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We evaluated the influence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection assessed by the levels of H. pylori serum IgG-antibodies, on iron status (serum ferritin and haemoglobin) in 2794 Danes (1425 men), aged 30-60 years. The seroprevalence of H. pylori antibodies increased with age (p < 0.01). Median serum ferritin levels were significantly lower in seropositive than in seronegative men and postmenopausal women (men 114 micrograms/L vs. 120 micrograms/L, p = 0.01; premenopausal women 37 micrograms/L vs. 40 micrograms/L, p = 0.13; postmenopausal women 63 micrograms/L vs. 77 micrograms/L, p = 0.02). Seropositive subjects had a higher prevalence of iron deficiency (serum ferritin < 15 micrograms/L) than seronegative subjects. H. pylori infection has a negative influence on iron status. We hypothesize that this may be caused by increased blood losses from the gastric mucosa.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between housing conditions, educational level, occupational factors, and serologically diagnosed acute and chronic Helicobacter pylori infection. IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies against Helicobacter pylori were measured by ELISA techniques in sera obtained from a random sample of 3589 Danes participating in a population study. Poor social status (odds ratio 2.2 [1.7-3.0]), short duration of schooling (odds ratio 2.0 [1.3-2.5]), lack of vocational training/education (odds ratio 1.4 [1.2-1.7]), unskilled work (odds ratio 1.7 [1.2-2.5]), and high work-related energy expenditure (odds ratio 1.4 [1.1-1.9]) increased the likelihood of chronic Helicobacter pylori infection. Chronic Helicobacter pylori infection was frequently found in people with a history of living abroad. Increased levels solely of IgM antibodies to H. pylori, interpreted as a sign of acute infection, were found more often in people who were divorced (odds ratio 2.3 [1.2-4.4]) or unmarried (odds ratio 2.0 [1.1-3.8]) and in people who worked long hours (odds ratio 2.0 [1.1-4.0]). In conclusion, educational and occupational factors relate to the likelihood of chronic Helicobacter pylori infection in adults. The rate of acute Helicobacter pylori infection is probably increased in single adults.

A rise in the number of adenocarcinomas of the lung and a fall in squamous cell carcinomas are seen in Denmark since 1978; a change based on a growing number of lung cancers among women with an excess of adenocarcinomas. A fall in the frequency of autopsies in Denmark will entail the loss of an essential control of the quality of diagnosis of lung cancer, primary or secondary, and make future descriptive studies difficult to interpret. The validity of morphologic diagnosis of lung cancer as recorded by the Danish Cancer Registry during 1943-1986 was assessed. We extracted a stratified random sample of 5% of all recorded cases prior to 1978, these were then recorded according to the ICD-O classification. Cases after 1978 were originally coded in the Registry according to ICD-O, here we checked the coding against the original reports. The information on morphology prior to 1978 was too inprecise to merit evaluation of trends and proportionate distributions by morphology. After 1978 data was adequate, and after 1983 very precise.