Guideline-level monitoring, biomarker levels and pharmacological treatment in migrants and native Danes with type 2 diabetes: Population-wide analyses.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is higher in migrants compared to native populations in many countries, but the evidence on disparities in T2D care in migrants is inconsistent. Therefore, this study aimed to examine this in Denmark. In a cross-sectional, register-based study on 254,097 individuals with T2D, 11 indicators of guideline-level care were analysed: a) monitoring: hemoglobin-A1c (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), screening for diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, and foot disease, b) biomarker control: HbA1c and LDL-C levels, and c) pharmacological treatment: glucose-lowering drugs (GLD), lipid-lowering drugs, angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, and antiplatelet therapy. Migrants were grouped by countries of origin: Middle East, Europe, Turkey, Former Yugoslavia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Vietnam. In all migrant groups except the Europe-group, T2D was more prevalent than in native Danes (crude relative risk (RR) from 0.62 [0.61-0.64] (Europe) to 3.98 [3.82-4.14] (Sri Lanka)). In eight indicators, non-fulfillment was common (>25% among native Danes). Apart from monitoring in the Sri Lanka-group, migrants were at similar or higher risk of non-fulfillment than native Danes across all indicators of monitoring and biomarker control (RR from 0.64 [0.51-0.80] (HbA1c monitoring, Sri Lanka) to 1.78 [1.67-1.90] (LDL-C control, Somalia)), while no overall pattern was observed for pharmacological treatment (RR from 0.61 [0.46-0.80] (GLD, Sri Lanka) to 1.67 [1.34-2.09] (GLD, Somalia)). Care was poorest in migrants from Somalia, who had increased risk in all eleven indicators, and the highest risk in nine. Adjusted risks were elevated in some migrant groups, particularly in indicators of biomarker control (fully-adjusted RR from 0.84 [0.75-0.94] (LDL-C levels, Vietnam) to 1.44 [1.35-1.54] (LDL-C levels, Somalia)). In most migrant groups, T2D was more prevalent, and monitoring and biomarker control was inferior compared to native Danes. Migrants from Somalia received the poorest care overall, and had exceedingly high lipid levels.

Glucose-lowering drug use in migrants and native Danes with type 2 diabetes: Disparities in combination therapy and drug types.

AIM: To examine disparities in glucose-lowering drug (GLD) usage between migrants and native Danes with type 2 diabetes (T2D). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a nationwide, register-based cross-sectional study of 253 364 individuals with prevalent T2D on December 31, 2018, we examined user prevalence during 2019 of (i) GLD combination therapies and (ii) individual GLD types. Migrants were grouped by origin (Middle East, Europe, Turkey, Former Yugoslavia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Vietnam), and relative risk (RR) versus native Danes was computed using robust Poisson regression to adjust for clinical and socioeconomic characteristics. RESULTS: In 2019, 34.7% of native Danes received combination therapy, and prevalence was lower in most migrant groups (RR from 0.78, 95% confidence interval CI 0.71-0.85 [Somalia group] to 1.00, 95% CI 0.97-1.04 [former Yugoslavia group]). Among native Danes, the most widely used oral GLD was metformin (used by 62.1%), followed by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (13.3%), sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (11.9%) and sulphonylureas (5.2%), and user prevalence was higher in most migrant groups (RR for use of any oral GLD: 0.99, 95% CI 0.97-1.01 [Europe group] to 1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.11 [Sri Lanka group]). Furthermore, 18.7% of native Danes used insulins and 13.3% used glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), but use was less prevalent in migrants (RR for insulins: 0.66, 95% CI 0.62-0.71 [Sri Lanka group] to 0.94, 95% CI 0.89-0.99 [Europe group]; RR for GLP-1RAs: 0.29, 95% CI 0.22-0.39 [Somalia group] to 0.95, 95% CI 0.89-1.01 [Europe group]). CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in GLD types and combination therapy were evident between migrants and native Danes. Migrants were more likely to use oral GLDs and less likely to use injection-based GLDs, particularly GLP-1RAs, which may contribute to complication risk and mortality among this group.

Student and staff perceptions of alcohol as part of student life in Denmark: A Q methodology study.

INTRODUCTION: Intervening effectively to prevent students' harmful use of alcohol remains a challenge. Harmful alcohol use has been noted as the most dominant public health problem facing universities today. This study sought to investigate the diversity in staff and student perceptions of the contribution alcohol makes to student life in a Danish university setting. Increasing understanding of staff and students' perceptions of how alcohol fits into student life is required to amend future public health intervention for this population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This Q methodology study included 38 staff members and 105 students from Aarhus University, Denmark. Participants used online Q sorting software, to rank 40 statements about the contribution alcohol makes to the university student experience from strongly agree to disagree. To support the interpretation of the factors, self-reported alcohol consumption and demographic data were collected. In addition qualitative data was collected on the participant's reasons for the ranking of the items they most strongly agreed or disagreed with. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Using principal components analysis, five statistically independent viewpoints for students and four for staff were identified. The findings provide evidence to inform approaches to prevent harmful alcohol use. Some viewpoints suggest a need for tailored secondary and tertiary prevention and intervention that focusses on individuals and/or sub-groups who are at risk of consuming alcohol at harmful levels. Other viewpoints suggest the need for primary universal prevention to support the maintenance of healthy norms which can prevent harmful alcohol behaviour. Public health campaigns need to ensure that interventions targeting harmful alcohol use at universities challenge problematic perceptions and attitudes while also bolstering exposure to positive norms.

Loss of life expectancy derived from a standardized mortality ratio in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

AIMS: The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) is a widely used measure. A recent methodological study provided an accurate approximate relationship between an SMR and difference in lifetime expectancies. This study examines the usefulness of the theoretical relationship, when comparing historic mortality data in four Scandinavian populations. METHODS: For Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, data on mortality every fifth year in the period 1950 to 2010 were obtained. Using 1980 as the reference year, SMRs and difference in life expectancy were calculated. The assumptions behind the theoretical relationship were examined graphically. The theoretical relationship predicts a linear association with a slope, [Formula: see text], between log(SMR) and difference in life expectancies, and the theoretical prediction and calculated differences in lifetime expectancies were compared. We examined the linear association both for life expectancy at birth and at age 30. All analyses were done for females, males and the total population. RESULTS: The approximate relationship provided accurate predictions of actual differences in lifetime expectancies. The accuracy of the predictions was better when age was restricted to above 30, and improved if the changes in mortality rate were close to a proportional change. Slopes of the linear relationship were generally around 9 for females and 10 for males. CONCLUSIONS: The theoretically derived relationship between SMR and difference in life expectancies provides an accurate prediction for comparing populations with approximately proportional differences in mortality, and was relatively robust. The relationship may provide a useful prediction of differences in lifetime expectancies, which can be more readily communicated and understood.

Effect of including fitness testing in preventive health checks on cardiorespiratory fitness and motivation: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Preventive health checks may identify individuals with an unhealthy lifestyle and motivate them to change behaviour. However, knowledge about the impact of the different components included in preventive health checks is deficient. The aim of this trial is to evaluate whether including cardiorespiratory fitness testing in preventive health checks 1) increases cardiorespiratory fitness level and motivation to change physical activity behaviour and 2) reduces physical inactivity prevalence and improves self-rated health compared with preventive health checks without fitness testing. METHODS/DESIGN: An open-label, household-cluster, randomized controlled trial with a two-group parallel design is used. The trial is embedded in a population-based health promotion program, "Check your Health Preventive Program", in which all 30-49 year-old citizens in a Danish municipality are offered a preventive health check. In each arm of the trial, 750 citizens will be recruited (1,500 in total). The primary outcome is cardiorespiratory fitness level assessed by submaximal cycle ergometer testing after one year. An intermediate outcome is the percentage of participants increasing motivation for physical activity behaviour change between baseline and two-weeks follow-up assessed using the Transtheoretical Model's stages of change. Secondary outcomes include changes from baseline to one-year follow-up in physical inactivity prevalence measured by a modified version of the questions developed by Saltin and Grimby, and in self-rated health measures using the Short-Form 12, Health Survey, version 2. DISCUSSION: This trial will contribute to a critical appraisal of the value of fitness testing as part of preventive health checks. The conduction in real-life community and general practice structures makes the trial findings applicable and transferable to other municipalities providing support to decision-makers in the development of approaches to increase levels of physical activity and improve health. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02224248. Registered 8 August 2014.

Socioeconomic position and cardiovascular risk factors among people with screen-detected Type 2 DM: six-year follow-up of the ADDITION-Denmark trial.

AIMS: To examine whether socioeconomic position (SEP) was associated with change in cardiovascular risk factors and meeting treatment targets for cardiovascular risk factors among individuals with screen-detected Type 2 DM at six-year follow-up. METHODS: The study population was 1533 people with Type 2 DM identified from at stepwise diabetes screening programme in general practice during 2001-2006 in the ADDITION-Denmark study. The ADDITION-study was performed as a randomised trial but the two randomisation groups were analysed as one cohort in this study. Cardiovascular risk factors were measured at baseline and repeated at follow-up (mean: 5.9 [1.4] years). Information on SEP, redeemed antihypertensive and lipid-lowering treatment were obtained from Danish registers. Multivariate analyses were performed to estimate change in cardiovascular risk factors and difference in meeting treatment targets. RESULTS: The change in HbA1c, cholesterol, blood pressure and BMI were virtually the same across educational level, income level, occupational status or cohabiting status. Overall, the ability to meet treatment targets for HbA1c, cholesterol and blood pressure was not modified by SEP-group. A higher proportion of people with lower educational level or lower income level in the intensive care redeemed anti-hypertensive treatment compared to people with higher educational or income levels. CONCLUSION: Screen-detection and early treatment onset did not introduce socioeconomic inequality in metabolic control in people with screen-detected Type 2 DM at six-year follow-up.

Risk of miscarriage for pregnant users of pivmecillinam: a population-based case-control study.

Few data exist on the risk of miscarriage after exposure to pivmecillinam. We therefore conducted a population-based case-control study in a Danish county with 0.5 million inhabitants during the period 1997-2002. We included 1,599 women with a miscarriage recorded in the Hospital Discharge Registry and selected 10 controls per case among primiparous women who had a live birth during the study period. Controls were selected from the Danish Medical Birth Registry. We obtained data on use of pivmecillinam and sulfamethizole from a prescription database. Five cases (0.30%) and 24 controls (0.15%) were exposed to pivmecillinam in the last week before the miscarriage/index date. After adjustment for maternal age, use of antidiabetics or antiepileptics, the odds ratio for miscarriages among users of pivmecillinam compared with non-users was 2.03 (95% confidence interval: 0.77-5.33) and the corresponding odds ratio for use of sulfamethizole was 1.53 (95% confidence interval: 0.76-3.09). Exposure within 2 to 12 weeks before the miscarriage was not associated with an increased risk. We concluded that use of pivmecillinam was associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, but the risk was not significantly (p=0.64) different from the risk associated with use of sulfamethizole.

Prenatal exposure to loratadine in children with hypospadias: a nested case-control study within the Danish National Birth Cohort.

The aim of this study was to examine the risk of hypospadias after reported exposure to loratadine and other antihistamines during pregnancy, based on data from the Danish National Birth Cohort. We examined the risk of hypospadias in a nested case-control design based on women enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort from 1998 to 2002 ( approximately 95,000 pregnant women). Data on maternal use of medicine in pregnancy were retrieved from questionnaires and telephone interviews, and data on birth outcomes were obtained from the Hospital Discharge Registry (HDR). Within the Danish National Birth Cohort, we identified cases with a diagnosis of hypospadias and randomly selected 10 controls per case without such a diagnosis (matched by date of birth). We identified 203 cases of hypospadias recorded in the HDR within 1 year postpartum and 2030 controls. One case (0.5%) and 25 (1.2%) controls reported exposure to loratadine in the first trimester or up to 30 days before the time of conception. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for hypospadias among users of loratadine relative to nonusers was 0.9 (95% CI: 0.1-6.9) and the corresponding OR for other antihistamines was 0.5 (95% CI: 0.1-1.9). These data do not indicate an increased risk of hypospadias associated with maternal exposure to loratadine. In addition, this study does not suggest any risk differential between maternal exposure to loratadine and other antihistamines. However, the statistical precision of the risk estimates was low.

Maternal use of Loratadine during pregnancy and risk of hypospadias in offspring.

To examine the risk of hypospadias after exposure to loratadine and other antihistamines during pregnancy, we conducted a population-based case-control study in four Danish counties, which account for 30% of the Danish population (approximately 1.6 M). We obtained data on maternal use of antihistamines from prescription databases, and data on birth outcomes from the Danish Medical Birth Registry (MBR) and the Hospital Discharge Registry (HDR). A total of 65,383 male births with a full prescription history of the mother in the study period from 1989-2002 were available for analysis. Within this cohort, we identified cases with a diagnosis of hypospadias, and 10 selected controls per case without such a diagnosis (matched on birth month, gender and year of birth). We identified 227 cases of hypospadias recorded in the HDR within six months postpartum and 2270 controls. One case (0.4%) and eight (0.4%) controls were exposed to loratadine in the first trimester and up to 30 days before the time of conception. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for hypospadias among users of loratadine relative to non-users was 1.4 (95% CI: 0.2-11.2) and the corresponding OR for other antihistamines was 1.9 (95% CI: 0.7-5.7). In this study, maternal exposure to loratadine did not appear to be associated with an increased risk of hypospadias when compared with other antihistamines, although it should be noted that the statistical precision of the risk estimates might be limited.

Fever of unknown origin and cancer: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Fever of unknown origin is associated with cancer, but the tumour types most commonly involved and the prognostic implications of this relation have not been studied. We aimed to assess the risk of cancer and survival after hospital admission for fever of unknown origin in a nationwide Danish follow-up study. METHODS: We linked the Danish national registry of patients and the nationwide cancer registry, and assessed cancer risk for 43,205 patients discharged for the first time from Danish hospitals after admission for fever of unknown origin during 1977-97. We compared cancer frequency with that expected on the basis of cancer incidence in the general population, and survival of patients with cancer who had had fever of unknown origin with that of controls (ie, patients with cancer matched for cancer site, age at time of cancer diagnosis, and year of cancer diagnosis). FINDINGS: Median follow-up was 6.3 years (IQR 2.7-12.3). During the first year of follow-up, 399 cancers were diagnosed in those who had had fever of unknown origin (standardised incidence ratio 2.3 [95% CI 2.1-2.5]). These individuals had an increased risk of developing cancer--in particular haematological malignant disease; sarcoma; and cancers of the liver, brain, kidney, colon, and pancreas. After 1 year of follow-up, individuals had an increased risk of developing haematological malignant disease and cancers of the liver, brain, and kidney. A slightly higher proportion of people diagnosed with cancer within 1 year of hospital discharge after fever of unknown origin had distant metastases compared with controls (101 [34%] of 294 vs 819 [28%] of 2907; prevalence ratio 1.2 [95% CI 1.0-1.4], and had worse survival than did controls (mortality rate ratio 1.4 [95% CI 1.2-1.6]). INTERPRETATION: Hospital admission for fever of unknown origin is a marker of occult cancer and is associated with a poor outlook.

Use of nonaspirin NSAIDs and risk of lung cancer.

Epidemiologic evidence is conflicting regarding the potential for nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to lower the risk of lung cancer. We thus determined the incidence of lung cancer among a cohort of over 242,000 adults in Denmark who had been issued NSAID prescriptions during 1991-2002 and calculated the relative risks of this cancer according to the numbers of prescriptions received. Similar analyses were conducted among a subset with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, of whom the large majority was assumed to have been smokers, as an indirect control for smoking. Utilization of Danish registries ensured essentially complete and unbiased ascertainment of prescriptions and cancer outcomes. The relative risks of lung cancer among NSAID users redeeming 10 or more prescriptions vs. nonusers in the general population and among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients were 1.51 (95% CI = 1.33-1.71) and 1.55 (95% CI = 0.93-2.60) and tended to decline with decreasing numbers of NSAIDs prescribed. Separate analyses for adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma also failed to show reduced risks among NSAID users. Confounding by indication may have contributed to the increased risks, but the study provides no evidence to suggest that recent NSAID intake may be protective for lung cancer.

Ectopic pregnancies and reproductive capacity after Chlamydia trachomatis positive and negative test results: a historical follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that women with Chlamydia trachomatis-positive test results worry about their future fertility. GOAL: The goal of this study was to give women infected with C. trachomatis a fertility prognosis by analyzing ectopic pregnancies and birth rates STUDY DESIGN: An historical follow-up study in a cohort of 22,264 women tested for the infection was conducted. RESULTS: Cox regression analysis with time-dependent covariates showed that women with at least 1 C. trachomatis-positive test result had a lower incidence rate of ectopic pregnancy than women with negative test results only (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.31-0.96). We found comparable birth rates in the 2 groups (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.84-1.00). CONCLUSIONS: Counseling of women with a C. trachomatis-positive test result should emphasize the benefit of detection and treatment of the infection in terms of future morbidity.

Adverse pregnancy outcome in users of sulfamethizole during pregnancy: a population-based observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the risk of adverse birth and neonatal outcome, and miscarriage in women who used sulfamethizole during pregnancy. METHODS: The association between use of sulfamethizole and adverse birth and neonatal outcome was investigated in a case-control and a cohort study in Denmark. We used data from the Prescription Database, the Birth Registry and the Hospital Discharge Registry in North Jutland County to study any association between sulfamethizole use and first recorded miscarriage. The cohort analysis included 3484 women who received a prescription for sulfamethizole from 30 days before conception to date of delivery, and 60175 women who did not use a sulphonamide-containing drug during pregnancy or 30 days before conception. The case-control analysis included 3347 women who had a miscarriage, of whom 90 had taken sulfamethizole, and 22599 primiparous controls who had a live birth. RESULTS: Among women who received prescriptions for sulfamethizole, adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for adverse birth outcome were: malformation 1.17 (0.95-1.43); low birth weight 0.69 (0.49-0.98); pre-term birth 1.12 (0.97-1.30); stillbirth 1.02 (0.61-1.68); neonatal jaundice 1.14 (0.38-3.46); and for receiving a prescription for sulfamethizole within 1 week before miscarriage 1.66 (0.92-2.99). CONCLUSIONS: We found no increased risk of congenital malformation, stillbirth or pre-term birth, and no association between use of sulfamethizole late in pregnancy and risk of neonatal jaundice. There was an increased risk of miscarriage after exposure to sulfamethizole during the week before miscarriage, but further studies are needed to evaluate whether this increased risk is causal.

Risk of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis after maternal postnatal use of macrolides.

A case report has suggested that exposure to erythromycin through breast milk might cause infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. This study therefore examined whether macrolides, transmitted via breast milk, increase the risk of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in neonates. A population-based cohort study was conducted, based on data from a prescription registry, the Danish Birth Registry and North Jutland County's hospital discharge registry, Denmark, and comprising 1166 pregnant women who had been prescribed macrolides from birth to 90 d postnatally, and 34,690-41,778 pregnant women as controls. The odds ratios for infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis varied between 2.3 and 3.0 according to different periods of postnatal exposure, and after stratification for gender they were 10.3 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.2-92.3] for girls and 2.0 (95% CI 0.5-8.4) for boys. The use of macrolides during breast-feeding increases the risk of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.