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Biomedical subjects

J Pentti

Publications and source records attributed to J Pentti.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Recurrent low back pain and early disc degeneration in the young.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective 9-year follow-up study involving randomized matched subgroups of 15-year-old schoolchildren with or without low back pain at baseline. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term persistence of initially reported recurrent low back pain, and to examine the significance of abnormalities found in magnetic resonance imaging of lumbar discs in individuals 15 and 18 years of age as possible contributors to persistently recurrent low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: In surveys among children and teenagers during the past few years, as many as half of all children in a community report a history of low back pain. The current results, in accordance with previous findings, indicate that there is a subgroup of adolescents with more chronic symptoms which, in the authors' opinion, deserves more attention. Disc disease accompanying low back pain is a key issue both in research and clinical practice. The significance of early degenerative findings in the lumbar discs is not known. METHODS: In the survey of 14-year-olds (n = 1503), a subgroup (7.8%) with recurrent low back pain was found. A random sample of individuals with recurrent low back pain (n = 40) and an equal number of completely asymptomatic control subjects were selected for a comparative study. The selected groups were examined by magnetic resonance imaging at 15 and 18 years of age. The participation rate of youth at 14, 18, and 23 years of age for all three questionnaires was 82% (29 boys and 33 girls). Imaging data were interpreted by two blinded radiologists experienced in low-field-strength magnetic resonance imaging. In calculations of relative risks, the participants reporting recurrent low back pain in all phases of the study were compared with participants who had no persistently recurrent pain. RESULTS: Eleven participants (35%) in the original group with low back pain persistently reported recurrent pain. In 15-year-old participants with disc degeneration, the relative risk of reporting recurrent low back pain up to the age of 23 years was 16 (95% confidence interval 2.2-118) compared with those having no disc degeneration. In addition, disc protrusion and Scheuermann-type changes at 15 years contributed to the risk of persistently recurrent low back pain. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' earlier findings already favored the hypothesis of a causal relation between the early evolution of a degenerative process of lower lumbar discs and recurrent low back pain in the near future. The current results further strengthen this hypothesis, indicating that individuals with disc degeneration soon after the phase of rapid physical growth not only have an increased risk of recurrent low back pain at this age, but also a long-term risk of recurrent pain up to early adulthood.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Workplace as an origin of health inequalities.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of the workplace on the socioeconomic gradient of sickness absence. DESIGN: Comparison of the relation between socioeconomic status and employee sickness absence in three different towns. SETTINGS: The towns of Raisio, Valkeakoski, and Nokia in Finland. They are equal in size and regional social deprivation indices, located in the neighbourhood of a larger city, and produce the same services to the inhabitants. SUBJECTS: All permanent local government employees from Raisio (n = 887), Valkeakoski (n = 972), and Nokia (n = 934) on the employer's registers during 1991 to 1993. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of short (1-3 days) and long (> 3 days) spells of sickness absence, irrespective of cause, and separately for infection, musculoskeletal disorder, and trauma. RESULTS: In blue collar male and female workers, compared with the same sex higher grade white collar workers, the age adjusted numbers of long sick leaves were 4.9 (95% CI 4.2, 5.8) and 2.8 (2.6, 3.1) times higher, respectively. The risk varied significantly between the towns, in men in relation to long sick leaves irrespective of cause and resulting from musculoskeletal disorders, and in women in relation to long leaves resulting from infection. The numbers of long sick leaves were 3.9 (95% CI 2.8, 5.4) times higher in blue collar male workers than in higher grade white collar male workers in Raisio, 4.9 (95% CI 3.8, 6.3) times higher in Valkeakoski, and 5.8 (95% CI 4.5, 7.5) times higher in Nokia. Sickness absence of blue collar employees differed most between the towns. The rates of long sick leaves in blue collar men were 1.46 times greater (95% CI 1.25, 1.72) in Valkeakoski and 1.85 times greater (95% CI 1.58, 2.16) in Nokia than in Raisio. In men, no significant differences were found between the towns as regards the numbers of long sick leaves of higher grade white collar male workers. The socioeconomic gradients differed more between the towns in men who had worked for four years or more in the same employment than in men who had worked for shorter periods. No consistent health gradients of socioeconomic status were evident for short sick leaves among either sex. CONCLUSIONS: In men and to a lesser extent in women, the workplace is significantly associated with health inequalities as reflected by medically certified sickness absence and the corresponding socioeconomic gradients of health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Response of hostile individuals to stressful changes in their working lives: test of a psychosocial vulnerability model.

BACKGROUND: According to the psychosocial vulnerability model, the health of hostile individuals is at greater risk than that of non-hostile individuals, due partly to lesser ability of the former to cope with psychosocial stress situations. We examined whether hostile individuals were more vulnerable than others to health problems when faced with stressful changes in their working lives. METHODS: Hostility, sickness absence and psychosocial stressors in 866 local government employees over a 5-year period, which included severe economic decline, were investigated. Hostility was measured by a questionnaire. Data on medically certified sickness absence were obtained from the records of the local authority. Information about exposure to psychosocial stressors after assessment of hostility was also derived from these records, and from the subjects. RESULTS: Exposure to stressors during the period of economic decline was related to increased rates of sickness absence. In men, hostility increased risk of sickness absence after exposure to stressors only in cases of absence because of trauma. In women, hostility increased risk of absence through sickness overall and absence because of musculoskeletal disorders in individuals facing stressors such as severe organizational downsizing, high or increased levels of job demands or negative change in work. Findings were adjusted for sickness absence at the beginning of the decline, socio-economic background and behavioural risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The psychosocial vulnerability model was partly supported. However, heightened vulnerability through hostility may differ between the sexes, since it was more evident in the women studied than in the men.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1998

Occupational factors affecting sick leave attributed to low-back pain.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the occupational factors that cause workers to take sick leave attributed to low-back pain. METHODS: Twice, with a 24-month interval, 117 white- and 189 blue-collar employees from 2 metal industry companies completed a questionnaire on recurrent low-back pain and exposure to potential risk factors (biomechanical loads, physical environment, psychosocial factors) at work. Sick leave was monitored for the period between the questionnaires. RESULTS: Low-back pain was predicted by exposure to harmful biomechanical loads among both white- and blue-collar workers [odds ratio (OR) 4.1 and 4.7, respectively), stress among white-collar workers (OR 2.4), and draft among blue-collar workers (OR 2.3). The take-up of sick leave was predicted by exposure to harmful biomechanical loads [rate ratio (RR) 1.7]; for sick leaves attributed to low-back pain the rate ratio was 3.1. Lack of recognition and respect at work predicted sick leave attributed to low-back pain (RR 2.0), but not sick leave attributed to other disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Recurrent low-back pain is preceded by reports of harmful biomechanical loads at work among white- and blue-collar workers, by stress among white-collar workers and by draft among blue-collar workers. The environmental and psychosocial factors under study did not modify the relation between biomechanical loads and recurrent low-back pain. Sick leave attributed to back disorders is preceded by exposure to biomechanical loads at work and by a lack of recognition and respect at work among blue-collar workers. Biomechanical loading seems to be the most important occupational factor predicting both recurrent low-back pain and sick leave attributed to back disorders. Lack of recognition and respect at work appear to affect sick leave attributed to back disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Effect of organisational downsizing on health of employees.

BACKGROUND: Reduction of personnel by businesses and other organisations (organisational downsizing) is common in Europe, but little is known about its effects on the health of employees. METHODS: We used employers' records to investigate the relation between downsizing and subsequent absenteeism because of ill health in 981 local-government workers who remained in employment in Raisio, south-western Finland, during a period of economic decline (1991-95). Data were separated into three time periods: 1991, before downsizing; 1993, major downsizing in some workplaces and occupations; and 1993-95, after downsizing. We obtained data on sick leave from records kept by the occupational health-care unit in Raisio. We also investigated whether the effects of downsizing were dependent on ten other predictors of sick leave. FINDINGS: There was a significant association between downsizing and medically certified sick leave. The rate of absenteeism was 2.3 times greater (95% CI 2.0-2.7) after major downsizing, classified by occupation, than after minor downsizing. The corresponding rate ratios for musculoskeletal disorders and trauma were 5.7 (4.1-8.0) and 2.7 (1.7-4.2), respectively. The effects of downsizing by workplace depended on the age distribution of the staff. When the proportion of employees who were older than 50 years was high, downsizing increased the individual risk of absence because of ill health by 3.2-14.0 times, depending on diagnostic category. When the proportion of employees over 50 years was low, downsizing had only slight effects on health. Other risk factors that increased rates of sick leave after downsizing were age over 44 years, a large workplace, poor health before downsizing, and high income. INTERPRETATION: Downsizing is a risk to the health of employees. But this risk varies according to individual factors, such as age, socioeconomic status, and health, as well as factors related to place of work, for example, size and age structure of the staff.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1997

Hostility and registered sickness absences: a prospective study of municipal employees.

BACKGROUND: Prior evidence on the relationship between hostility and minor health problems is limited to cross-sectional self-report studies. In the present study, this relationship was examined prospectively. METHODS: Hostility of 1077 municipal employees was measured by a questionnaire survey and minor health problems by using 4-year register-based absence data including medically certificated diagnoses. RESULTS: High hostility predicted a high total number of long-term sickness absence spells among men, but not among women. In separate diagnostic categories (musculo-skeletal, traumas and injuries, respiratory), hostility related positively and linearly to absences due to traumatic causes and curvilinearly (U-shape) to absences due to musculo-skeletal causes. Controlling the effects of health risk behaviour and demographic background did not significantly change these figures. However, health risk behaviour moderated the relations of hostility to overall long-term sickness absences, and to traumatic and musculo-skeletal absences, being significantly stronger in high-risk groups. No association was found between hostility and non-certificated short-term absence spells. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that hostility plays a role in the aetiology of minor health problems.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1997

Psychosocial factors predicting employee sickness absence during economic decline.

Psychosocial factors such as work characteristics, life events, social support, and personality were examined as predictors of the change in medically certified sickness absence observed during a period of severe economic decline. Longitudinal data, derived from self-reports and register-based information relating to 763 local government employees, were collected at 3 points during a 5-year period: before the economic decline, during the nadir of that decline, and immediately after the nadir. After the effects of prior absence and demographic and lifestyle variables had been partialed out, the results of multiple Poisson regression analyses showed that work characteristics play a major role in forthcoming sickness absences. Negative life events and the personality trait sense of coherence (in women) also predicted forthcoming absence rate. Social support did not relate to absences either in men or in women.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

A video-based method for evaluation of low-back load in long-cycle jobs.

A method for evaluation of the physical load on the lumbar spine in industrial work is presented. It is suitable for identification of high spinal loads and their time duration. The method is based on biomechanical analysis of video-recordings. It takes into account the posture of the body as such, as well as the possible occurrence of external load and support. Compression of the L5-S1 intervertebral disc and strain on the lumbodorsal fascia is determined at 5-s intervals in each work task.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1996

Mortality among Finnish sea pilots 1956-85: a retrospective cohort study.

The National Board of Navigation in Finland employed 942 sea pilots in 1956-85, during which time 262 of them died (SMR = 77, 95% CI = 68-86). The male population in southwest Finland served as control. The causes of deaths were collected from death certificates. The mortality rate for all cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer was lower among sea pilots than in the comparison population (SMR = 83, 95% = CI 69-97 and SMR = 67, 95% CI = 37-97) while for ischaemic heart diseases, it was similar to that of the population as a whole (SMR = 96, 95% CI = 77-115). Health selection due to ischaemic heart disease was seen in the lower mortality rates among young pilots who started work in 1956-85. Otherwise, the slightly higher rates may indicate a possibility of adverse health effects of sea piloting.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Cardiac status and cardiovascular risk factors among Finnish sea pilots.

Sea pilots have been reported to form an occupational population with high risk for coronary artery diseases. In the present study the cardiovascular risk factors were studied by laboratory and bicycle-exercise tests among 135 Finnish sea pilots above 45 years of age. The most common risk factors were: elevated blood cholesterol, low physical activity and elevated blood pressure. Most sea pilots had 2-3 separate risk factors, only three of them did not have any risk factor for coronary disease, one had as many as eight. Abnormal bicycle-exercise ECG-findings were seen in 15 pilots, four of them with suspected coronary artery disease. There were no differences in laboratory results between those with normal or abnormal exercise-ECG-findings. Sea pilots had lower blood pressure, cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol values than the male population on shore. The prevalence of risk factors among sea pilots was compared with data on risk factors among the Finnish male population of the same age group, published recently.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1996

Free-time activities among seafarers on board Finnish cargo ships.

Seafarers' free time activities on board ship and on shore were investigated by means of a questionnaire sent to 507 seafarers working on 35 ships. All the seafarers were Finnish citizens and all the ships in Finnish ownership. The questionnaire was returned by 245 seafarers (22 of them were women) from a total of 34 ships. Reading was the most popular way of spending free time while on board ship. Next came watching television or listening to the radio; then chatting with friends and sleeping/keeping to oneself. About one in four put physical exercise and sauna baths among the three most common ways of spending free time. The most common ways of spending free time on shore were meeting friends and acquaintances and watching TV or listening to the radio. In third place were "other ways of spending leisure time", most of which included being out of door, hunting, going to the summer cottage and gardening. Physical exercise activity was greater on shore than on board ship. The respondents were grouped into four categories: A) reader/student/hobbyist: B) sociable: C) exercise enthusiast D) TV watcher/radio listener Group A considered the ship's atmosphere and the spirit of solidarity on board better than the others. Group B had more often a good friend on board ship and less often suffered from anxiety or depression. Group C more often considered their health and working capacity good. Group D had no positive differences over the other groups. More attention should be paid to developing the ways in which free time is spent not only on board but also during the compensatory free time on shore.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Low back pain in the young. A prospective three-year follow-up study of subjects with and without low back pain.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective 3-year follow-up study of randomized matched subgroups of 15-year-old school children with or without low back pain initially. OBJECTIVE: In addition to low back pain and leisure time physical activity, spinal mobility, trunk muscle strength, and early degenerative findings of the lumbar spine were evaluated. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Reliable epidemiologic studies on the prevalence of low back pain and development of early degenerative changes of the lumbar spine in young persons have been sparse. Along with several other characteristics, the relationship of these changes to frequent low back pain in young persons is not known. METHODS: After a questionnaire-based survey was administered, subjects with or without low back pain were examined initially and at follow-up with special reference to leisure time physical activity, anthropometry, spinal mobility, trunk muscle strength, and magnetic resonance imaging findings of the lumbar spine. RESULTS: At baseline and at follow-up, those subjects with initial low back pain were characterized by a low frequency of physical activity and decreased spinal function. During follow-up, the occurrence of disc degeneration increased significantly more in the original group with low back pain than among asymptomatic subjects. Furthermore, disc degeneration at baseline significantly predicted future frequent low back pain. Initial disc protrusion also predicted future frequent low back pain. CONCLUSION: After the rapid physical growth period, there seemed to be a causal relationship between the early evolution of the degenerative processes of the lower lumbar discs and frequent low back pain in several subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Seafaring: a risk for seamen's oral health?

Information about the oral status and dental health behavior and the working history of 369 Finnish seamen on different types of ships was gathered by means of a questionnaire. A control group of workers on shore was formed for sailors 35-44 years of age. Removable dentures were worn by 16% of the seamen. Oral disorders during the week before the study were reported by one-third. During the previous 2 years 14% of the sailors had had at least one episode of oral troubles, 15% twice and 9% three or even more times. One-third of seamen with oral trouble had needed pain-killing tablets or antibiotics. Sick leave days had been needed by 3% of respondents during the previous 2 years because of oral disorder (mean length of sick leave period was 1.4 days). The control group reported gum bleeding more often than the seafarers. Even though there were no signs of poorer dental condition in sailors than in the controls on shore, the possibility that the seafaring could constitute a risk for the oral health of seamen in other age groups cannot be excluded.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Outcome of surgical treatment in acute upper limb ischaemia.

During a 26 years' period, 547 thromboembolectomies were undertaken for acute limb ischaemia. The portion of upper limb ischaemia was 17.7% (97/547). The annual incidence of surgically treated acute upper limb ischaemia was 1.3 cases/100,000/year during the last 15 years of study period. There were 91 patients, 45 males and 46 females, ranging from 17 to 92 years with a median age of 73 years. Pulselessness (96), coldness (94), pain (85), paraesthesia (45) and dysfunction (45) of the affected limb were the main symptoms. The right upper limb was more often affected (59/38, P < 0.05). An embolus originating from the heart was the reason for the ischaemia in 71 cases, while in 11 cases the occlusion was caused by a local thrombosis. In 15 cases the origin of the embolus remained unsolved. In five cases an additional arterial reconstruction was needed to restore the circulation. Reembolectomy of the same limb was needed in five cases, and additionally in two patients, a third embolectomy was unavoidable. A secondary humeral amputation was necessary for one patient. Eleven patients (11.3%) died within 30 days and of these nine did so from recurrent embolism. The mortality was not related to the duration of the ischaemia, but rather to patients' general condition. During a mean follow-up time of 50 weeks a good functional result was achieved in 78 cases (80.4%). The clinical results in ischaemia caused by embolism are markedly better than those of local thrombosis (P < 0.001).

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1994

Utilization of dental services by Finnish seamen.

Utilization of dental services by Finnish seamen was surveyed late in 1990. Three hundred and sixty-five respondents on different vessels at sea for more than 5 days returned a pretested questionnaire. A randomly drawn control group of 230 workers at a ventilation-equipment-producing plant was also surveyed. Fifty-five per cent of the seamen studied and 73% of the control group stated they had visited a dentist within the year before the survey. One-third of the seamen stated that an acute dental condition had been the reason for their last dental visit. Almost one-third of the seamen and 5% of the control group reported having last visited a dentist at a health center. When questioned separately, 14% of the seamen stated that they had not received dental treatment fast enough when needed. One-third of the seamen surveyed offered ideas for improving their dental services, half of them suggesting an increase in facilities and personnel at health centers for seamen. Periodic oral examinations for and full use of oral health self-care procedures by seamen are recommended.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Leisure time physical activity in the young. Correlation with low-back pain, spinal mobility and trunk muscle strength in 15-year-old school children.

From a population of 1503 school children, 38 15-year-old children reporting recurrent or continuous low-back pain (LBP) and 38 asymptomatic controls (34 boys and 42 girls) matched for age, sex and school class, were compared with respect to spinal mobility and trunk muscle strength. The subjects were interviewed on leisure time physical activity preceding the measurements. Of the subjects with recurrent or continuous LBP and of those completely without LBP experience 73.7% vs 42.1% reported that they pursued some physical activity two days a week or less (P = 0.006). Further, decreased spinal mobility, diminished endurance strength of the back muscles and diminished dynamic strength of the abdominal muscles were found in the group with a low frequency of activity. Mobility in children pursuing physical activity two days a week or less was decreased in lumbar extension measured by flexicurve, in forward bending, in side bending and in straight leg raising. Our results indicate that a very low frequency of physical activity in the young might be the risk factor for LBP. Pursuing sports as a leisure time activity is not harmful; on the contrary it has positive effects on spinal mobility and trunk muscle strength.

Abdominal Muscles↗