Search

Background and Hypothesis: Causes and risk factors for community-acquired acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) have not been thoroughly studied. The aim of this study was to examine the risk factors for CA-AKI., Methods: In this prospective study, we examined serum creatinine from all individuals visiting a university hospital's emergency department (ED) over an 11-month period for the presence of AKI defined according to the KDIGO criteria. Patients with AKI were invited to participate. Randomly selected controls (1:2) were paired according to age, sex, and date of admission. Participants answered questions about their medical history and medication use, including over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Conditional logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with AKI., Results: Of 602 AKI cases identified, 512 participated in the study. AKI cases were significantly more likely than controls to have used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (26.0 % vs 18.0 %, p = 0,001) in the week preceding the ED visit, particularly OTC NSAIDs (23.3 % vs 15.9 %, p < 0.001). AKI was associated with a recent history of vomiting (OR 2.52 [95 %CI 1.87-3.39]), diarrhea (1.30 [1.00-1.70]) and urinary retention (1.92 [1.36-2.72]), use of non-selective NSAIDs (1.84, [1.37-2.48]), RAAS blockers (1.63 [1.21-2.19]), and diuretics (1.53 [1.13-2.08]), and a history of diabetes (1.42 [1.04-1.94]), CKD (1.36 [1.01-1.83]) and smoking (1.72 [1.24-2.37])., Conclusions: Events in the setting of acute illness and medication use, including OTC NSAIDs, may play a greater role in the development of CA-AKI than comorbid conditions. Frequent use of OTC NSAIDs is a concern and should be addressed in view of serious adverse effects., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction: In recent decades there has been a notable increase in the prescription of opioids in western countries. With this rise in use of opioids the risk of side effects, opioid abuse and deaths linked to opioids have become more apparent. The increase in opioid prescription may partly stem from a change in attitude in relation to pain management. Research has shown that pain is among the most common reasons people seek medical care and chronic pain is prevalent. Iceland is leading the Nordic countries in opioid prescriptions., Objective: To examine prescriptions of opioids in primary car in Iceland for all age group from 2008 to 2017., Methods: The research included all opioid prescription in every health clinic in the capital area in Iceland the between 2008 and 2017. Population in the capital area in this time period was between 201 and 222 thousand people. Data was collected from medical records database of the primary health care and approximatley 68.000 individuals had received a prescription for opioids during the research period., Results: During the research period there was a 17,2% (p<0,01) increase in DDD/1000 inhabitants/day (Defined daily dose) for opioids. About a third of those who got the prescription were men and that ratio did not change during the period. proportionately, the biggest change in DDD/1000 inhabitants/day was in the age group made of people 90 years old and older, about 40,5% ((p<0,01)). The biggest increase in number of people getting a prescription for opioids was in the age group 30-39, about 25,5% ((p<0,01)). Number of prescriptions increased in every category of opioids, measured in DDD/1000 inhabitants/day,15,3% ((p<0,01)) in parkódin, 20,7% ((p<0,01)) in parkódín forte, 4,7% (p<0,01)) in tramadol and 85,6% (p<0,01) in the strongest opioids., Discussion: the evolution of prescriptions for every type of opioid to the clients of the health clinics in the capital area that occured in the years from 2008 to 2017, proportionately highest for the strongest opioids, should encourage a review of pain treatment within the health clinics and development within that field.

Introduction: Accumulating evidence shows that those having experienced psychological trauma have increased risk of complex health problems. In primary health care health-promoting services are offered to individuals with complex health problems, based on an individualized approach. Trauma focused approach in healthcare help individuals increase quality of life after psychological trauma. Trauma focused services are important to help improve quality of life after psychological trauma. To examine the experience of psychological trauma and health-related problems in individuals receiving health-promoting services., Method: Qualitative research based on the Vancouver School of phenomenology. Participants were ten, five male and five female, selected through health-promoting services. Two interviews were taken with each participant. The ACE questionnaire was used, as a screening tool for childhood psychological trauma, combined with interview-frame with open questions., Results: The results were divided into six main themes: Experience of trauma; Repeated trauma; Childhood neglect; Health-related problems in child- and adulthood; Psychiatric problems in child- and adulthood; Processing and trauma-focused approach. Participants had experienced conciderable trauma as well as complex health problems in child- and adulthood., Conclusions: It is of importance that healthcare professionals pay attention to psychological traumas in relation to complex health problems to provide support for recovery. Primary health care is the first place of contact within the health care system and therefore it is important that patients' experience of trauma is taken into account. It is key to identify the signs of lifetime trauma in relation to health problems and focus the care according to the individual needs of the patient.

Objective: To describe how the primary healthcare (PHC) in Iceland changed its strategy to handle the COVID-19 pandemic., Design: Descriptive observational study., Setting: Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland., Population: The Reykjavik area has a total of 233 000 inhabitants., Main Outcome Measures: The number and the mode of consultations carried out. Drug prescriptions and changes in the 10 most common diagnoses made in PHC. Laboratory tests including COVID-19 tests. Average numbers in March and April 2020 compared with the same months in 2018 and 2019., Results: Pragmatic strategies and new tasks were rapidly applied to the clinical work to meet the foreseen healthcare needs caused by the pandemic. The number of daytime consultations increased by 35% or from 780 to 1051/1000 inhabitants (p<0.001) during the study period. Telephone and web-based consultations increased by 127% (p<0.001). The same tendency was observed in out-of-hours services. The number of consultations in maternity and well-child care decreased only by 4% (p=0.003). Changes were seen in the 10 most common diagnoses. Most noteworthy, apart from a high number of COVID-19 suspected disease, was that immunisation, depression, hypothyroidism and lumbago were not among the top 10 diagnoses during the epidemic period. The number of drug prescriptions increased by 10.3% (from 494 to 545 per 1000 inhabitants, p<0.001). The number of prescriptions from telephone and web-based consultations rose by 55.6%. No changes were observed in antibiotics prescriptions., Conclusions: As the first point of contact in the COVID-19 pandemic, the PHC in Iceland managed to change its strategy swiftly while preserving traditional maternity and well-child care, indicating a very solid PHC with substantial flexibility in its organisation., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: To assess the risk of mortality in primary care patients, multimorbid (≥2 chronic conditions) or not, prescribed hypnotics/anxiolytics., Design: A longitudinal cohort study SETTING: Primary healthcare in the Reykjavik area., Participants: 114 084 individuals (aged 10-79 years, average 38.5, SD 18.4) contacting general practitioners during 2009-2012 (mortality follow-up to 31 December 2016). Of those, the reference group comprised 58 560 persons who were neither multimorbid nor had redeemed prescriptions for hypnotics/anxiolytics. Participants (16 108) redeeming prescriptions for hypnotics/anxiolytics on a regular basis for 3 consecutive years were considered as consistent, long-term users. They were subdivided into low-dose (1-300 defined daily doses (DDD)/3 years), medium-dose (301-1095 DDDs/3 years) and high-dose users (>1095 DDDs/3 years). All six groups taking these drugs were compared with the reference group., Main Outcome Measures: All-cause mortality., Results: HRs were calculated with the no multimorbidity-no drug group as a reference, using Cox proportional hazards regression model adjusting for age, sex and the number of chronic conditions (n=111 767), patients with cancer excluded. During follow-up, 516 358 person-years in total, 1926 persons died. Mean follow-up was 1685 days (4.6 years), range 1-1826 days (5.0 years). For all multimorbid patients who took no drugs the HR was 1.14 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.30) compared with those without multimorbidity. HRs in the non-multimorbid participants varied from 1.49 to 3.35 (95% CI ranging from 1.03 to 4.11) with increasing doses of hypnotics/anxiolytics, and correspondingly from 1.55 to 3.52 (1.18 to 4.29) in multimorbid patients., Conclusions: Mortality increased in a dose-dependent manner among both multimorbid and non-multimorbid patients taking hypnotics/anxiolytics. This increase was clearly associated with prescribing of these drugs. Their use should be limited to the recommended period of 2-4 up to 6 weeks; long-term use may incur increased risk and should be re-examined., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: According to research findings, the financial crisis hitting Iceland in the autumn of 2008 caused both economic and health-related effects on the Icelandic population. It has been well known that the Icelandic population uses more antidepressants, anxiolytics and hypnotics compared to other Nordic countries. The aim of this research was to study the trend in prescription for these drugs by the Primary Health Care of Reykjavik capital area to young adults, during the years prior to and following the crisis., Method: In this cross-sectional study, data were gathered on all medical prescriptions of antidepressants, anxiolytics and hypnotics, prescribed by the Primary Health Care of Reykjavik capital area to people aged 18-35, during 2006-2016. While Reykjavík capital residents in the specified age group were approximately 55 thousand during the research period, this study included data on approximately 23 thousand individuals, received from the Icelandic electronical medical record system "Saga" used by the Primary Health Care., Results: Research results demonstrate a significant average annual increase of prescribed defined daily doses (DDD) for all three medication categories during the research period; 3% (p<0,001) for anxiolytics, 1.6% (p<0,001) for hypnotics and 10.5% (p<0,001) for antidepressants. Between 2008-2009, prescribed daily doses of anxiolytics increased by 22.7% (p<0,001), where a 12.9% (p<0,001) increase was seen for women and 39.5% (p<0,001) increase for men. Of those men who were prescribed anxiolytics in 2009, 35% had no history of such prescriptions the previous year. From 2006-2008 an average annual increase of 13.6% (p<0,001) was seen in prescribed daily doses of hypnotics, whereof 24.4% (p<0,001) increase was seen for men and 7.8% (p<0,001) for women., Conclusions: This study demonstrates a significant increase in prescribed amount of hypnotics and anxiolytics during the years prior and after the economic crisis, with more prominent results amongst men compared to women. This trend was however not observed for antidepressants, which could suggest an overall tendency towards short- and fast acting drug prescriptions as a treatment for challenging difficult personal circumstances during the economic crisis in Iceland.

Background and Aim: Use of ultrasound scans early in pregnancy is increasing, but we have limited knowledge about the actual prevalence, associated decision-making and impact on expectant women/couples in a general population. The aim of this study was to document the use of, and experiences related to, foetal scanning before the recommended 19th week scan among pregnant women in Iceland., Population and Methods: The data come from the Icelandic Childbirth and Health Cohort Study 2009-11. A total of 1111 women attending prenatal care at primary care health centres answered questionnaires before mid-pregnancy and after birth, including questions about the number of scanning procedures during pregnancy. These might include consumer-initiated 'pregnancy confirmation scans,' scans for clinical reasons, and screening for foetal anomalies in week 11-14 which is optional in Iceland. The questionnaires also addressed parental decision-making associated with the 11-14 week screening, perception of the pre-screening information, reasons for attending or declining, and whether/how early foetal screening affected the women's concerns related to the unborn child., Results: A total of 95% of the women reported some kind of foetal ultrasound scanning before the 19th week scan, and 64% reported two or more scans in this period. 78% of the women chose to participate in screening for foetal anomalies in week 11-14. Decision-making in relation to this screening was mainly informed by sources outside the healthcare system, and many women characterized participation as 'self-evident'. Most women felt they got sufficient information about the scope of screening, whilst information regarding potential downsides and risks was frequently perceived as insufficient. Most women who chose the 11-14 week screening reported a reassuring or neutral effect, whilst 10% of the women reported that it increased their concerns related to their unborn child., Conclusions: Ultrasound scans in the first half of pregnancy are in high use in Iceland and have apparently become part of a broader pregnancy culture, encompassing both high- and low-risk pregnancies. Whether this is a favourable development or to some extent represents unwarranted medicalization, can be debated. More balanced information might be provided prior to early screening for foetal anomalies.

Objective: To study the self-reported prevalence of experienced violence among a cohort of women about two years after giving birth, their health during pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes and their experience of their child's health., Setting and Subjects: In 2011, a total of 657 women participated in phase III of the Childbirth and Health Cohort Study in Icelandic Primary Health Care, 18 to 24 months after delivery. The women had previously participated in phase I around pregnancy week 16 and phase II 5-6 months after delivery. Data were collected by postal questionnaires., Main Outcome Measures: Women's reported history of experienced violence, sociodemographic and obstetric background, self-perceived health, the use of medications and their child's perceived health., Results: In phase III, 16% of women reported experiencing violence. These women felt less support from their current partner (p < 0.001), compared to those who did not report violence. Their pregnancies were more frequently unplanned (p < 0.001), deliveries more often by caesarean section (p < 0.05), and their self-perceived health was worse (p < 0.001). They reported more mental and somatic health complaints, and their use of antidepressant drugs was higher (p < 0.001). Furthermore, women with a history of violence considered their child's general health as worse (p = 0.008)., Conclusions: Our study confirms that a history of violence is common among women. A history of violence is associated with various maternal health problems during and after pregnancy, a higher rate of caesarean sections and maternal reports of health problems in their child 18-24 months after birth. KEY POINTS   Violence is a major concern worldwide. Understanding the impact of violence on human health and developing effective preventive measures are important elements of any public health agenda.   • The reported prevalence of experiencing violence was 16% among women attending antenatal care in the primary health care setting in Iceland.   • Women with a history of violence reported worse health in general during pregnancy and delivered more often by caesarean section, compared to women with no such history.   • Mothers with a history of violence also evaluated the general health of their child as worse than women with no such history.   • The findings of this study support the importance of recognizing and addressing experienced violence among women in primary care.

Objectives: Multimorbidity is prevalent, and knowledge regarding its aetiology is limited. The general pathogenic impact of adverse life experiences, comprising a wide-ranging typology, is well documented and coherent with the concept allostatic overload (the long-term impact of stress on human physiology) and the notion embodiment (the conversion of sociocultural and environmental influences into physiological characteristics). Less is known about the medical relevance of subtle distress or unease. The study aim was to prospectively explore the associations between existential unease (coined as a meta-term for the included items) and multimorbidity., Setting: Our data are derived from an unselected Norwegian population, the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study, phases 2 (1995-1997) and 3 (2006-2008), with a mean of 11 years follow-up., Participants: The analysis includes 20 365 individuals aged 20-59 years who participated in both phases and was classified without multimorbidity (with 0-1 disease) at baseline., Methods: From HUNT2, we selected 11 items indicating 'unease' in the realms of self-esteem, well-being, sense of coherence and social relationships. Poisson regressions were used to generate relative risk (RR) of developing multimorbidity, according to the respondents' ease/unease profile., Results: A total of 6277 (30.8%) participants developed multimorbidity. They were older, more likely to be women, smokers and with lower education. 10 of the 11 'unease' items were significantly related to the development of multimorbidity. The items 'poor self-rated health' and 'feeling dissatisfied with life' exhibited the highest RR, 1.55 and 1.44, respectively (95% CI 1.44 to 1.66 and 1.21 to 1.71). The prevalence of multimorbidity increased with the number of 'unease' factors, from 26.7% for no factor to 49.2% for 6 or more., Conclusions: In this prospective study, 'existential unease' was associated with the development of multimorbidity in a dose-response manner. The finding indicates that existential unease increases people's vulnerability to disease, concordant with current literature regarding increased allostatic load., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: None declared., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.)

Background: The prevalence of multimorbidity is increasing worldwide, presumably leading to an increased use of medicines. During the last decades the use of hypnotic and anxiolytic benzodiazepine derivatives and related drugs has increased dramatically. These drugs are frequently prescribed for people with a sleep disorder often merely designated as "insomnia" in the medical records and lacking a clear connection with the roots of the patients' problems. Our aim was to analyse the prevalence of multimorbidity in primary healthcare in Iceland, while concurrently investigating a possible association with the prevalence and incidence of hypnotic/anxiolytic prescriptions, short-term versus chronic use., Methods: Data were retrieved from a comprehensive database of medical records from primary healthcare in Iceland to find multimorbid patients and prescriptions for hypnotics and anxiolytics, linking diagnoses (ICD-10) and prescriptions (2009-2012) to examine a possible association. Nearly 222,000 patients, 83 % being local residents in the capital area, who contacted 16 healthcare centres served in total by 140 general practitioners, were set as a reference to find the prevalence of multimorbidity as well as the prevalence and incidence of hypnotic/anxiolytic prescriptions., Results: The prevalence of multimorbidity in the primary care population was 35 %, lowest in the young, increasing with age up to the 80+ group where it dropped somewhat. The prevalence of hypnotic/anxiolytic prescriptions was 13.9 %. The incidence rate was 19.4 per 1000 persons per year in 2011, and 85 % of the patients prescribed hypnotics/anxiolytics were multimorbid. Compared to patients without multimorbidity, multimorbid patients were far more likely to be prescribed a hypnotic and/or an anxiolytic, OR = 14.9 (95 % CI = 14.4-15.4)., Conclusions: Patients with multiple chronic conditions are common in the primary care setting, and prevalence and incidence of hypnotic/anxiolytic prescriptions are high. Solely explaining use of these drugs by linear thinking, i.e. that "insomnia" leads to their prescription is probably simplistic, since the majority of patients prescribed these drugs are multimorbid having several chronic conditions which could lead to sleeping problems. However, multimorbidity as such is not an indication for hypnotics, and doctors should be urged to greater caution in their prescribing, bearing in mind non-pharmacological therapy options.

Background: Multimorbidity receives increasing scientific attention. So does the detrimental health impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACE). Aetiological pathways from ACE to complex disease burdens are under investigation. In this context, the concept of allostatic overload is relevant, denoting the link between chronic detrimental stress, widespread biological perturbations and disease development. This study aimed to explore associations between self-reported childhood quality, biological perturbations and multimorbidity in adulthood., Materials and Methods: We included 37 612 participants, 30-69 years, from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study, HUNT3 (2006-8). Twenty one chronic diseases, twelve biological parameters associated with allostatic load and four behavioural factors were analysed. Participants were categorised according to the self-reported quality of their childhood, as reflected in one question, alternatives ranging from 'very good' to 'very difficult'. The association between childhood quality, behavioural patterns, allostatic load and multimorbidity was compared between groups., Results: Overall, 85.4% of participants reported a 'good' or 'very good' childhood; 10.6% average, 3.3% 'difficult' and 0.8% 'very difficult'. Childhood difficulties were reported more often among women, smokers, individuals with sleep problems, less physical activity and lower education. In total, 44.8% of participants with a very good childhood had multimorbidity compared to 77.1% of those with a very difficult childhood (Odds ratio: 5.08; 95% CI: 3.63-7.11). Prevalences of individual diseases also differed significantly according to childhood quality; all but two (cancer and hypertension) showed a significantly higher prevalence (p<0.05) as childhood was categorised as more difficult. Eight of the 12 allostatic parameters differed significantly between childhood groups., Conclusions: We found a general, graded association between self-reported childhood difficulties on the one hand and multimorbidity, individual disease burden and biological perturbations on the other. The finding is in accordance with previous research which conceptualises allostatic overload as an important route by which childhood adversities become biologically embodied.

Objective: To explore views and attitudes among general practitioners (GPs) and researchers in the field of general practice towards problems and challenges related to treatment of patients with multimorbidity., Setting: A workshop entitled Patients with multimorbidity in general practice held during the Nordic Congress of General Practice in Tampere, Finland, 2013., Subjects: A total of 180 GPs and researchers., Design: Data for this summary report originate from audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim plenary discussions as well as 76 short questionnaires answered by attendees during the workshop. The data were analysed using framework analysis., Results: (i) Complex care pathways and clinical guidelines developed for single diseases were identified as very challenging when handling patients with multimorbidity; (ii) insufficient cooperation between the professionals involved in the care of multimorbid patients underlined the GPs' impression of a fragmented health care system; (iii) GPs found it challenging to establish a good dialogue and prioritize problems with patients within the timeframe of a normal consultation; (iv) the future role of the GP was discussed in relation to diminishing health inequality, and current payment systems were criticized for not matching the treatment patterns of patients with multimorbidity., Conclusion: The participants supported the development of a future research strategy to improve the treatment of patients with multimorbidity. Four main areas were identified, which need to be investigated further to improve care for this steadily growing patient group.