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Document the impact of an outbreak of gastroenteritis on local primary health care services, compared to a control period. Controlled observational study with data from the outbreak and a control period. Data obtained from electronic medical records (EMR) of general practitioners (GPs) and the out-of-hours (OOH) service. Telephone data from the OOH service's telephone records. Campylobacteriosis outbreak in Askøy municipality, Norway in 2019. Over 2000 individuals were infected. Patients in contact with GPs and the OOH service during the outbreak and a control period. Patient contacts with GPs and the OOH service during the outbreak and a control period. There was a 36% increase in contacts during the outbreak compared to the control period (4798 vs. 3528), with the OOH service handling 78% of outbreak-related contacts. Telephone advice was the dominant method for managing the increase in contacts to primary care, both in OOH services and daytime general practice (OR 3.73 CI: [3.24–4.28]). Children aged 0–4 years had increased use of primary care during the outbreak (OR 1.51 CI: [1.28–1.78]). GPs referred 25% and OOH services referred 75% of 70 hospitalized cases. The OOH service handled most of the patients during the outbreak, with support from daytime general practice. The outbreak caused a shift towards telephone advice as a means of providing care. Young children significantly increased their use of primary care during the outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS) is a common complication following gastroenteritis, and a high prevalence of postgiardiasis IBS has previously been reported. This study aims to investigate the prevalence, adjusted relative risk ( RRadj), and overlap of different functional gastrointestinal disorders ( FGID) according to Rome III criteria following infection with Giardia lamblia. Methods All patients ≥18 years of age with verified giardiasis during an outbreak in 2004, and a control group matched by age and gender, were mailed a questionnaire 3 years later. Key Results The prevalence of functional dyspepsia ( FD) was 25.9% in the exposed and 6.9% in the control group, RRadj: 3.9 (95% confidence intervals [ CI]: 3.1-4.8). The prevalence of IBS was 47.9% and 14.3%, respectively, with RRadj: 3.4 (95% CI: 3.0-3.8). Prevalence of other gastrointestinal symptoms ranged from 70.0% vs 39.7% for bloating ( RRadj: 1.8) to 8.3% vs 2.9% for nausea ( RRadj: 3.0) in the G iardia and the control group, respectively. Among individuals fulfilling criteria for IBS 44% in the exposed group and 29% in the control group also fulfilled criteria for FD. IBS subtypes based on Rome III criteria (stool consistency) showed poor agreement with subtypes based on frequency of bowel movements (Kappa-values: 0.17 and 0.27). Conclusions & Inferences There were high prevalences and RRs of IBS, FD and other gastrointestinal symptoms following acute giardiasis, and a high degree of overlap between the disorders. The agreement between different IBS subtype criteria varied, and there were also differences between the exposed and control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To assess the proportion of women who visit their doctor because of urinary incontinence and investigate factors associated with help-seeking. DESIGN: Postal invitation, questionnaire covering many health topics including urinary incontinence, received at a screening station. SETTING: The Norwegian EPINCONT Study is part of a large cross-sectional population-based survey performed in the county of Nord-Trondelag during the period 1995-97. SUBJECTS: 6625 women (out of 27,936 participating women), 20 years or older, categorised as incontinent according to their answers to the questionnaire. RESULTS: 26% of the incontinent women had seen a doctor for their incontinence. Increasing age, impact, severity and duration were all significantly associated with consultation rate, as were urge and mixed types compared with stress incontinence, and having visited any doctor during the previous 12 months. Fifty percent of the women with significant incontinence (moderate/severe incontinence perceived as troublesome) had seen a doctor because of their incontinence. CONCLUSIONS: Only a fourth of the women with any incontinence, and half of the women with significant incontinence had consulted a doctor. Older age and high impact of the symptoms were the factors most strongly associated with help-seeking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of fatigue and abdominal symptoms 2 years after Giardia lamblia infection. All 1262 cases who had Giardia-positive stool samples during an outbreak in 2004 in Norway received a questionnaire in 2006 asking about fatigue and abdominal symptoms. Fatigue was reported by 41%, whereas 38% reported abdominal symptoms, and there was a highly significant association between these symptoms. Increasing age was a highly significant risk factor for fatigue. The symptoms were not due to chronic infection in this cohort. Our data warrant further investigations into the late effects of giardiasis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]