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H Isager

Publications and source records attributed to H Isager.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Impact of the 1987 revised AIDS case definition in Denmark: a follow-up study 2 years after its adoption.

We present a follow-up study on Danish AIDS patients notified according to the latest revision of the AIDS case definition during the first 2 years after its adoption. A total of 271 adult AIDS cases were notified in the period of study (Jan. 1, 1988-Dec. 31, 1989). 60 patients (22%) met only the revised AIDS case definition and of these 17 patients (28%) developed diseases meeting the old AIDS case definition. Thus, AIDS reporting increased by 28% due to the change in case definition, the impact being 19% after adjusting for patients developing old case diseases. No time trend in the impact was found. We estimated the cumulative percent of cases meeting the new case definition who subsequently will develop diseases meeting the old definition as 15% after 6 months and 51% after 18 months. The revision produced a disproportionate increase in reporting of female cases (p less than 0.05), transfusion cases (p less than 0.01) and to a lesser extent of heterosexual cases, while the impact on reporting of homo/bisexual men showed a decrease (p less than 0.01). Cases notified with new case definition diseases were older than cases notified with old diseases. Among patients meeting only the new case definition, 25 died and 18 (30%) had not developed old case diseases before death. We found no difference in survival rates between patients within the 2 groups of case definition. Among patients meeting the new definition we found no differences in HIV antigenemia or CD4 cell count between those developing diseases meeting old case definition and those who did not.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

[HIV-positive persons in a Danish provincial region 1985-1990].

From January 1985 to July 1990 a total of 128 HIV-infected persons were examined in the Clinics for Infectious Diseases and Dermato-Venereology at Odense University Hospital which covers a provincial region of Denmark. Clinical and demographic data were recorded regarding their initial contact with the hospital. About 1/2 (47%) were homosexual men and these were seen primarily during the first and last years of the observation period. Approximately 1/4 (27%) were intravenous drug users (15% of these were women), and about 1/5 (18%) had become infected by heterosexual relations. Half of these were women and these were seen mostly during the latter half of the observation period. The majority (81%) were clinically healthy at the time of the initial contact with the hospital. Eight patients (6%) had developed AIDS. It is noteworthy that during the last year of the observation period, there was a great increase in the number of homosexuals with compromised health and low CD4-cell count. This tendency could not be demonstrated for the other groups. In general, at the beginning of the observation period, a very uniform group of homosexual men was observed. Most of these had become HIV-infected in Denmark. They were healthy and with good immunological function and in the age group 25-49 years. During the subsequent years, a more varied group of patients was observed. The risk behaviour was different, the percentage of women greater and there was greater variation in age, health status and CD4-count.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Obstructive lung injury after treating wood with sodium hydroxide.

Corrosive lung injuries caused by exposure to sodium hydroxide have seldom been described. A formerly healthy 25-year-old developed irreversible obstructive lung injury after working for one day with a caustic soda treatment of wood in a poorly ventilated room.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Meningococcal disease in the Faroe Islands during the period 1978-1985].

On the Faroe Islands (45,000 inhabitants), a total of 203 cases of meningococcal disease (MD) were recorded during the period 1978-1985. The peak incidence was 95/100,000 in 1981. MD mainly attacked children, 30% were below two years and 75% were below 11 years of age. The lethality rate was 5.4% (11 deaths). In 1981, rifampicin was introduced as a prophylactic treatment against secondary cases and at the same time, a decrease in incidence occurred. The decrease was more pronounced in the part of the country where the number of prescribed prophylactic doses per case of MD was greatest. These observations indicate that the introduction of rifampicin may have modified the course of the epidemic. None of the MD-patients had received prophylactic treatment with rifampicin. Of 132 examined, one patient with complement deficiency was identified, indicating that complement deficiencies were not a major risk factor in the epidemic of MD on the Faroe Islands.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Immune complex binding to erythrocyte-CR1 (CD 35), CR1 expression and levels of erythrocyte-fixed C3 fragments in SLE outpatients.

Erythrocytes (E) from a cross-sectional group of 22 outpatients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and/or mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), the majority without active disease (n = 14), were analyzed for CR1 antigen expression and capacity to bind complement opsonized, radiolabelled immune complexes (IC). Furthermore, E-bound C3 fragments and the plasma C3d concentration were determined. E-bound C3b/iC3b fragments were not elevated in patients with SLE, whereas E from 11 out of 22 SLE patients had increased C3d levels which correlated with the plasma C3d concentration (Rs 0.73, p less than 0.001). E-fixed C3d fragments did not affect the binding of Mab or preopsonized IC to E-CR1 and were not correlated with disease activity or medical treatment. Antigen expression of E-CR1 measured by ELISA or agglutination showed positive correlation with the IC binding capacity of E-CR1 (Rs 0.92 and 0.72 respectively, p less than 001). The IC binding capacity of E-CR1 from SLE patients was significantly reduced (p less than 0.005), whereas the antigen expression of CR1 (ELISA) on E from the patients did not differ from that of E from healthy donors (p greater than 0.1). E-CR1 antigen was measured by Mab reacting with an epitope outside the IC-binding site of E-CR1. E-CR1 antigen expression or IC binding showed no correlation either with disease activity or prednisolone treatment. However, 4 og 5 patients with MCTD and 4 of 5 patients receiving Imurel were found to have low E-CR1 expression and capacity to bind IC. Thus, measurement of antigenic E-CR1 in a cross-sectional group of SLE outpatients by use of Mab reacting with an epitope outside the ligand-binding region of CR1 did not reveal a significantly reduced CR1 expression. However, an assay for CR1-mediated IC binding showed a clearly reduced E-CR1 function.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMed1988

An epidemic outbreak of group B meningococcal disease on the Faroe Islands.

An epidemic of group B meningococcal disease on the Faroe Islands is described. A peak annual incidence of 95 cases/100,000 was reached in 1981. The time at which the epidemic commenced cannot be determined due to inadequate diagnostic facilities, but was presumably around the end of the 1970s. The incidence fell to 29 cases/100,000 in 1985, which indicates that the Faroe Islands are still a high incidence area. A total of 203 cases of meningococcal disease were recorded during the period 1978-1985 with 11 deaths (lethality rate 5.4%). After rifampicin was introduced in 1981 as prophylactic treatment against secondary cases, 1,892 persons were treated with this agent and none of these appeared in the study population. Before rifampicin prophylaxis was introduced, the number of cases were distributed with an evenly increasing incidence in the capital and in the provinces. Following the introduction of rifampicin as prophylactic agent, a fall in the incidence in both areas was observed. This fall was more pronounced in the capital, where the number of prescribed prophylactic doses per case of meningococcal disease was higher than in the province.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Screening for complement deficiencies in patients surviving from epidemic meningococcal disease.

Sera from 132 patients surviving from meningococcal disease during the high-endemic period 1 January 1980 to 31 December 1984 on the Faroe Islands were screened for deficiencies of the complement (C) system by measuring hemolytic complement function in serum. Samples from 12 patients with reduced C function were further investigated by immunochemical quantification of individual C proteins. One patients was identified with C3-deficiency (C3-concentration 6% of normal) due to the presence of C3 nephritic factor (C3NeF) in serum. In addition, eight patients had minor aberrations in one or several complement proteins. It is concluded, that C deficiency is not an important risk factor during epidemics of meningococcal disease. The C3NeF activity could not be absorbed with Neisseria meningitidis group B, type 15, indicating absence of crossreactivity between neisserial antigens and C3NeF.

Complement C3 Nephritic Factor↗
PubMed1987

Demonstration in human plasma of a lectin activity analogous to that of bovine conglutinin.

Evidence of the existence in human plasma of an activity analogous to that of bovine conglutinin is presented. The human plasma component was characterized antigenically and functionally. Human plasma was shown to agglutinate complement-coated erythrocytes in the presence of Ca2+, and this conglutination was inhibited by EDTA. The molecule also binds to complement-reacted solid phase IgG and to zymosan in the presence of Ca2+. The binding to complement is not inhibited by N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, but is inhibited by N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, as previously shown for bovine conglutinin. Antibodies raised against bovine conglutinin cross-react with the human protein. The plasma concentration of the conglutinin-like protein showed a high inter-individual variation between apparently healthy donors. Unlike bovine conglutinin, the human conglutinin activity could not be demonstrated in serum but only in plasma. The activity was more stable in plasma containing metal-ion chelators like EDTA and citrate than in heparin or hirudin plasma.

Agglutination↗
PubMed1987

Screening for complement deficiencies in unselected patients with meningitis.

Two hundred and nine patients consecutively admitted to hospital with a tentative diagnosis of meningitis were screened for complement deficiency by measuring classical and alternative pathway serum haemolytic complement activity and the plasma concentration of C3d. Abnormal test results were followed up by quantitative immunochemical measurements of individual complement components. No patients with homozygous complement deficiency were found in our material. One patient with pneumococcal meningitis with probable heterozygous C2-deficiency was identified. Patients with purulent meningitis of various etiologies or meningococcal disease had significantly increased plasma C3d concentration at admission compared to patients with serous meningitis or without meningitis. Furthermore, increased plasma level of C3d at admission in patients with purulent meningitis or meningococcal disease was associated with an increased lethality. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that complement deficiency is commonly associated with sporadically occurring meningococcal disease or purulent meningitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Acquired intolerance to organic solvents and results of vestibular testing.

Among 160 consecutive patients referred to the Clinic of Occupational Medicine, Rigshospitalet, for symptoms connected with exposure to organic solvents, 20 exhibited symptoms of acquired intolerance to minor amounts of organic solvents. Later, an additional 30 consecutive patients with symptoms of acquired intolerance were included, yielding a total of 43 men and 7 women. The characteristics of the clinical syndrome described are complaints of dizziness, nausea, and weakness after exposure to minimal solvent vapor concentrations. After having tolerated long-term occupational exposure to moderate or high air concentrations of various organic solvents, the patients became intolerant within a short period of time. Since dizziness was a frequent complaint, we tried to obtain a measure of the patients' complaints using vestibular tests. As a diagnostic test the combined vestibular tests had a sensitivity of 0.55 and a specificity of 0.87. No differences between patients with and without intolerance could be detected by the vestibular tests used. We conclude that acquired intolerance to organic solvents is a new but characteristic and easily recognizable syndrome, often with severe consequences for the patient's working ability.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Lacrimal and salivary secretion in Sjögren's syndrome: the effect of systemic treatment with bromhexine.

In a randomized clinical study, 32 patients with Sjögrens syndrome (SS) were given placebo/bromhexine (Bisolvon) 48 mg daily for 3 weeks. Various ophthalmological and oral variables as well as different proteins in tear fluid and saliva were registered. Bromhexine stimulated the tear secretion significantly, presumably without changing the protein composition of the tear fluid. In saliva the IgM concentration in contrast to other proteins decreased in patients with high pre-treatment values. Bromhexine may be of valuable help in the treatment of some patients with SS.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

The normal occurrence of two molecular forms of the eight complement component (C8) and their concentrations in a family with C8 deficiency.

A haemolytically inactive alpha-mobile complement C8 component was identified by crossed immunoelectrophoresis in a 27-year-old male with recurrent meningococcal infections and absence of complement mediated serum haemolytic activity. The patient's serum/plasma contained no demonstrable normal C8. C8 inhibitor activity was not demonstrable in his serum and the alternative activation pathway appeared to be intact. Serum from the proband's parents and both siblings had normal total haemolytic complement activity and they were without symptoms. However, both the normal and the haemolytically inactive C8 protein were demonstrable in their sera. Their normal C8 concentrations were less than one-half of the normal C8 mean value and distinctly below the lowest value found in ten healthy persons. The concentration of the inactive C8 component in the proband's serum was roughly 1 . 5 times higher than that of the other family members, whereas its concentration in sera of the family members was between 1 . 8 and 2 . 5 times the highest concentration found in ten healthy donors, all of whom also had an alpha-mobile C8 in measurable quantities.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Antibodies to herpes simplex and Epstein-Barr viruses in Faroese children: association with sibship size, height and age.

Antibody to herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) capsid antibody were determined in 333 children from the Faroe Islands, aged 4, 8 and 13 years. An analysis of multi-way frequency tables was performed, testing seropositivity for each virus against combinations of the following variables: sibship size, birth order, mother's age at birth, birth weight, actual height and weight, age and sex. HSV-seropositivity was associated to sibship size, height and age, while EBV-seropositivity was related only to age.--It is discussed how the findings fit into epidemiological patterns described for Hodgkin's disease and multiple sclerosis, which are both supposed to be of viral origin. Our results suggest that HSV, but not EBV, may be among the candidates to be considered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Serum isoamylases in Sjögren's syndrome. Concentration levels and intra-individual variation.

A study of isoamylase in serum from 53 patients with Sjögren's syndrome demonstrated that the levels of both pancreatic type and salivary type amylases remain within reference value limits in most cases. However, abnormal low or high values for pancreatic type amylases were seen more frequently than in the control groups. The intra-individual variation in concentration levels of both isoenzymes among patients with Sjögren's syndrome were significantly greater than in the control groups. These observations are interpreted as signs of subclinical lesions of the pancreas and the salivary glands occurring during the course of the disease. Sjögren's syndrome should be borne in mind and sought in cases of unexplained hypo- or hyperisoamylasemias.

Adult↗