Association of hypertension with changes in the body mass index of university students.

BACKGROUND: There are few longitudinal studies on the associations of obesity with hypertension in young adults. OBJECTIVES: To analyze longitudinally to what extent weight gain associates with hypertension in young adults. METHODS: The subjects of this study consisted of 6,178 university students (male 4,098; female 2,080). The associations of hypertension with body type change were longitudinally examined by using the records of health examinations while at university. The prevalence ratios (PRs) for hypertension in their senior year were calculated on groups that changed toward obese against those that changed toward underweight. The logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for hypertension in their senior year of each factor. The analyses were conducted on (i) all subjects, (ii) non-hypertensive subjects in their freshman year, and (iii) by schools, in order to take into account physical activities. RESULTS: The PRs of hypertension in subjects changed toward obese from their freshmen to seniors against ones toward underweight were 1.47 (95% CI; 1.00-2.15) for males and 3.50 (0.93-13.22) for females. In analyses limited to non-hypertensive subjects in their freshman year, results were similar to those of all subjects. The analyses by school also showed similar results to those including all subjects. In logistic regression analyses, although the factor most strongly associated with hypertension was body type in their senior year, the body type in their freshman still showed significant association with hypertension after the adjustment of senior year body type and hypertension in freshman year. The ORs for hypertension in obese subjects to normal weight ones in their senior year were 9.13 (95% CI; 5.77-14.45) for males and 22.59 (5.69-89.67) for females after adjusted by hypertension in freshman, body type in freshman and school. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the increase of BMI is linked to hypertension in university students.

[Improvement of mental health and the quality of life after catheter ablation for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia].

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to observe change in subjective symptoms, quality of life (QOL) and mental health condition after catheter ablation (CA) for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) and to assess patient evaluation of the treatment. METHODS: The questionnaire was sent to 103 patients (86 with the Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome and 27 with atriovetricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT)), who had received CA from February 1995 to January 1999. The question encompassed the condition of the patient, his or her evaluation of CA treatment, and a self-rating depression scale (SDS) together with social and subjective as well as non-specific physical points. We scored for improvement of QOL and SDS. Finally, from 82 patients who participated complete responses to the questionnaire were received from 59 (72.0%). The patients (50.5 +/- 15.8 years old, WPW syndrome; 41, AVNRT; 18) almost all (98.3%) RESULTS: gave a positive evaluation of CA. Over half (54.2%) no longer needed hospital consultation for any reason while three-quarters (76.3%) were free of life limitations. The complete cure rate from physicians was 100%. However, subjective symptoms of arrhythmia attack remained in 20.3% of the cases. Social and physical QOL were significantly improved after CA (social: < 0.05, physical: < 0.01) and the SDS score decreased significantly (< 0.05). 1. Self-awareness frequency of tachycardia attack, frequency of going to hospital and life CONCLUSION: limitations of PSVT patients decreased after CA. 2. QOL (social and physical QOL) and mental health condition significantly improved after CA. 3. Almost all patients (98.3%) gave a positive evaluation of CA. 4. Healthcare professionals should be aware that not only drug therapy, but also CA is effective for improvement of mental health and the QOL of patients with PSVT.

Cross-regional survey of seasonal affective disorders in adults and high-school students in Japan.

BACKGROUND: In Asian countries, there is no epidemiological report on seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in different age groups and different geographic regions surveyed at the same time. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence rates of SAD and risk factors for SAD in adults and high-school students, with special reference to the difference of winter SAD between northern and southern regions in Japan. METHODS: A total of 3237 high-school students and 4858 workers living in Japan (31.3-43.5 degrees N) responded to this epidemiological survey using Japanese version of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). RESULTS: The overall prevalence rates of winter SAD (subsyndromal winter SAD) and summer SAD (subsyndromal summer SAD) in high-school students were 0.91(2.21) and 0.81(2.57)%, respectively. In workers, these rates were 0.45(1.16) and 0.43(0.71)%, respectively. Although no regional difference was noted in high-school students with winter seasonal type, the estimated odds ratio of this type for northern workers was nearly 3-fold higher than the southern counterparts. The prevalence rates of each seasonal type were not significantly different between two sexes in both age groups. No clear dependence on latitude was seen with regard to summer SAD in both age groups. LIMITATIONS: The effect of climate on SAD could not be entirely excluded from geophysical factor as indexed by latitude. CONCLUSIONS: SAD was less common in adults than in high-school students. While latitude was a major determinant of winter type in adults, socio-cultural factors or other contributing factors might affect the development of this type in high-school students.