Long-term follow-up after cure from chronic hepatitis C virus infection shows occult hepatitis and a risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in noncirrhotic patients.

OBJECTIVES: Curing of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection primarily aims to prevent severe liver complications. Our objectives were to investigate the long-term presence and impact of occult HCV infection (OCI) and to study the outcomes in terms of liver disease after virological cure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 97 patients with achieved sustained virological response (SVR) during 1990-2005 were followed either by a clinical follow-up (FU) visit with blood sampling and liver elastography (n=54) or through national registries for outcomes (n=43). To diagnose OCI among patients with SVR, a highly sensitive method was used to detect HCV-RNA traces in whole blood. The FU duration was a median of 10.5 years, with samples up to 21.5 years after the end of treatment (EOT). RESULTS: The majority of patients [52 (96%)] were HCV-RNA negative at FU, and regression of fibrosis was statistically significant. OCI was found in two (4%) of them at 8 and 9 years after EOT. These patients had F1 and F2 fibrosis before treatment and F2 at FU, but no other abnormal findings. Three previously noncirrhotic men were diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma 8-11 years after EOT. CONCLUSION: Occult infection could be detected many years after the achievement of SVR but was not associated with serious liver disease. The majority had persistent viral eradication and regression of fibrosis after SVR. However, an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma may persist in the long term after SVR even in noncirrhotic patients. Further studies with FU after direct-acting antiviral therapy and on the long-term impact after cure are needed.

Family history, comorbidity, smoking and other risk factors in microscopic colitis: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: Data on heredity, risk factors and comorbidity in microscopic colitis, encompassing collagenous colitis (CC) and lymphocytic colitis (LC), are limited. AIM: The aim was to carry out a case-control study of family history, childhood circumstances, educational level, marital status, smoking and comorbidity in microscopic colitis. METHODS: A postal questionnaire was sent in 2008-2009 to microscopic colitis patients resident in Sweden and three population-based controls per patient, matched for age, sex and municipality. RESULTS: Some 212 patients and 627 controls participated in the study. There was an association with a family history of microscopic colitis in both CC [odds ratio (OR): 10.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1-50.4, P=0.004] and LC (OR not estimated, P=0.008). Current smoking was associated with CC [OR: 4.7; 95% CI: 2.4-9.2, P<0.001) and LC (OR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.6-6.7, P=0.002). The median age at diagnosis was around 10 years earlier in ever-smokers compared with never-smokers.CC was associated with a history of ulcerative colitis (UC) (OR: 8.7, 95% CI: 2.2-33.7, P=0.002), thyroid disease (OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5, P=0.02), coeliac disease (OR: 13.1; 95% CI: 2.7-62.7, P=0.001), rheumatic disease (OR 1.9; 95% CI: 1.0-3.5, P=0.042) and previous appendicectomy (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.3-3.8, P=0.003), and LC with UC (OR: 6.8; 95% CI: 1.7-28.0, P=0.008), thyroid disease (OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1-5.4, P=0.037) and coeliac disease (OR: 8.7; 95% CI: 2.8-26.7, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Association with a family history of microscopic colitis indicates that familial factors may be important. The association with a history of UC should be studied further as it may present new insights into the pathogenesis of microscopic colitis and UC.

Short-term and long-term effects of childhood cancer on income from employment and employment status: A national cohort study in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: There is insufficient knowledge regarding the economic impact of childhood cancer on parents. The objectives of the current study were to investigate the short-term and long-term effects of childhood cancer on mothers' and fathers' income from employment and employment status. METHODS: The study sample consisted of the parents of children diagnosed with cancer from 2004 to 2009 in Sweden (3626 parents of 1899 children). Annual register data concerning income from employment and employment status (employed/not employed) were retrieved from the Longitudinal Integration Database for Health Insurance and Labor Market Studies. Using generalized linear models, the mean income from employment and employment status were compared with a matched control cohort of 34,874 parents sampled from the general population. RESULTS: Parents' income was found to decrease significantly after the child's cancer diagnosis. The effect was most pronounced for mothers, whose income was reduced for 6 years after diagnosis, whereas fathers' income was similar to that of control fathers 3 years after the diagnosis. Mothers were more likely to stop working after a child's cancer diagnosis compared with controls. No association was found for fathers' employment status. Younger age of parents; lower level of education; and, among mothers, being born outside of Sweden were found to be associated with more adverse effects on income. CONCLUSIONS: Parents' income from employment and employment status appear to be adversely affected by having a child with cancer. Socioeconomic consequences are not distributed equally: the income of fathers appears to catch up after a few years, whereas mothers tend to be disadvantaged in their professional life for several years after a child's cancer diagnosis. Cancer 2017;123:1238-1248. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Maternal haemoglobin concentrations before and during pregnancy and stillbirth risk: a population-based case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Results of previous studies on the association between maternal haemoglobin concentration during pregnancy and stillbirth risk are inconclusive. It is not clear if haemoglobin concentration before pregnancy has a role. Using prospectively collected information from pre-pregnancy and antenatal visits, we investigated associations of maternal haemoglobin concentrations before and during pregnancy and haemoglobin dilution with stillbirth risk. METHODS: In a population-based case-control study from rural Golestan, a province in northern Iran, we identified 495 stillbirths (cases) and randomly selected 2,888 control live births among antenatal health-care visits between 2007 and 2009. Using logistic regression, we estimated associations of maternal haemoglobin concentrations, haemoglobin dilution at different stages of pregnancy, with stillbirth risk. RESULTS: Compared with normal maternal haemoglobin concentration (110-120 g/l) at the end of the second trimester, high maternal haemoglobin concentration (≥140 g/l) was associated with a more than two-fold increased stillbirth risk (OR = 2.31, 95 % CI [1.30-4.10]), while low maternal haemoglobin concentration (<110 g/l) was associated with a 37 % reduction in stillbirth risk. Haemoglobin concentration before pregnancy was not associated with stillbirth risk. Decreased haemoglobin concentration, as measured during pregnancy (OR = 0.61, 95 % CI [0.46, 0.80]), or only during the second trimester (OR = 0.75, 95 % CI [0.62, 0.90]), were associated with reduced stillbirth risk. The associations were essentially similar for preterm and term stillbirths. CONCLUSIONS: Haemoglobin concentration before pregnancy is not associated with stillbirth risk. High haemoglobin level and absence of haemoglobin dilution during pregnancy could be considered as indicators of a high-risk pregnancy.

Consanguineous marriage, prepregnancy maternal characteristics and stillbirth risk: a population-based case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Consanguineous marriage is associated with increased risks for congenital anomalies, low birthweight, and other adverse perinatal outcomes. In this population-based, case-control study we investigated the association between consanguineous marriage (first-cousin marriage) and stillbirth risk, using prospectively collected information from prepregnancy visits. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 2007 to 2009, we identified 283 stillbirths (cases) and 2088 randomly selected live control births through prepregnancy visits in rural Golestan, Iran. The associations between consanguinity and prepregnancy maternal characteristics and stillbirth risk were examined using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The rate of consanguineous marriage was 19.4% among cases and 13.6% among controls. Consanguinity was associated with increased stillbirth risk [odds ratio (OR) 1.53; 95% CI 1.10-2.14]. The association was significantly increased for preterm stillbirth (< 37 gestational weeks) (OR 2.43; 95% CI 1.46-4.04) but not for term stillbirth (≥ 37 weeks) (OR 1.14; 95% CI 0.75-1.74). Low and high maternal age, underweight, obesity, nulliparity, a history of infertility or miscarriage, previous obstetric complications (preeclampsia, preterm delivery, and stillbirth in previous pregnancies) were also associated with increased stillbirth risks. CONCLUSIONS: Consanguineous marriage is associated with increased risk of stillbirth, particularly preterm stillbirth. Findings for other maternal risk factors for stillbirth in rural Iran are consistent with previously reported findings from high-income countries.

Infectious disease at gluten introduction and risk of childhood diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk of future diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1D) in children who suffered from infection at time of gluten introduction. STUDY DESIGN: Population-based prospective study. Parents filled out a diary at home. We hereby obtained data on date of gluten introduction, breastfeeding duration, and infections in 9414 children born in the southeast of Sweden from October 1, 1997, through October 1, 1999 (the All Babies in Southeast Sweden cohort). The Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the risk of future T1D until February 1, 2012, among children with infection at time of gluten introduction. RESULTS: Forty-six children (0.5%) developed T1D and were compared with 9368 reference children from the general population. Some 10 of 46 children with later T1D had an infection at time of gluten introduction (22%) compared with 2520 reference children (27%, P=.43). Later T1D was not associated with age at end of breastfeeding, age at any infection, or age at gluten introduction. Breastfeeding at time of gluten introduction was not protective against future T1D (hazard ratio 1.2; 95% CI, 0.5-2.7). In our final model, when we adjusted for age at gluten introduction, age at infection, and breastfeeding duration, infection at time of gluten introduction did not influence the risk of future T1D (hazard ratio 0.8; 95% CI, 0.3-1.6). CONCLUSION: Infection at time of gluten introduction is not a major risk factor for future T1D in nonselected children.

Risk of renal disease in patients with both type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Our aim was to study the risk of renal disease in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and coexisting coeliac disease (CD). METHODS: Individuals with T1D were defined as having a diagnosis of diabetes recorded at ≤30 years of age in the Swedish Patient Register between 1964 and 2009. Individuals with CD were identified through biopsy reports with villous atrophy (Marsh stage 3) from 28 pathology departments in Sweden between 1969 and 2008. We identified 954 patients with both T1D and CD. For each patient with T1D + CD, we selected five age- and sex-matched reference individuals with T1D only (n = 4,579). Cox regression was used to estimate the following risks: (1) chronic renal disease and (2) end-stage renal disease in patients with CD + T1D compared with T1D patients only. RESULTS: Forty-one (4.3%) patients with CD + T1D and 143 (3.1%) patients with T1D only developed chronic renal disease. This corresponded to an HR of 1.43 for chronic renal disease (95% CI 0.94, 2.17) in patients with CD + T1D compared with T1D only. In addition, for end-stage renal disease there was a positive (albeit statistically non-significant) HR of 2.54 (95% CI 0.45, 14.2). For chronic renal disease, the excess risk was more pronounced after >10 years of CD (HR 2.03, 95% CI 1.08, 3.79). Risk estimates were similar when we restricted our cohort to the following T1D patients: (1) those who had an inpatient diagnosis of T1D; (2) those who had never received oral glucose-lowering medication; and (3) those who had not received their first diabetes diagnosis during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Overall this study found no excess risk of chronic renal disease in patients with T1D and CD. However, in a subanalysis we noted a positive association between longstanding CD and chronic renal disease in T1D.

Risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is associated with increased mortality. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the Western world. We examined the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes (type 1 and type 2) in patients with PSC and their first-degree relatives. METHODS: This prospective multicentre cohort study included 678 individuals with PSC diagnosed between 1970 and 2004, and 6347 non-PSC reference individuals matched for age, and sex. Through linkage of the Swedish Multigeneration Register we identified 3139 first-degree relatives to PSC patients and 30,953 first-degree relatives to the matched comparison cohort. We retrieved data on cardiovascular disease and type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D) from the National Patient Register, and then examined the association with PSC or having a family history of PSC using Poisson regression. RESULTS: During 125,127 person-years of follow-up, 203 individuals with PSC had a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. This corresponded to a 3.34-fold increased relative risk (RR) of cardiovascular disease in individuals with PSC (95% CI=2.86-3.91). The highest risk estimates were seen for diseases of the arteries, veins, and lymphatic vessels while the RR was neutral for ischemic heart disease (0.90) or only slightly elevated for cerebrovascular disease (1.74). Meanwhile, PSC first-degree relatives were at no increased risk of cardiovascular disease (RR=0.87; 95% CI=0.80-0.95). Individuals with PSC (RR=7.95; 95% CI=4.82-13.12), and to some extent also their first-degree relatives (RR=1.73; 95% CI=1.19-2.52) were at increased risk of T1D. Also for T2D were the RR is higher in individuals with PSC (RR=2.54; 95% CI=1.56-4.13) than in PSC first-degree relatives (RR=0.81; 95% CI=0.65-1.02). CONCLUSIONS: PSC was associated with T1D, T2D, and non-ischemic cardiovascular disease. In contrast, first-degree relatives to PSC patients were only at a moderately increased risk of T1D, and at no increased risk of either cardiovascular disease or T2D.

A population-based study of the risk of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.

OBJECTIVE: Celiac disease (CD) is associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D). In the current study, we examined whether CD affects the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DRP) in patients with T1D. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a population-based cohort study. Through the Swedish National Patient Register, we identified 41,566 patients diagnosed with diabetes in 1964-2009 and who were ≤30 years of age at diagnosis. CD was defined as having villous atrophy (Marsh stage 3) according to small intestinal biopsies performed between 1969 and 2008, with biopsy reports obtained from Sweden's 28 pathology departments. During follow-up, 947 T1D patients had a diagnosis of CD. We used Cox regression analysis with CD as a time-dependent covariate to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for DRP in patients with T1D and CD and compared them with patients with T1D but no CD. RESULTS: Duration of CD correlated with the risk of DRP. When results were stratified by time since CD diagnosis, individuals with T1D and CD were at a lower risk of DRP in the first 5 years after CD diagnosis (aHR 0.57 [95% CI 0.36-0.91]), followed by a neutral risk in years 5 to <10 (1.03 [0.68-1.57]). With longer follow-up, coexisting CD was a risk factor for DRP (10 to <15 years of follow-up, aHR 2.83 [95% CI 1.95-4.11]; ≥15 years of follow-up, 3.01 [1.43-6.32]). CONCLUSIONS: Having a diagnosis of CD for >10 years is a risk factor for the development of DRP in T1D. Long-standing CD in patients with T1D merits intense monitoring of DRP.

Co-morbidity, body mass index and quality of life in COPD using the Clinical COPD Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: Quality of life is an important patient-oriented measure in COPD. The Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) is a validated instrument for estimating quality of life. The impact of different factors on the CCQ-score remains an understudied area. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of co-morbidity and body mass index with quality of life measured by CCQ. METHODS: A patient questionnaire including the CCQ and a review of records were used. A total of 1548 COPD patients in central Sweden were randomly selected. Complete data were collected for 919 patients, 639 from primary health care and 280 from hospital clinics. Multiple linear regression with adjustment for sex, age, level of education, smoking habits and level of care was performed. Subanalyses included additional adjustment for lung function in the subgroup (n = 475) where spirometry data were available. RESULTS: Higher mean CCQ score indicating lower quality of life was statistically significant and independently associated with heart disease (adjusted regression coefficient (95%CI) 0.26; 0.06 to 0.47), depression (0.50; 0.23 to 0.76) and underweight (0.58; 0.29 to 0.87). Depression and underweight were associated with higher scores in all CCQ subdomains. Further adjustment for lung function in the subgroup with this measure resulted in statistically significant and independent associations with CCQ for heart disease, depression, obesity and underweight. CONCLUSION: The CCQ identified that heart disease, depression and underweight are independently associated with lower health-related quality of life in COPD.

Risk of lymphoproliferative malignancy in relation to small intestinal histopathology among patients with celiac disease.

BACKGROUND: Celiac disease is associated with an increased risk of malignant lymphomas. The risk of lymphoproliferative malignancies in patients with small intestinal inflammation without villous atrophy and in patients with latent celiac disease is unknown. METHODS: We performed a cohort study using duodenal and jejunal biopsy data that were collected from all 28 Swedish pathology departments (July 1969 to February 2008). We identified two population-based cohorts composed of 28,989 individuals with biopsy-verified celiac disease (villous atrophy, Marsh stage 3) and 13,140 individuals with small intestinal inflammation without villous atrophy (Marsh 1 + 2) and a regional cohort of 3711 individuals with latent celiac disease (positive celiac disease serology and normal mucosa). Cancer data were obtained by linkage to the National Cancer Registry. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for lymphoproliferative malignancy and any solid cancer among the three cohorts compared with a total of 227,911 age- and sex-matched reference individuals. RESULTS: Although biopsy-verified celiac disease and intestinal inflammation were associated with lymphoproliferative malignancy (for celiac disease, HR = 2.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.36 to 3.37, n = 193; for inflammation, HR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.42 to 2.31, n = 89), latent celiac disease was not associated with lymphoproliferative malignancy (HR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.44 to 2.14, n = 7). The absolute rates of lymphoproliferative malignancies among persons with celiac disease, small intestinal inflammation, and latent celiac disease were 70.3 per 100,000 person-years, 83.4 per 100,000 person-years, and 28.0 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Compared with individuals with celiac disease, individuals with small intestinal inflammation or latent celiac disease were at a statistically significantly lower risk of lymphoproliferative malignancy. Risk of any solid cancer was not increased beyond the first year of follow-up in any cohort. Celiac disease was associated with Hodgkin lymphoma and both T-cell and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. CONCLUSION: The risk of lymphoproliferative malignancy in celiac disease is dependent on small intestinal histopathology, with no increased risk in latent celiac disease.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and physical control and coordination among offspring.

BACKGROUND: To examine if smoking during pregnancy is associated with poorer motor competence among offspring, indicating impaired neurological function. The measures may be less susceptible to socioeconomic confounding than cognition tests. METHODS: Data were from 13,207 members of the National Child Development Study, born in Great Britain in 1958. Maternal smoking during pregnancy was recorded prospectively. Tests of physical control and coordination administered by a school doctor at age 11 years were: time to pick up 20 matches (PUM), number of squares marked (NSM) and copying designs (CD). PUM and NSM were tested for left and right hand. Test scores were dependent variables in linear regression analysis, with adjustment for maternal smoking during pregnancy, sex, birth weight standardised for gestational age, breast-feeding, social class, parental education, mother's age, laterality and pubertal development. RESULTS: After adjustment, heavy smoking during pregnancy was statistically significantly associated with PUM (non-dominant hand) and CD, but not NSM; particularly among boys. The regression coefficients (and 95% CI) for PUM (non-dominant hand) are 1.474 (0.47 to 2.48, p=0.004) and 1.203 (0.15 to 2.26, p=0.026) for boys and girls, respectively: higher scores indicate poorer performance. The coefficients for CD are -0.185 (-0.32 to -0.05, p=0.006) for boys and 0.020 (-0.11 to 0.15, p=0.753) for girls: lower scores indicate poorer performance. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking during pregnancy is associated with subtly reduced motor competence, particularly on the non-dominant side. Statistically significant effect modification by sex was observed for only one test, providing equivocal evidence of a sex difference.

Influences of intermittent preventive treatment and persistent multiclonal Plasmodium falciparum infections on clinical malaria risk.

BACKGROUND: Intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) of malaria involves administration of curative doses of antimalarials at specified time points to vulnerable populations in endemic areas, regardless whether a subject is known to be infected. The effect of this new intervention on the development and maintenance of protective immunity needs further understanding. We have investigated how seasonal IPT affects the genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum infections and the risk of subsequent clinical malaria. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 2227 Ghanaian children (3-59 months) who were given sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) bimonthly, artesunate plus amodiaquine (AS+AQ) monthly or bimonthly, or placebo monthly for six months spanning the malaria transmission season. Blood samples collected at three post-interventional surveys were analysed by genotyping of the polymorphic merozoite surface protein 2 gene. Malaria morbidity and anaemia was monitored during 12 months follow-up. RESULTS: Monthly IPT with AS+AQ resulted in a marked reduction in number of concurrent clones and only children parasite negative just after the intervention period developed clinical malaria during follow-up. In the placebo group, children without parasites as well as those infected with ≥2 clones had a reduced risk of subsequent malaria. The bimonthly SP or AS+AQ groups had similar number of clones as placebo after intervention; however, diversity and parasite negativity did not predict the risk of malaria. An interaction effect showed that multiclonal infections were only associated with protection in children without intermittent treatment. CONCLUSION: Molecular typing revealed effects of the intervention not detected by ordinary microscopy. Effective seasonal IPT temporarily reduced the prevalence and genetic diversity of P. falciparum infections. The reduced risk of malaria in children with multiclonal infections only seen in untreated children suggests that persistence of antigenically diverse P. falciparum infections is important for the maintenance of protective malaria immunity in high transmission settings.

Increased fracture risk in patients with rheumatic disorders and other inflammatory diseases -- a case-control study with 53,108 patients with fracture.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the risk of hip and vertebral fractures in patients with rheumatic disorders (RD) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). METHODS: This population-based case-control study assessed the fracture risk of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM), systemic sclerosis (SSc), Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis (UC). The study cohort comprised 53,108 patients with fracture (66% women) and 370,602 age-matched and sex-matched controls. Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed and results were expressed as OR with corresponding 95% CI. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant increased fracture risk for all RD and for IBD compared with controls. The magnitude of fracture risk was higher for patients with RD (OR 3, 95% CI 2.9-3.2) than for those with IBD (OR 1.6, 1.4-1.8). The OR in RD ranged from 2.6 (1.3-4.9) for SSc to 4 (3.4-4.6) for AS. The largest increased fracture risk for vertebral fractures was seen in AS (OR 7.1, 6-8.4) and for hip fractures in JIA (OR 4.1, 2.4-6.9). CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the existence of an increased fracture risk from a variety of underlying causes in patients with RD and IBD. In many inflammatory diseases, implementation of fracture prevention strategies may be beneficial.

Clinical signs and CRP values associated with blood culture results in neonates evaluated for suspected sepsis.

AIM: To identify which clinical signs at presentation are most predictive of sepsis subsequently confirmed by blood culture and to investigate whether the predictive power of the clinical signs varies by gestational age. METHODS: Among 401 newborn infants < 28 days of age with suspected sepsis, nine signs of sepsis and C-reactive protein (CRP) values were prospectively recorded. Logistic regression assessed the association of these signs and laboratory values with a subsequently confirmed diagnosis of sepsis by positive blood culture. The analysis was stratified by gestational age with mutual simultaneous adjustment for the signs and sex. RESULTS: Five of the nine clinical signs (feeding intolerance, distended abdomen, blood pressure, bradycardia and apnoea), along with CRP were statistically significantly associated with a positive blood culture. After simultaneous adjustment for all of the signs, apnoea, hypotension and CRP were independently predictive of positive blood culture. When the material was stratified by gestational age, differences in the association with positive blood culture were found for bradycardia, tachypnea and irritability/seizures. CONCLUSION: In this selected population of infants with suspected sepsis, apnoea and hypotension are independently predictive of a confirmed diagnosis, while bradycardia is more predictive among preterm infants and tachypnea among term infants.

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease and risks for cardiovascular diseases and blood diseases.

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that patients with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) might have higher risks of cardiovascular and blood diseases. METHODS: A total of 3141 patients, 2 to 15 years of age, with LCPD diagnosed between 1965 and 2005 were identified with the Swedish Inpatient Register. A total of 15 595 individuals without LCPD were selected randomly from among the Swedish general population, with matching according to year of birth, age, gender, and region of residence. Cox proportional-hazard regression analyses, with adjustment for socioeconomic index, were used to estimate relative risks. The patients also were compared with their same-gender siblings. RESULTS: Patients with LCPD had a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39-2.09) for cardiovascular diseases, compared with individuals without LCPD. The point estimate was slightly higher among subjects >30 years of age at the follow-up (HR: 2.10 [95% CI: 1.52-2.91]). There were statistically significantly higher risks for blood diseases, including anemias and coagulation defects (HR: 1.41 [95% CI: 1.07-1.86]), which were more pronounced among subjects >30 years of age at the follow-up (HR: 2.70 [95% CI: 1.50-4.84]). Patients also had statistically significantly higher risks of hypertensive disease (HR: 2.97 [95% CI: 1.87-4.72]) and nutritional anemia (HR: 2.92 [95% CI: 1.58-5.40]). Analyses using siblings as the comparison group showed consistent results for cardiovascular diseases. CONCLUSION: The results are consistent with the hypothesis that an insufficient blood supply to the femoral head, attributable to vascular pathologic conditions, is involved in the pathogenesis of LCPD.

Cystic fibrosis gene mutations and gastrointestinal diseases.

BACKGROUND: This study examined if CF mutation heterozygosity is associated with diseases of gastrointestinal epithelial barrier function. DESIGN AND METHODS: Swedish registers identified 865 patients with a diagnosis of CF between 1968 and 2003 and matched with 8101 individuals without CF. Gastrointestinal disease risk was examined among 1534 biological parents and 1396 siblings of CF patients, compared with 15,526 parents and 15,542 siblings of individuals without CF. RESULTS: First-degree relatives of CF patients were not at lower risk of the gastrointestinal diseases, in contrast with a raised risk among CF patients. CONCLUSION: Heterozygosity for CF gene mutations does not protect against gastrointestinal diseases where impaired barrier function may be relevant.

Infectious disease and risk of later celiac disease in childhood.

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to examine whether parent-reported infection at the time of gluten introduction increases the risk of future celiac disease (CD). METHODS: Through the population-based All Infants in Southeast Sweden study, parents recorded data on feeding and infectious disease prospectively. Complete data on gluten introduction and breastfeeding duration were available for 9408 children. Those children had 42 826 parent-reported episodes of infectious disease in the first year of life (including 4003 episodes of gastroenteritis). We identified 44 children with biopsy-verified CD diagnosed after 1 year of age, and we used Cox regression to estimate the risk of future CD for children with infection at gluten introduction. RESULTS: Eighteen children with CD (40.9%) had an infection at the time of gluten introduction, compared with 2510 reference individuals (26.8%; P = .035). Few children had gastroenteritis at the time of gluten introduction (1 child with CD [2.3%] vs 166 reference individuals [1.8%]; P = .546). With adjustment for age at gluten introduction and breastfeeding duration, we found no association between a future diagnosis of CD and either any infection (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.8 [95% confidence interval: 0.9-3.6]) or gastroenteritis (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.6 [95% confidence interval: 0.2-30.8]) at the time of gluten introduction. We found no associations between breastfeeding duration, age at gluten introduction, and future CD. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that parent-reported infection at the time of gluten introduction is not a major risk factor for CD.

Self-perceived oral health and obesity among 65 years old in two Swedish counties.

The aim of this study was to explore the association between oral health and obesity. The study was conducted in the spring of 2007 as a postal survey of all inhabitants born in 1942 and living in the two Swedish counties of Orebro and Ostergötland.This questionnaire survey has been conducted everyfiveyears since 1992 but has been updated continually with additional questions and for the sweep used here, height and weight data were collected. A total of 8,313 individuals received the questionnaire and 6,078 of those responded (73.1%). The outcome variable oral health was measured using one global question and four detailed questions representing different aspects of oral health. The independent variable Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated using self-reported height and weight. A difference in oral health between various BMI groups was found. The difference was both statistically significant and of clinical importance, particularly among the group with severe obesity who reported poorer self-perceived chewing capacity, lower satisfaction with dental appearance, increased mouth dryness and fewer teeth and lower overall satisfaction with oral health. In view of the increased risk of poor oral health demonstrated in this study for those with severe obesity, it may be of value to increase cooperation between dental care and primary health care for these patients.