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Hannu Alho

Publications and source records attributed to Hannu Alho.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

The association of alcohol dependency with employment probability: evidence from the population survey 'Health 2000 in Finland'.

In this paper, we investigate to what extent alcohol-dependent individuals fare worse in the Finnish labour market, using data from a large Finnish health survey. We used the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence assessed by a composite international diagnostic interview (CIDI). We find that there are substantial disadvantages for alcohol-dependent men and women in the labour market, in the sense that they have lower employment probabilities. Treating alcohol dependence as an exogenous variable, we find that alcohol dependence is associated with decrease in the probability of full-time or part-time work of around 14 percentage points for men and 11 percentage points for women. However, accounting for endogeneity increases the negative effect to some 50 percentage points for men and to some 40 percentage points for women.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Abuse liability of buprenorphine-naloxone tablets in untreated IV drug users.

Buprenorphine (Subutex) is widely abused in Finland. A combination of buprenorphine plus naloxone (Suboxone) has been available since late 2004, permitting a comparison of the abuse of the two products among untreated intravenous (IV) users. A survey was distributed to attendees at a Helsinki needle exchange program over 2-weeks in April, 2005, At least 30% were returned anonymously. Survey variables included: years of prior IV opioid abuse, years of buprenorphine abuse, frequency, dosage, route of administration and reasons for use, concomitant IV abuse of other substances and amount paid on the street for both buprenorphine and buprenorphine+naloxone. Buprenorphine was the most frequently used IV drug for 73% of the respondents. More than 75% said they used IV buprenorphine to self-treat addiction or withdrawal. Most (68%) had tried the buprenorphine+naloxone combination IV, but 80% said they had a "bad" experience. Its street price was less than half that of buprenorphine alone. The buprenorphine+naloxone combination appears to be a feasible tool, along with easier access to addiction treatment, for decreasing IV abuse of buprenorphine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Abstaining from alcohol and labour market underperformance--have we forgotten the 'dry' alcoholics?

AIMS: To investigate whether abstainers fare worse than non-abstainers on the labour market because a subset of the abstainers are ex-drinkers with alcohol problems. METHODS: In the cross-sectional population survey 'health 2000 in Finland' (n = 10 000) carried out in 2000, alcohol dependency was measured using the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence. The CIDI (composite international diagnostic interview) was applied to ascertain lifetime DSM-IV diagnoses for substance abuse diagnoses, including alcohol dependence. Individuals were considered to be employed if they were working part-time or full-time. RESULTS: Male abstainers have on average 9.5 percentage points lower employment probability than non-abstainers. However, abstainers who have never drunk alcohol do not have lower employment probability than non-abstainers. Abstainers who are diagnosed as alcohol dependent have 27 percentage points lower employment probability than non-abstainers. CONCLUSION: The underperformance of abstainers in a labour market sense is almost entirely due to the fact that some abstainers are ex-drinkers who in our study are identified as alcohol-dependent. Otherwise abstaining does not decrease employment probability.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[Not Available].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Comparison of new alcohol use test, the Helsinki Alcohol Use Test questionnaire, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and laboratory markers serum gamma-glutamyl transferase and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin.

The purpose of the present study was to compare and evaluate the new Helsinki Alcohol Use Test (HAUT) and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) as screening instrument in the general working population. The relationship between the HAUT and serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) was also evaluated. Our results seem to indicate that the HAUT has good performance as screening instrument for alcohol-related problems in the general population.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed2002

Opposite associations of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gamma-glutamyltransferase with prevalent coronary heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but excessive alcohol consumption is probably harmful to the heart. We analyzed the association of 2 commonly used markers of alcohol consumption-carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT)-and self-reported alcohol consumption with prevalent CHD. METHODS: The study included a random sample of 3666 Finnish men aged 25 to 74 years who participated in a risk factor survey in 1997. The cross-sectional association of CDT, GGT, and self-reported drinking with CHD was analyzed by means of logistic regression models. RESULTS: The CDT level was inversely and GGT level positively associated with CHD risk. The odds ratios (adjusted for age, smoking, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, systolic blood pressure, and body mass index) of CHD among men in the fourth quartiles of CDT and GGT, as compared with the first quartiles, were 0.69 and 1.76, respectively. In a composite risk assessment, men with normal CDT levels (< or =20 U/L) and elevated GGT levels (>80 U/L) had nearly 8-fold adjusted risk of CHD as compared with the men with normal GGT levels and elevated CDT levels. Self-reported alcohol consumption had an inverse association with CHD risk, which disappeared after adjustment for the other risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of CDT and GGT may be indicators of factors behind the curvilinear association between alcohol consumption and CHD risk. The CDT level seems to be related to beneficial biological changes and GGT level with the changes that are detrimental to the cardiovascular system. The inverse association of CDT level with CHD risk will be examined further in a forthcoming prospective study.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Long-term effects of and physiological responses to nitrous oxide gas treatment during alcohol withdrawal: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Nitrous oxide gas (N2O) has been proposed to be effective in the treatment of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). This has not been proved, however, in studies performed according to good clinical practice guidelines. Moreover, previous studies have not measured end tidal N2O concentrations or physiologic responses during N2O treatment. We have recently reported that in a double-blind, randomized, controlled setting, N2O was not superior to placebo in relieving AWS symptoms. In this previous study, we did not find significant differences between the treatments either in the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol scores or in the total use of benzodiazepines (diazepam and temazepam). The aim of the present study was to characterize other effects and side effects of the N2O treatment using several objective measures and to study the possible long-term efficacy of the treatment. METHODS: A total of 105 inpatients who had AWS and were admitted to the A-Clinic detoxification center were included in the study. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of the following three treatments: (1) N2O/oxygen (from 30 to 70% in oxygen), (2) air/oxygen (30%/70%), and (3) medical (normal) air. During the single 45-min treatment period, end-tidal N2O, carbon dioxide, and oxygen concentrations were measured. The physiologic responses were studied by measuring heart rate, blood pressure, pulse oximetric saturation, frontal muscle electromyographic activity, and plethysmographic pulse amplitude. Long-term effects were studied by measuring craving with the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale; severity of dependency with Severity of Alcohol Dependence Data; and liver enzymes with aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyltransferase 3 and 6 months after the treatment. RESULTS: Patients in the N2O group demonstrated significantly higher facial muscle electromyographic activity and higher pulse amplitude than the air-treated subjects. Self-reported side effects between the gas treatments, however, did not differ between the groups. Regarding long-term effects of the treatments, there were no differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to previously published data, N2O treatment did not decrease craving or liver enzymes during the 6-month follow-up. At the concentration used, N2O treatment produced signs of arousal instead of strong sedation.

Alcoholism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Self-reported alcohol consumption and association to carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gamma-glutamyltransferase in a random sample of the general population in the Republic of Karelia, Russia and in North Karelia, Finland.

In the present study, alcohol consumption was estimated in a population survey in Pitkäranta in the Republic of Karelia, Russia (RUS) and in the neighbouring province of North Karelia in Finland (FIN) in the spring of 1997 in connection with the National FINRISK Study. Alcohol consumption was evaluated by self-report and by the biological markers carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). In RUS, elevated CDT values were observed in 36.6% of the men and 17.6% of the women. In FIN, the respective rates were 9.6% and 9.4%, which are similar to average European rates. The prevalence of elevated CDT values seen in RUS is the highest prevalence ever reported in general population surveys. However, the self-reported alcohol consumption was similar in the two regions. These results suggest that alcohol consumption especially in Russia may not be reliably estimated by self-reporting, and that alcohol consumption is relatively high, especially among men, in RUS.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Accuracy of quantity-frequency and graduated frequency questionnaires in measuring alcohol intake: comparison with daily diary and commonly used laboratory markers.

AIMS: To ascertain the accuracy of a quantity-frequency questionnaire (QF) and a graduated frequency questionnaire (GF) as methods of obtaining self-reported alcohol intake in relation to a daily diary and biochemical tests. METHODS: QF and GF data were obtained before and after a 1-month daily diary on alcohol intake in a sample of 52 volunteers aged 20-63 years, of whom 43 were female. A blood sample to measure serum aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and % carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) was obtained at the outset. RESULTS: Both QF and GF correlated closely with daily diary intake (r > 0.90). Compared with a daily diary, the mean QF intake was slightly lower, whereas the mean GF intake was 2-fold. The apparent overestimation by GF was independent of the actual consumption level. Self-reported alcohol intake by each method correlated closely with serum ASAT, ALAT and GGT (r = 0.41-0.67) but not with CDT. CONCLUSIONS: In adults motivated to recall alcohol intake, both QF and GF classify individuals in the correct rank order, but GF probably overestimates actual alcohol consumption.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Alcohol misuse increases serum antibodies to oxidized LDL and C-reactive protein.

AIMS: To clarify the relationship of alcohol consumption with serum antibodies to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP). METHODS: The study population consisted of 280 men with evidence of alcohol misuse by having self-reported alcohol consumption values over 280 g absolute ethanol per week and 250 age-matched moderate drinkers from a population of Finnish men participating in the FINRISK survey study. Serum samples were analysed for antibodies to oxLDL, C-reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). The characteristics of the top and bottom half of the alcohol misusers, in regard to weekly alcohol consumption, were compared with the controls. RESULTS: Serum antibody titres to oxLDL were higher in the top half and the levels of CRP, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, GGT and CDT were elevated in both the top half and the bottom half of the alcohol misusers, compared to controls. CONCLUSION: We propose that alcohol misuse may result in increased inflammation leading to oxidation of LDL.

Adult↗