HeRA Institution:

Obesity and osteoarthritis in knee, hip and/or hand: an epidemiological study in the general population with 10 years follow-up.

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Obesity and osteoarthritis in knee, hip and/or hand: an epidemiological study in the general population with 10 years follow-up. Authors: Grotle, Margreth; Hagen, Kare Birger; Natvig, Bard; Dahl, Fredrik A; Kvien, Tore Kristian Abstract: BACKGROUND: Obesity is one of the most important risk factors for osteoarthritis (OA) in knee(s). However, the relationship between obesity and OA in hand(s) and hip(s) remains controversial and needs further investigation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of obesity on incident osteoarthritis (OA) in hip, knee, and hand in a general population followed in 10 years. METHODS: A total of 1854 people aged 24-76 years in 1994 participated in a Norwegian study on musculoskeletal pain in both 1994 and 2004. Participants with OA or rheumatoid arthritis in 1994 and those above 74 years in 1994 were excluded, leaving n = 1675 for the analyses. The main outcome measure was OA diagnosis at follow-up based on self-report. Obesity was defined by a body mass index (BMI) of 30 and above. RESULTS: At 10-years follow-up the incidence rates were 5.8% (CI 4.3-7.3) for hip OA, 7.3% (CI 5.7-9.0) for knee OA, and 5.6% (CI 4.2-7.1) for hand OA. When adjusting for age, gender, work status and leisure time activities, a high BMI (> 30) was significantly associated with knee OA (OR 2.81; 95%CI 1.32-5.96), and a dose-response relationship was found for this association. Obesity was also significantly associated with hand OA (OR 2.59; 1.08-6.19), but not with hip OA (OR 1.11; 0.41-2.97). There was no statistically significant interaction effect between BMI and gender, age or any of the other confounding variables. CONCLUSION: A high BMI was significantly associated with knee OA and hand OA, but not with hip OA.

Health effects of different amines and possible degradation products relevant for CO2 capture

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:18:56 GMT

Title: Health effects of different amines and possible degradation products relevant for CO2 capture Authors: Låg, Marit; Andreassen, Åshild; Instanes,Christine; Lindeman, Birgitte

Risk of shoulder dystocia in second delivery: does a history of shoulder dystocia matter?

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Risk of shoulder dystocia in second delivery: does a history of shoulder dystocia matter? Authors: Overland, Eva A; Spydslaug, Anny; Nielsen, Christopher S; Eskild, Anne Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to estimate the relative and absolute risk of shoulder dystocia in the second delivery according to history of shoulder dystocia and offspring birthweight. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study including all women in Norway with 2 consecutive singleton vaginal deliveries with fetus in cephalic presentation, during the period 1967-2005 (n = 537,316). RESULTS: In the second delivery shoulder dystocia occurred in 0.8% of all women. In women with a prior shoulder dystocia the recurrence risk was 7.3%. Most cases of shoulder dystocia in second delivery were in women without such history (96.2%). Offspring birthweight was the most important risk factor for shoulder dystocia in second delivery: crude odds ratio, 292.9 (95% confidence interval, 237.8-360.7) comparing birthweight > 5000 g with 3000-3499 g. CONCLUSION: Prior shoulder dystocia increased the risk of shoulder dystocia in the second delivery. However, offspring birthweight was by far the most important risk factor.

Physical distress is associated with cardiovascular events in a high risk population of elderly men.

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Physical distress is associated with cardiovascular events in a high risk population of elderly men. Authors: Einvik, Gunnar; Ekeberg, Oivind; Klemsdal, Tor O; Sandvik, Leiv; Hjerkinn, Elsa M Abstract: BACKGROUND: Self-reported health perceptions such as physical distress and quality of life are suggested independent predictors of mortality and morbidity in patients with established cardiovascular disease. This study examined the associations between these factors and three years incidence of cardiovascular events in a population of elderly men with long term hyperlipidemia. METHODS: We studied observational data in a cohort of 433 men aged 64-76 years from a prospective, 2 x 2 factorial designed, three-year interventional trial. Information of classical risk factors was obtained and the following questionnaires were administered at baseline: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Physical Symptom Distress Index and Life Satisfaction Index. The occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular incidences and peripheral arterial disease were registered throughout the study period. Continuous data with skewed distribution was split into tertiles. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated from Cox regression analyses to assess the associations between physical distress, quality of life and cardiovascular events. RESULTS: After three years, 49 cardiovascular events were registered, with similar incidence among subjects with and without established cardiovascular disease. In multivariate analyses adjusted for age, smoking, systolic blood pressure, serum glucose, HADS-anxiety and treatment-intervention, physical distress was positively associated (HR 3.1, 95% CI 1.2 - 7.9 for 3rd versus 1st tertile) and quality of life negatively associated (HR 2.6, 95% CI 1.1-5.8 for 3rd versus 1st tertile) with cardiovascular events. The association remained statistically significant only for physical distress (hazard ratio 2.8 95% CI 1.2 - 6.8, p < 0.05) when both variables were evaluated in the same model. CONCLUSION: Physical distress, but not quality of life, was independently associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events in an observational study of elderly men predominantly without established cardiovascular disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration: NCT00764010.