Mental disorders and charges of violent offences. A study of male adolescent remand prisoners.

This study describes associations between mental disorders and charges of violence among remanded adolescents. 100 15-17 year old boys from East Denmark, consecutively remanded during one year, were interviewed with SCAN, K-SADS and SCID-II to obtain past year ICD-10 diagnoses. There was no statistically significant association between the occurrence of a violent charge and mental disorders in general (OR=1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.24; 4.38]). An association was found between violent charge and non-Danish ethnicity (OR=7.58, [1.60; 35.92]). Previously reported association between violence and mental disorder among adults were not replicated in this male adolescent remand population. A developmental hypothesis is proposed.

Violence of young criminals predicts schizophrenia: a 9-year register-based followup of 15- to 19-year-old criminals.

Violent and aggressive behavior in preschizophrenia adolescents has been described in several studies. Our aim was to investigate the extent to which violent conviction in late adolescence predicted later schizophrenia in a cohort of young criminals. We performed a 9-year register-based followup of a complete national cohort of young convicted criminals. A total of 780, 15- to 19-year-old subjects identified in 1992 were followed up in 2001 with register linkage of the Danish Psychiatric Central Register, the Danish National Criminal Register, and the Danish National Cause of Death Register. Analyses with Cox regression were performed to identify predictors of later schizophrenia. We found at followup that 3.3 percent of the cohort had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and 4.5 percent with any psychosis. Conviction of violence in late adolescence was significantly associated (odds ratio = 4.59 [95% confidence interval (1.54; 13.74)]) with future diagnosis of schizophrenia. Violent behavior can thus be seen as part of the preschizophrenia phase of young criminals.

Visual functional outcomes of cataract surgery in the United States, Canada, Denmark, and Spain: report of the International Cataract Surgery Outcomes Study.

PURPOSE: To compare functional outcomes after cataract surgery performed at 4 sites in 4 countries that have been described as having significant differences in the organization of care and patterns of clinical practice. SETTING: Multicenter cohort study from the United States, Canada, Denmark, and Spain. METHODS: Clinical data and patient interview data were collected preoperatively and 4 months postoperatively. Functional outcomes were assessed by the Visual Function Index (VF-14), a self-reported measure of visual function. Scores on the VF-14 range from 0 (maximum impairment) to 100 (no impairment). RESULTS: Unilateral surgery was performed in 1073 patients. In this subgroup, the odds of achieving an optimal functional outcome (VF-14 score > or =95) were similar among sites after controlling for differences in case mix. Bilateral surgery was performed in 211 patients. A postoperative visual acuity of 0.50 or better in both eyes was reported in 155 patients. However, 37% of these patients reported visual function impairment (VF-14 score <95). CONCLUSIONS: A previously identified variation in treatment modalities among the 4 sites did not have a significant effect on the odds of achieving an optimal functional outcome. In addition to visual acuity measurements, the VF-14 index provides information on functional outcomes that is useful, especially in studies assessing the benefits of cataract surgery in a public health care setting.

Prescription of anti-anginal drugs in relation to exercise tests and coronary angiography. A 1-year population-based study of two Danish counties.

BACKGROUND: The cardiac diagnostic examination activity in a population should ideally mirror age and gender characteristics of the prevalence of ischemic heart disease. In this study, the prescription of anti-anginal drugs in relation to morbidity and mortality brought on by ischemic heart disease, and in relation to exercise tests and coronary angiography, is analyzed. METHODS: The study population comprised two Danish counties with a total of 896,954 inhabitants. We obtained data on all prescriptions of nitrates, adrenergic beta-antagonists, and calcium channel blockers from regional pharmaceutical registers. Data on all patients who took an exercise test or underwent coronary angiography were derived from regional health authority registers. Data on ischemic heart mortality and on the incidence of myocardial infarction were gathered from the national register of causes of death and hospital registers. RESULTS: Only patients receiving nitrates had an age and gender profile matching that of those who died from ischemic heart disease or who suffered from myocardial infarction (correlation coefficients 0.95-0.99). Judging from the prescription of nitrates, relatively few elderly patients, especially women older than 60-69 years, were referred for a cardiac examination. CONCLUSIONS: The prescription of nitrates seems useful as a surrogate marker for ischemic heart disease. Elderly patients, especially women, seem to be treated with anti-anginal medication without any diagnostic evaluation.