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Biomedical subjects

H T Waaler

Publications and source records attributed to H T Waaler.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Detecting hypertension: screening versus case finding in Norway.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of detection of hypertension in adults in the county of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey with clinical follow up examinations. SETTING: Health survey by screening teams from the national health screening service, and examinations by all 106 general practitioners in the county. SUBJECTS: During 1984-6, 74,977 persons (88.1% of those aged 20 years and over) participated in the health survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hypertension (when assessed by standardised recording and by questionnaires on drug treatment for hypertension) according to the blood pressure thresholds used in the Norwegian treatment programme. Subjects positive on screening were grouped after clinical examination into treatment groups. RESULTS: In all, 2399 subjects were positive for hypertension. Before screening 6210 (8.3%) patients reported taking antihypertensive drugs and another 3849 (5.1%) had their blood pressure monitored regularly. All who screened positive were referred to their general practitioner and evaluated according to a standard programme. As a result, drug treatment was started in 406 (0.5%) participants screened and blood pressure monitoring in another 1007 (1.3%). Of all patients taking antihypertensive drugs after the screening, 6399 (94.0%) had been diagnosed before screening, and of those whose blood pressure was monitored after the screening, 79.3% had been diagnosed before screening. CONCLUSIONS: At the blood pressure screening thresholds used, and when hypertension is defined by an overall clinical diagnosis, the results indicate that general practitioners can find and diagnose hypertensive patients with the case finding strategy.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Hazard of obesity--the Norwegian experience.

Ten years' follow-up of mortality of 1.7 million persons aged 15 years or more with measured body weight and height demonstrates a consistent correlation between body mass index and mortality. The risk function is an asymmetrical U-function. This shape makes the determination of an optimum very uncertain. The two tails in the distribution of the body mass index show marked differences as to the causes of death: the lower tail is characterized by tuberculosis, lung cancer, obstructive lung diseases, and the upper tail by cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and (for males) colon cancer.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1987

Body mass index in the Scandinavian countries.

Data on the body mass index (BMI) from four Scandinavian countries are compared. The Finnish values are markedly higher than those of the other countries. This holds for both sexes. Among these the Norwegians deviate by showing higher values for females, though not reaching the Finnish level, but lower values for the males. The populations from which the observations are drawn are differently sampled. There is no evidence that differences as to composition in rural/urban populations can explain the differences.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

What is the economic impact of secondary prevention to society?

Of the 4.1 million population of Norway about 7500 patients between 20 and 75 years of age are admitted each year to hospital for acute myocardial infarction. Of these 1100 die in hospital, and 6400 are candidates for secondary prevention. On the basis of survival curves, we present a model for calculating potential benefits of secondary prevention. We use 'years of life gained' as a measure of outcome of secondary prevention. We consider three economic elements in secondary prevention: (a) Use of health services. The drug costs are moderate. The indirect costs are unknown, but probably moderate. (b) Resumed productivity is small. (c) Pensions and other transfers will increase the public expense. The net effect is an increase in public expense. Beta blockers reduce mortality by 25% and can be given prophylactically to about one third of the patients. So far, the effect is uncertain after two years. Secondary prevention for two years will cost Norway about 3.8 million NOK (526 000 US +) per year for drugs, give 597 extra survivors and provide 0.24 additional life years per patient treated. In case of life-long treatment and effect, the result will be 1.6 years of life per patient treated. About 50% of Norwegian patients smoke. If all the men stopped, there will be no costs, about 5120 extra survivors, and 3.3 additional years of life per patient who quits smoking. The effect is not limited in time.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1984

Relation between drug utilization and morbidity pattern: antihypertensive drugs.

Drug utilization studies are a valuable tool in health services research aiming to improve quality of health care and use of resources. We first present a simple model for drug utilization studies and then give practical examples from our studies in Norway, mainly dealing with the treatment of hypertension. There are marked differences in drug utilization between hospitals, counties, and the five Nordic countries. The medical consequences of these differences are probably small, but they have important economic implications. The marked regional differences in drug utilization argue for better organization of health care, for standardized treatment programs, and for continuing education of doctors.

Adult↗