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Biomedical subjects

J Søgaard

Publications and source records attributed to J Søgaard.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Occupational dermatitis in Danish gardeners and greenhouse workers (I). Prevalence and possible risk factors.

Floristry is considered a hazardous occupation from a dermatological point of view, but there are relatively few epidemiological studies to support this notion. The present investigation set out to assess the prevalence of and association between occupational dermatitis and possible risk factors in Danish gardeners and greenhouse workers. A cross-sectional study, based on a postal questionnaire and subsequent examination and patch testing of those who had occupational eczema from their present work or occupational problems with Compositae, was carried out in 1958 gardeners and greenhouse workers. The response rate was 84.6% and among 301 persons invited for further examination, 253 (84.1%) attended. The lifetime prevalence of occupational eczema in floristry, defined as dermatitis lasting more than 24 h, was 19.6% (95% confidence intervals 17.8-21.3%) among all potential respondents. Occupational mucosal symptoms, working with Compositae plants and a history of previous occupational eczema in floristry were significantly associated with an increased risk of occupational eczema. Sex, age and atopy did not seem to be important risk factors. The results confirm that floristry is a dermatologically hazardous occupation and emphasize the importance of eliciting agents in the working environment rather than personal inherent factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The Danish approach to standards for economic evaluation methodologies.

Standards for economic evaluation have now been proposed in several countries. The background for this article is a report commissioned in 1994 by the Danish health authorities (the National Board of Health and the Danish Ministry of Health) on the state of the art of economic evaluation: are the methods ready to be used for systematic decision-making in the Danish healthcare sector? The themes of this article are the attitude towards economic evaluation of medical technologies and healthcare services in Denmark, the areas for application and the desirability and feasibility of a standard set of methods for conducting economic evaluations. In addition, the current state of methodologies in economic evaluation is briefly outlined. On the background of a roundtable discussion of interested parties, the Danish health authorities have decided to introduce economic evaluation of new pharmaceutical products, on a voluntary basis for 2 to 3 years, when application has been made for public reimbursement.

Denmark↗
PubMed1997

Weight, length and head circumference standards based on a population of Danish newborn boys and girls in gestational weeks 25 to 43.

Growth standards of birth weight, birth length and birth head circumference were constructed based on a population of Danish newborn boys and girls in gestational weeks twenty-five to forty-three. Study populations were residents of the municipality of Odense for later gestational ages and residents of the county of Funen for early gestational ages. Strict selection criteria were employed.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1994

The impact of military service on young men's smoking behavior.

In a cross-sectional study of 2,112 Norwegian army conscripts ages 18 to 25, the prevalence of daily smoking was 50.9%. Among the smokers, 55.7% had increased smoking during military service, and 7.8% of the nonsmokers had started to smoke. These changes in smoking behavior were correlated with having a best friend who smoked, with dissatisfaction with the military service, with physical inactivity, and with frequent alcohol consumption. Ninety percent lived in dormitories when cigarette smoking occurred regularly. Attitudes toward smoking restrictions were determined mainly by the subjects' smoking behavior and subjective discomfort caused by cigarette smoke. Smokers as well as nonsmokers having a best friend who smoked were significantly less bothered by cigarette smoke than others. The findings support the conclusion that military service has a negative influence on the smoking behavior of young Norwegian men. Intervention strategies are recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

A pooled cross-section analysis of the health care expenditures of the OECD countries.

This paper has two purposes. The first, empirical purpose is to estimate and evaluate the effects of aggregate income, institutional and socio-demographic factors on health care expenditures in the OECD countries. The second purpose is methodological, and comprises assessment of temporal instability, the choice of functional form, and misspecification of the estimated relationships. Data compiled over three years (1974, 1980 and 1987) from 19 OECD countries are used in a pooled cross-section regression analysis. Like previous studies, this one concludes that aggregate income measured by Gross Domestic Product per capita is the statistically most important factor in cross-national variation in health care expenditures, and that the aggregate income elasticity exceeds one. However, the data analyzed in this study also show some evidence that public financing of health care services is associated with lower expenditures per capita, and that countries with fee for service as the dominant form of remuneration have higher expenditures. The examined relationships appear to be temporally stable over the three years except for upward shifts, and there is no indication of statistical misspecification. This does not necessarily imply a correct specification, and we do note the presence of measurement errors in some of the variables. Moreover, the selected log-linear functional form appears to be non-optimal according to a likelihood criterion, and is rejected against a quadratic form. Based on the analyses from this study the results do not appear to be sensitive to use of the quadratic form specification.

Europe↗
PubMed1992

An econometric analysis of health care expenditure: a cross-section study of the OECD countries.

This paper is an empirical examination of the determinants of aggregate health care expenditure. The paper presents a systematic analysis of relationships across 19 OECD countries, showing the effects of aggregate income, institutional and socio-demographic factors on health care expenditure. The results indicate that institutional factors of the health systems, in addition to per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), contribute significantly to the explanation of the health care expenditure variation between countries; for example the way physicians in outpatient care are paid, and the mixture of public/private funding and inpatient/outpatient care.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed1992

Econometric critique of the economic change model of mortality.

The application of time-series data and analysis to study the effects of changes in unemployment rates on mortality rates has been a controversial issue in health-unemployment research for many years. This article presents new criticism against previous aggregate time-series regression models and concludes that these models are misspecified in functional form, and the t-ratios used in significance tests are grossly overstated. Future empirical analysis of the Economic Change Model of Mortality, i.e. the aggregate, time-series relationship between mortality rates and economic variables must pay more attention to the salient characteristics of time-series data and implications for regression results.

Bias↗
PubMed1992

Paroxetine and imipramine in the treatment of depressive patients in psychiatric practice.

A total of 151 outpatients with endogenous or mixed endogenous and reactive depression were included in a 6-week double-blind study, with extension for up to 1 year, in psychiatric practice. The results showed trends in efficacy variables and a statistically significant difference in a benefit-risk ratio in favour of paroxetine (Seroxat, Paxil) compared with imipramine. Efficacy was largely maintained in both groups during long-term treatment. The frequency and severity of side effects in paroxetine patients declined markedly from short-term to long-term treatment, whereas changes in imipramine patients were less pronounced. Significantly more imipramine patients gained weight during long-term treatment. In conclusion, paroxetine is an effective and well tolerated antidepressant, well suited for outpatients in psychiatric practice.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Treatment costs of adjuvant cytotoxic therapy in premenopausal breast cancer patients.

The interest in cost calculations of medical treatment programs has increased during the last decade. In the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group's (DBCG) protocol 77B, 1,028 premenopausal patients were randomized after mastectomy to radiotherapy (RT) alone (control), RT + 12 cycles of cyclophosphamide (C) or to RT + 12 cycles of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF). This study analyzes the costs associated with systemic treatment and follow-up programs in the 3 regimens. Costs connected with the primary mastectomy and the radiotherapy, which were identical in the 3 regimens, have not been included in the analysis. The analysis shows that the expenses for the postoperative treatment and follow-up program for 9 years in the control regimen are 8,250 DKK, whereas the costs for the C regimen are 11,000 DKK, and the costs for the CMF regimen are 18,000 DKK.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Seasonality in twin birth rates, Denmark, 1936-84.

A study was made of seasonality in twin birth rate in Denmark between 1977 and 1984. We studied all twin births (N = 45,550) in all deliveries (N = 3,679,932) during that period. Statistical analysis using a simple harmonic sinusoidal model provided no evidence for seasonality. However, sequential polynomial analysis disclosed a significant fit to a fifth order polynomial curve with peaks in twin birth rates in May-June and December, along with troughs in February and September. A falling trend in twinning rate broke off in Denmark around 1970, and from 1970 to 1984 an increasing trend was found. The results are discussed in terms of possible environmental influences on twinning.

Birth Rate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The adjustment of cost measurement to account for learning.

This note discusses the adjustment of cost measurement to account for learning. By learning is meant improvements in productive efficiency resulting from use of a (health) technology in routine practice. A recently proposed method is shown to be potentially misleading. Alternatively, it is suggested that the total cost is decomposed in treatment cost and learning cost. Furthermore, if there is uncertainty about the long-run unit cost, learning will reveal the true cost. A method to adjust the learning cost for the value of this information is illustrated.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The cost of dementia in Denmark: the Odense Study.

In a population-based study of dementia, the cost of care for 245 demented elderly and 490 controls matched by age and gender was estimated. Dementia of Alzheimer's type was diagnosed according to the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, and vascular dementia and other types of dementia were diagnosed according to the DSM-IIIR criteria. Severity of dementia was determined by the Clinical Dementia Rating scale. The annual cost of medical care, domestic care, home help, nursing home and special equipment for nondemented patients was DKK 22,000 per person while the cost for very mildly, mildly, moderately and severely demented patients was DKK 49,000, DKK 93,000, DKK 138,000 and DKK 206,000, respectively. Except for very mild dementia the cost did not differ between elderly who suffer from Alzheimer's disease and those with other types of dementia. The net cost of dementia is the difference in cost between those with dementia and the matched controls and amounts on average to DKK 77,000 per person per year. However, priority setting cannot be based on the cost of dementia per se, but only on the cost of a specific dementia intervention compared to its health benefit.

Age Distribution↗