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Biomedical subjects

B Ettinger

Publications and source records attributed to B Ettinger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Hormone therapy to prevent disease and prolong life in postmenopausal women.

PURPOSE: To critically review the risks and benefits of hormone therapy for asymptomatic postmenopausal women who are considering long-term hormone therapy to prevent disease or to prolong life. DATA SOURCES: Review of the English-language literature since 1970 on the effect of estrogen therapy and estrogen plus progestin therapy on endometrial cancer, breast cancer, coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, and stroke. We used standard meta-analytic statistical methods to pool estimates from studies to determine summary relative risks for these diseases in hormone users and modified lifetable methods to estimate changes in lifetime probability and life expectancy due to use of hormone regimens. RESULTS: There is evidence that estrogen therapy decreases risk for coronary heart disease and for hip fracture, but long-term estrogen therapy increases risk for endometrial cancer and may be associated with a small increase in risk for breast cancer. The increase in endometrial cancer risk can probably be avoided by adding a progestin to the estrogen regimen for women who have a uterus, but the effects of combination hormones on risk for other diseases has not been adequately studied. We present estimates for changes in lifetime probabilities of disease and life expectancy due to hormone therapy in women who have had a hysterectomy; with coronary heart disease; and at increased risk for coronary heart disease, hip fracture, and breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Hormone therapy should probably be recommended for women who have had a hysterectomy and for those with coronary heart disease or at high risk for coronary heart disease. For other women, the best course of action is unclear.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1992

Contribution of vertebral deformities to chronic back pain and disability. The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.

Among 2992 white women aged 65-70 years recruited from population-based listings, we measured radiographic vertebral dimensions of T5-L4 and calculated ratios of heights: anterior/posterior, mid/posterior, and posterior/posterior of either adjacent vertebra. The degree of deformity for each vertebra was analyzed in terms of the number of standard deviations (SD) that ratio differed from the mean ratio calculated for the same vertebral level in this population. We correlated the severity of each woman's worst vertebral deformity with back pain, back disability in six activities of daily living, and height loss since age 25. Only 39.4% of the cohort had no vertebral deformity; 10.2% had a deformity greater than or equal to 4 SD. Vertebral deformities less than 4 SD below the mean were not associated with increased back pain, disability, or loss of height. In contrast, women whose deformity was greater than or equal to 4 SD had a 1.9 (95% CI, 1.5-2.4) times higher risk of moderate to severe back pain and a 2.6 (95% CI, 1.7-3.9) times higher risk of disability involving the back; they were also 2.5 (95% CI, 2.0-3.2) times more likely to have lost greater than or equal to 4 cm in height. All three types of vertebral deformity (wedge, end plate, and crush) were equally associated with these outcomes. Multiple deformities less than 4 SD did not increase the likelihood of these three outcomes, but multiple deformities greater than or equal to 4 SD tended to be associated with increased back pain, disability, and height loss. This large cross-sectional study suggests that vertebral deformities cause substantial pain, disability, or loss of height only if vertebral height ratios fall 4 SD below the normal mean. Much back pain could not be attributed to vertebral deformities, suggesting other causes.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Low-dosage micronized 17 beta-estradiol prevents bone loss in postmenopausal women.

With the use of a double-blind, randomized, dose-ranging design, we tested during an 18-month period the degree of protection against postmenopausal bone loss afforded by micronized 17 beta-estradiol in dosages of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg. All subjects received supplementation to ensure a minimum of 1500 mg calcium daily. Fifty-one subjects completed at least 1 year of follow-up bone density measurements by quantitative computed tomography and by single- and dual-photon absorptiometry. In the placebo group spinal trabecular bone density decreased 4.9% annually (p less than 0.001), whereas in those taking micronized 17 beta-estradiol bone density tended to increase (annual increases of 0.3% in the 0.5 mg micronized 17 beta-estradiol group, 1.8% in the 1.0 mg micronized 17 beta-estradiol group, and 2.5% in the 2.0 mg micronized 17 beta-estradiol group). After completing the double-blind phase, 41 subjects completed an additional 18 months of follow-up while taking 1.0 mg micronized 17 beta-estradiol. During this time one third of the subjects were randomly assigned to discontinue calcium supplements. Among those who previously received placebo, trabecular bone density increased 4.3% annually, whereas among those who had used micronized 17 beta-estradiol, trabecular bone density response was inversely related to the dosage previously used. Additionally and independently, the level of calcium intake showed a statistically significant correlation with the change in spinal trabecular bone density (r = 0.37, p = 0.02). We conclude that micronized 17 beta-estradiol has a continuous skeletal dose-response effect in the range of 0.5 to 2.0 mg and that calcium intake positively modifies the skeletal response to 1.0 mg micronized 17 beta-estradiol.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Role of calcium in preserving the skeletal health of aging women.

During the years from adolescence through senescence, the skeleton passes through identifiable phases: consolidation, maturity, menopause, and senescence. Skeletal dynamics and calcium requirements are different during each phase. A adult woman can avoid the skeletal deterioration caused by calcium deficiency if she maintains a minimum daily calcium intake of 800 mg. Increased calcium intake will not increase skeletal mass in mature, premenopausal women and will not prevent bone loss in postmenopausal women. Because intestinal absorption decreases with age, daily calcium intake of 1000 to 1200 mg is recommended for the elderly. Women can increase their dietary calcium intake in various ways, including increasing intake of dairy products, eating calcium-rich nondairy foods, purchasing foods fortified with calcium, and, if all other methods prove inadequate, using calcium supplements. Physicians must prescribe calcium only after learning what is needed for a particular woman's skeletal health by determining that woman's stage of skeletal development and approximate calcium intake; if intake is insufficient, it should be adjusted to the level appropriate at that stage.

Aging↗
PubMed1991

Evaluation of adverse health outcomes associated with vertebral fractures.

Little is known about the frequency or degree to which vertebral fractures cause pain and physical disability. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the advantages of risk analysis over other statistical techniques (e.g., correlation analysis) for quantifying relationships between vertebral fractures and outcomes such as pain and disability. Subjects who volunteered to participate in studies of osteoporosis were asked about pain and disability. The number and degree of vertebral deformities were assessed from radiographs. Strong associations were observed between the most severe vertebral deformities and the risk of high pain or disability scores, while weaker associations were observed for moderate deformities. There did not appear to be any association between vertebral deformity and risk of moderate levels of pain or disability. Because of the potential for bias in cross-sectional studies such as this, the magnitude of these findings must be considered tentative. We conclude that risk analysis is an appropriate method for quantifying the relationship of vertebral fractures with pain and disability, but that prospective studies are now needed.

Back Pain↗
PubMed1991

Verbal hallucinations in psychotic patients.

"Verbal hallucinations" are sentences that psychotic patients may say repeatedly throughout a conversation which are out of context or unconnected to the topic of conversation. These hallucinations are not the outcome of a remembrance of an experience or an event and do not bring about any emotional relief or catharsis, but they supply valuable information. They resemble Jacques Lacan's description of the psychotic mechanism "Forclusion." This mechanism relates to experiences that did not undergo the process of primary symbolization through language, and experiences where words were attached but were not bound to the language structure. The result being that these experiences did not enter into the unconscious discourse of the subject. This information can reappear as verbal hallucinations in the psychotic patient. In such cases, the therapist, with the assistance of the patient's family, must investigate the meaning of the verbal hallucinations through research into the patient's and family's history in the phase prior to language development. When such a connection is discovered, the therapist must then bridge the hallucinations with the events unknown to the patient but contained in his subconscious. The therapist's role in such cases resembles that of a parent with a child: To translate the subject's experience through language from the physical schema to the body image and symbolic plane and in so doing, give meaning to meaninglessness. In our paper three short clinical cases are presented.

Body Image↗
PubMed1990

Spinal bone mineral density measured with quantitative CT: effect of region of interest, vertebral level, and technique.

This study documents the relationship between different vertebral bone compartments with quantitative computed tomography (CT). Four distinct patient groups were investigated: healthy pre- and early postmenopausal women as well as healthy and osteoporotic late postmenopausal women. Three different regions of interest (ROIs) were employed: the elliptical ROI located in the anterior trabecular portion of the vertebral body, the peeled ROI of irregular shape that circumscribes most of the trabecular bone, and the integral ROI including all bone except for the transverse processes. Both single- and dual-energy quantitative CT techniques were employed at T-12 through L-3. Correlation between measurements in the elliptical and peeled ROIs was high (r = .985). The authors concluded that either ROI is acceptable for clinical use. The decrements in bone mineral density (BMD) for the integral ROI were smaller than those for the elliptical ROI. Dual-energy measurements were consistently higher than single-energy measurements. BMD as a function of vertebral level decreased systematically from T-12 to L-3. However, the average density of T-12 through L-3 can be accurately predicted by the average density of L-1 and L-2 (r = .997). Precision did not deteriorate significantly when BMD was expressed as the average of L-1 and L-2 (1.5%) instead of T-12 through L-3 (1.4%). In this study the data suggest a modified quantitative CT protocol for clinical applications in which BMD of only L-1 and L-2 are measured at a fixed gantry tilt.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Hormone replacement therapy and coronary heart disease.

Proper use of postmenopausal hormone replacement has been the subject of debate for decades. Prevailing medical opinion has swung between enthusiastic endorsement and extreme caution. The wave of optimism over estrogen's beneficial effects on menopausal symptoms and skeletal health was temporarily set back by the evidence that linked estrogen to endometrial cancer. Once studies showed that progestogen cotherapy could protect against this adverse effect, physicians were again encouraged to prescribe hormone replacement. Since 1980, increasing epidemiologic and experimental evidence has suggested a hitherto unappreciated and immense CHD health benefit from use of postmenopausal estrogen therapy. Although addition of progestogen may offset the cardiovascular benefits of estrogen slightly, its use is reasonable and practical. No woman need be subjected to unopposed estrogen's carcinogenic effects on her endometrium. Based on available evidence, hormone replacement therapy, appropriately administered, is both safe and beneficial. Unfortunately, there is no single way to prescribe it. The treating physician must make a series of best judgments. Practically speaking, this entails, in each case, finding the form of therapy that is acceptable to the patient and that provides the greatest health benefits with the least likelihood of adverse affects. Our prescribing habits have evolved in the last 15 to 20 years. We have better discrimination of the woman most likely to benefit; improved therapy through use of newer formulations, dosages, routes, and schedules; and more appropriate implementation of monitoring procedures. Although questions remain, we should not let our imperfect knowledge dissuade us from more widespread prescribing of hormone replacement therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Models of spinal trabecular bone loss as determined by quantitative computed tomography.

Noninvasive bone densitometry techniques have significantly improved our understanding of the pattern and magnitude of bone loss over the life span. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) is capable of selectively measuring highly labile trabecular bone in the central portion of the vertebrae. Trabecular bone mineral density (mg/ml) was determined in 538 healthy women ranging in age from 20 to 80 using GE CT/T scanners at 80 kVp. Various statistical regressions were performed for the entire population to describe the general pattern of bone loss from the spine; a cubic model (r = -0.69, SEE = 26.0 mg/ml) was found to be statistically superior (p less than 0.01) to linear, quadratic, or exponential models. An average bone loss was approximated from these regression analyses with a yearly absolute rate of -2.02 +/- 0.097 mg/ml per year (p less than 0.0001). The average rate of change for premenopausal women was -0.45 mg/ml per year (p less than 0.05), for perimenopausal women was -4.39 mg/ml per year (p less than 0.0001) and for postmenopausal women was -1.99 mg/ml per year (p less than 0.0001). QCT values were also stratified into 5 and 10 year age groups and analyzed separately for pre- and postmenopausal women. The 5 and 10 year interval stratification revealed no identifiable bone density decrements prior to midlife using analysis of variance statistical methods; significant losses of bone mineral density were noted to correspond with the usual time of menopause and to continue into old age. Various two-phase regressions were employed using age and menstrual status to improve the description of age- and menopause-related bone loss.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Does hyperuricosuria play a role in calcium oxalate lithiasis?

This review evaluates the epidemiologic, clinical and experimental evidence for an etiological link between urinary uric acid and the propensity to develop calcium oxalate calculi. While epidemiologic and laboratory studies provide only equivocal support for a synergistic relationship, several clinical trials with allopurinol have demonstrated a reduction in calculus recurrence. These beneficial effects are observed only when allopurinol is given to subjects with calcium oxalate calculi who have isolated hyperuricosuria. The specificity of this effect suggests that there is an important interaction between uric acid and calcium oxalate but the mechanism(s) remain to be elucidated.

Allopurinol↗
PubMed1989

Appropriate use of bone densitometry.

The authors discuss current capabilities of three common bone densitometry techniques--single photon absorptiometry, dual photon absorptiometry, and quantitative computed tomography--and potential capabilities of new innovations of each of these techniques. They believe that use of bone densitometry is valid in the following four clinical applications and recommend its usage to (a) assess patients with metabolic diseases known to affect the skeleton, (b) assess perimenopausal women for initiation of estrogen replacement therapy, (c) establish a diagnosis of osteoporosis or assess its severity in the context of general clinical care, and (d) monitor the efficacy of treatment interventions or the natural course of disease.

Bone Diseases, Metabolic↗
PubMed1988

Gynecologic consequences of long-term, unopposed estrogen replacement therapy.

We evaluated the gynecologic risks of unopposed, long-term estrogen use in postmenopausal women. Our medical record review showed that unopposed estrogen users (mean dose, 0.9 mg of conjugated estrogens) had a significantly higher (P less than 0.001) incidence of abnormal vaginal bleeding, curettage, hysterectomy, and endometrial cancer. The ratios of occurrence of these events among users compared with non-users were 7.8, 4.9, 6.6 and 7.7. The prevalence of hysterectomy reached 28.2% of users compared with 5.3% of non-users, and endometrial carcinoma developed in 9.9% of users compared with 1.4% of non-users.

Dilatation and Curettage↗
PubMed1988

An examination of the association between vertebral deformities, physical disabilities and psychosocial problems.

In order to measure the clinical consequences of spinal osteoporosis, we correlated a number of physical and psychosocial dysfunctions with the degree of vertebral deformity in 204 women aged 55-75 yr. We employed 5 standardized questionnaire instruments: the physical dimension of the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), an analog back pain scale, a 24-question instrument eliciting back-related disabilities, and assessments of self-esteem and mastery. Using these results as the dependent variables, we performed 5 separate stepwise regression analyses; independent variables were vertebral deformity score and 11 possible confounders. Using Pearson correlation coefficients, we found a high degree of correlation between each of the 5 primary outcome variables. Vertebral deformity score played a small but statistically significant role in the 3 models whose dependent variable was related to physical dysfunction, but it accounted for only 4-10% of the variance of these models. Mastery and self-esteem were related to overall poor health and attendant physical disabilities but not to vertebral deformity score. In this selected cohort of women, the occurrence of mild to moderate vertebral deformities caused little loss of physical function or function of psychosocial problems because of vertebral deformity. Although we were able to demonstrate a statistically significant handicap related to the total vertebral deformity score, several other clinical variables appeared to have a greater impact.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Chlorthalidone reduces calcium oxalate calculous recurrence but magnesium hydroxide does not.

We examined the effectiveness of chlorthalidone or magnesium hydroxide in the prevention of recurrent calcium oxalate kidney calculi. In a double-blind random allocation design daily dosages of 25 or 50 mg. chlorthalidone, 650 or 1,300 mg. magnesium hydroxide, or an identical placebo were administered. All groups showed significantly decreased calculous events compared to the pretreatment rates. During the trial 56.1 per cent fewer calculi than predicted developed in the placebo group (p less than 0.01), whereas the groups receiving low and high dosage magnesium hydroxide showed 73.9 and 62.3 per cent fewer calculi, respectively (p less than 0.001 and less than 0.01, respectively). Chlorthalidone treatment resulted in a 90.1 per cent decrease from predicted rates and both dosages yielded similar results. When the treatments were compared chlorthalidone was significantly better than the placebo or magnesium hydroxide (p less than 0.01). The large decreases in calculous events seen when placebo or ineffective therapy was given underscore the positive treatment bias that occurs when historical controls are used and they demonstrate the need for proper experimental design.

Calcium Oxalate↗
PubMed1988

A practical guide to preventing osteoporosis.

Physicians should advise women reaching menopause about the risk of osteoporosis and what practical steps can be taken to reduce this risk. The average woman at menopause can expect to live to be 80 years old; during these years she will face a 15% risk of hip fracture and a 10% risk of vertebral fracture. These risks are increased in Asians and whites, in women who are short and thin, and in those with poorly developed musculature. General advice regarding the correction of certain unhealthy habits and changes in life-style may enhance skeletal health, but prompt restoration and long-term maintenance of physiologic levels of estrogen remain the only proved effective way of reducing bone loss and the risk of fracture.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Prevention of osteoporosis: treatment of estradiol deficiency.

Estradiol (E2) plays a major role in maintaining women's skeletal integrity. Loss of bone mass is a regular occurrence with E2 deficiency, regardless of etiology. Estrogen-dependent bone loss follows a predictable pattern. Initially, it is quite rapid, preferentially affecting trabecular bone, which may decrease by 5-8% annually, whereas compact or cortical bone decreases by 1-3% annually. After 10-15 years of E2 deficiency, the rate of loss each year decreases; however, by that time, skeletal mass may be one-third to one-half of its youthful level. Because of the resultant skeletal fragility, even minimal trauma can produce fractures of the spine and wrist. After an additional 10-15 years of bone loss, hip fractures occur with alarming frequency. Timely restoration of E2 levels can prevent estrogen-dependent bone loss and can reduce significantly the risk of fracture. Studies show that 2 mg of E2 administered orally is an adequate dose; 1 mg will suffice if it is combined with a high dietary calcium intake. High calcium intake without estrogen is not effective in preventing the accelerated loss of bone that occurs in the years immediately after menopause. Long-term studies confirm that postmenopausal women who regularly use estrogen have greater bone mass and fewer osteoporotic fractures. Physicians should be encouraged to treat all estrogen-deficient women, particularly those who appear to be at higher risk for osteoporosis.

Bone and Bones↗
PubMed1988

Optimal use of postmenopausal hormone replacement.

The well-informed physician can use the following specific strategies to help postmenopausal women obtain maximum benefit from estrogen therapy: 1) choosing the woman most likely to benefit; 2) initiating therapy at a time when it will do the most good; 3) tailoring treatment to maximize safety, efficacy, and acceptability; and 4) fostering patient commitment to long-term treatment through education, monitoring, and supportive counseling.

Drug Administration Schedule↗