidence in their ability to manage symptoms during recovery after ACS. This underlines the importance of initiating and establishing partnerships between patients and health care professionals as early as possible after ACS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: while there is a trend towards a compression of disability, secular trends in physiological frailty have not been investigated. The aim of this paper was to report physiological frailty in two cohorts of 75-year olds examined in 1987 and 2005. Methods: a repeated cross-sectional study. Two population-based birth cohorts of community-dwelling 75-year olds from Gothenburg, Sweden, born in 1911-12 (n = 591) and 1930 (n = 637) were examined with identical methods in 1987 and 2005. Measures were three frailty criteria from Fried's frailty phenotype: low physical activity, slow gait speed and self-reported exhaustion. Results: seventy-five-year olds examined in 2005 were less frail according to the criteria low physical activity compared with those examined in 1987 (3 versus 18%, P < 0.001).This was seen both in women and in men, and among those with basic and more than basic educational level. Further, men with basic education were less frail in 2005 compared with those in 1987 in slow gait speed (non-significant when adjusted for body height) and low self-rated fitness, while no cohort differences were seen in men with more than basic education. Women with more than basic education were less frail in 2005 compared with those in 1987 in slow gait speed and self-rated fitness, while no cohort difference was seen in women with basic education. Conclusion: less 75-year olds were physiologically frail in 2005 compared with those in 1987, with the exception of women with low educational level, suggesting that this is a disadvantaged group that needs to receive particular attention with regard to physiological frailty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiovascular morbidity, not least among elderly people, and is treated with different classes of cardiovascular pharmacotherapies.Hypothesis: cardiovascular drugs may have a different impact on survival in elderly patients with AF in primary health care.Methods: a cohort of 3,020 men and 3,749 women aged ≥75 and diagnosed with AF were selected from 75 primary care centres in Sweden. Laplace regression was used with years to death of the first 10% of the participants as the outcome. Independent variables were prescribed cardiovascular drugs. Regression models were adjusted for a propensity score comprising age, cardiovascular co-morbidities, socio-economic factors and other cardiovascular pharmacotherapies.Results: overall, mortality was 18.2%. The main finding of this study was survival increases associated with anticoagulants versus no treatment and versus antiplatelets of 1.95 years (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43–2.48) and 0.78 years (95% CI 0.38–1.18), respectively, and survival increases associated with thiazides and calcium channel blockers of 0.81 years (95% CI 0.43–1.18) and 0.83 years (95% CI 0.47–1.18), respectively, in men and women together (results from sex-adjusted models).Conclusion: our findings suggest that anticoagulants, thiazides and calcium channel blockers may lead to longer survival in elderly patients with AF. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: little is known about the prevalence of at-risk drinking in older adults.Objective: to compare rates of at-risk drinking in 75-year-olds examined in 1976–77 and in 2005–06.Design: cross-sectional survey.Setting: two samples representative of the general population in Gothenburg, Sweden.Participants: 75-year-olds born in 1901–02 (n = 303) and in 1930 (n = 753).Methods: participants took part in a multidisciplinary study on health and ageing. Protocols regarding alcohol consumption were identical for both cohorts. Total weekly alcohol intake was estimated and at-risk drinking was defined as ≥100 g alcohol/week.Results: the proportion abstaining differed significantly between birth cohorts (18% in 1976–77 versus 9% in 2005, P < 0.001). Frequencies of drinking beer and liquor were similar in the two cohorts for men, but were lower for women in the later-born cohort. Proportions drinking wine were higher in the later-born cohort for both sexes. Total weekly alcohol intake was higher for both men and women. At-risk drinking was observed in 19.3% of the men in the earlier-born cohort, and in 27.4% in the later-born cohort (P = 0.117). Corresponding figures for women were 0.6 and 10.4% (P < 0.001). At-risk drinking was significantly associated with birth cohort in women (OR: 13.77, CI: 1.82–104.0, P = 0.011) and the occupational group in men (OR: 1.60, CI: 1.13–2.26, P = 0.008).Conclusions: alcohol consumption in 75-year-olds has changed markedly, especially in women. Studies need to be carried out in varied settings in order to evaluate the clinical and public health implications of changing trends in alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Pain medicine still lacks mechanism-specific biomarkers to guide diagnosis and treatment, and defective top-down modulation is an important factor in the pathophysiology of chronic pain conditions. Using modern analytical tools and advanced multivariate statistical analysis, the aim of this study was to revisit two classical potential biomarkers of pro- and anti-nociception in humans (substance P and beta-endorphin), focusing particularly on the cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF). Design Cross-sectional, comparative, observational study. Subjects Patients with chronic, post-traumatic and/or post-surgical, neuropathic pain refractory to conventional treatment (N = 15) and healthy controls (N = 19) were included. Methods Samples were taken from CSF and blood, and levels of substance P and beta-endorphin were investigated using a Luminex technology kit. Results We found low levels of beta-endorphin in the CSF of neuropathic pain patients (66 ± 11 pcg/mL) compared with healthy controls (115 ± 14 pcg/mL) ( P = 0.017). Substance P levels in the CSF did not differ (20 ± 2 pcg/mL, 26 ± 2, P = 0.08). However, our multivariate data analysis showed that belonging to the patient group was associated with low levels of both substances in the CSF. A higher correlation between the levels of beta-endorphin and substance P in CSF was found in healthy controls than in patients (rs = 0.725, P < 0.001 vs rs = 0.574, P = 0.032). Conclusions Patients with chronic neuropathic pain due to trauma or surgery had low levels of beta-endorphin in the CSF. We speculate that this could indicate a defective top-down modulation of pain in chronic neuropathic pain. Our results also illustrate the importance of taking a system-wide, multivariate approach when searching for biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine independence in activities of daily living (ADL) at the 1- and 2-year follow-ups of the health-promoting study Elderly Persons in the Risk Zone. Design and Method: A randomized, three-armed, single-blind, and controlled study. A representative sample of 459 independent and community-dwelling older adults, 80 years and older, were included. A preventive home visit was compared with four weekly multiprofessional senior group meetings including a follow-up home visit. Results: Analysis showed a significant difference in favor of the senior meetings in postponing dependence in ADL at the 1-year follow-up (odds ratio [OR] = 1.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.19–3.10) and also in reducing dependence in three (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.31–0.86) and four or more ADL (OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.22–0.72) at the 2-year follow-up. A preventive home visit reduced dependence in two (OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.24–0.68) and three or more ADL (OR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.17–0.80) after 1 year. Implications: A long-term evaluation of Elderly Persons in the Risk Zone showed that both senior meetings and a preventive home visit reduced the extent of dependence in ADL after 1 year. The senior meetings were superior to a preventive home visit since additional significant effects were seen after 2 years. To further enhance the long-term effects of the senior meetings and support the process of self-change in health behavior, it is suggested that booster sessions might be a good way of reinforcing the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: the number of nonagenarians increases dramatically worldwide.Objectives: to examine the prevalence of stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and dementia, their inter-relationship and their relation to 2-year mortality and institutionalisation in 97 year olds.Methods: a population-based sample of 97 year olds (n = 591) was examined. Information on stroke/TIA was obtained from self-reports, key informants and hospital discharge registers. Dementia was diagnosed according to DSM-III-R criteria.Results: the response rate was 65%. The prevalence of dementia was 32.7% in men and 59.3% in women (P < 0.001). The prevalence of stroke/TIA was 21.5% (17.8% in men, 22.3% in women). Stroke/TIA was related to dementia in women (odds ratio = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2–3.0), but not in men. Dementia, but not stroke/TIA, was related to 2-year mortality and institutionalisation in logistic regression models.Conclusion: dementia was very common in this age group, and related to mortality and institutionalisation. Stroke/TIA in 97 year olds showed less association with dementia, mortality and institutionalisation than reported in studies of younger elderly populations. The finding that stroke was not associated with dementia in men needs to be taken cautiously due to the small number of men. The findings also emphasise that more studies are needed to scrutinise the aetiology of dementia in nonagenarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To study the longitudinal development of pulmonary function in patients with primary SS (pSS) and its association with respiratory symptoms, pulmonary radiographic findings and clinical features of pSS.Methods. Forty-one pSS patients, previously evaluated by pulmonary function tests (PFTs), were included in the study. The patients were studied at baseline and follow-up by PFT and at follow-up also by high-resolution CT scan of the lungs, the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire and by inflammatory and serological tests. The PFT results were compared with previously studied population-based controls, standardizing results with regard to gender, age, height, weight and tobacco consumption.Results. The mean follow-up time was 11 years. The pSS patients displayed signs of both obstructive and restrictive lung disease at baseline and at follow-up, and deteriorated in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), ratio of FEV1 to vital capacity and in diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide during follow-up. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was diagnosed in 37% of the pSS patients at follow-up. In pSS patients, respiratory symptoms and radiographic abnormalities were common, although with a poor association with PFT variables.Conclusion. The pSS patients showed signs of both obstructive and restrictive pulmonary disease and COPD commonly developed during follow-up. Respiratory symptoms and radiographic abnormalities were common but poorly associated with PFT in pSS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective. To explore possible association between disease activity at 3-month follow-up after RA diagnosis and costs over the following 4 years.Methods. Three-hundred and twenty patients with early (&leq;1 year) RA were assessed at regular intervals. Clinical and laboratory data were collected and patients reported health-care utilization and number of days lost from work. At 3-month follow-up, patients were divided into two groups according to disease activity, using DAS-28 with a cut-off level at 3.2. Direct and indirect costs and EuroQol-5D over the following 4 years were compared between the groups. Multivariate regression models were used to control for possible covariates.Results. Three months after diagnosis, a DAS-28 level of &geq;3.2 was associated with high direct and indirect costs over the following 4 years. Patients with DAS-28 &geq; 3.2 at 3-month follow-up had more visits to physician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist and nurse, higher drug costs, more days in hospital and more extensive surgery compared with patients with 3-month DAS-28 < 3.2. Number of days lost from work due to sick leave and permanent work disability was also higher in this group. The effect of disease activity on health-related quality of life was highly significant. In regression models, DAS-28 at 3-month follow-up was significantly associated with costs over the following years.Conclusions. Three months after diagnosis, DAS-28 is an important prognostic marker regarding health-care utilization and costs. Achieving remission or low disease activity 3 months after diagnosis is likely to decrease morbidity, increase quality of life and save costs for the patient and for society over the following years. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]