PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Lars Jacob Stovner

Publications and source records attributed to Lars Jacob Stovner.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Autonomic activation and pain in response to low-grade mental stress in fibromyalgia and shoulder/neck pain patients.

OBJECTIVE: Psychosocial stress is a risk factor for musculoskeletal pain, but how stress affects musculoskeletal pain is poorly understood. We wanted to examine the relationship between low-grade autonomic activation and stress-related pain in patients with fibromyalgia and localised chronic shoulder/neck pain. METHODS: Twenty-three female patients with fibromyalgia, 29 female patients with chronic shoulder-neck pain, and 35 healthy women performed a stressful task lasting 60min. With a blinded study design, we recorded continuous blood pressure, heart rate, finger skin blood flow and respiration frequency before (10min), during (60min) and after (30min) the stressful task. The physiological responses were compared with subjective reports of pain. RESULTS: The increase in diastolic blood pressure and heart rate in response to the stressful task were smaller in fibromyalgia patients compared with the healthy controls. Furthermore, fibromyalgia patients had reduced finger skin blood flow at the end of the stressful task compared to healthy controls. We also found an inverse relationship between the heart rate response and development and recovery of the stress-related pain in fibromyalgia patients. CONCLUSION: We found abnormal cardiovascular responses to a 60min long stressful task in fibromyalgia patients. Furthermore, we found a negative association between the heart rate response and the pain which developed during the stressful task in the fibromyalgia group, possibly a result of reduced stress-induced analgesia for fibromyalgia patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2007

High systolic blood pressure is associated with Val/Val genotype in the catechol-o-methyltransferase gene. The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT).

BACKGROUND: The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene contains a functional polymorphism, Val158Met. A few studies on animals have shown a relationship between the COMT gene and BP, but whether this exists in human beings is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between codon 158 COMT gene polymorphism and BP in a population-based cohort. METHODS: In the 1995-97 Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), the association between Val/Met polymorphism at the COMT gene and BP was evaluated in a group of 2966 nondiabetic individuals. RESULTS: Among the 2591 individuals without current use of antihypertensive drugs, systolic BP > or =140 mm Hg was more likely among persons with Val/Val genotype compared with the other genotypes (44.8% v 39.1%, P = .02). In the multivariate analysis the prevalence odds ratio for having the Val/Val genotype was 1.63 (95% CI = 1.18 to 2.24) among individuals with systolic BP > or =160 mm Hg compared with those with systolic BP <140 mm Hg. Val/Val genotype was also more likely (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.63) among individuals with hypertension (as defined by use of antihypertensive medication, systolic BP > or =140 mm Hg, or diastolic BP > or =90 mm Hg) than among those with normal BP. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the study findings, the Val/Val genotype appears to be associated with a higher prevalence of increased systolic BP compared with the Met/Met or Met/Val genotypes at the COMTgene.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Prevalence of haemochromatosis gene mutations in Parkinson's disease.

The aim of this study was to investigate a possible association between haemochromatosis (HFE) gene mutations and the prevalence of Parkinson's disease. The HFE gene encodes a protein that modulates iron absorption. Several studies have documented increased iron levels in the basal ganglia in patients with Parkinson's disease. In a study on patients with concurrent hereditary haemochromatosis and Parkinson's disease, abnormal deposition of iron in the basal ganglia was suggested as an inductor of Parkinson's disease. In this study, genotype frequencies of the HFE mutations C282Y, H63D and S65C were estimated in 388 patients with Parkinson's disease and compared with frequencies found in comparable studies. No significant differences were found in frequencies between the patients and comparable populations. This study does not indicate increased susceptibility to Parkinson's disease in HFE gene mutation carriers in Norway.

Basal Ganglia↗
PubMed2006

No association between chronic musculoskeletal complaints and Val158Met polymorphism in the Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene. The HUNT study.

BACKGROUND: The Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene contains a functional polymorphism, Val158Met, that has been found to influence human pain perception. In one study fibromyalgia was less likely among those with Val/Val genotype. METHODS: In the 1995-97 Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), the association between Val/Met polymorphism at the COMT gene and chronic musculoskeletal complaints (MSCs) was evaluated in a random sample of 3017 individuals. RESULTS: The distribution of the COMT Val158Met genotypes and alleles were similar between controls and the twelve different chronic MSCs groups. Even when the Met/Met and Val/Met genotypes were pooled, the distribution of the Val/Val genotype and other genotypes were similar between controls and the chronic MSCs groups. CONCLUSION: In this population-based study, no significant association was found between Val/Met polymorphism at the COMT gene and chronic MSCs.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The association between headache and Val158Met polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene: the HUNT Study.

The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene contains a functional polymorphism, Val158Met, that has been found to influence human pain perception, and one study has found that migraine was less likely among those with the Val/Val polymorphism. In the 1995-97 Nord-Trøndelag Health (HUNT) Study, the association between the Val158Met polymorphism and headache was evaluated in a random sample of 2451 individuals. No association between Val158Met polymorphism and migraine was found. Among women, a lower prevalence of non-migrainous headache was found among individuals with the Val/Val genotype than among those with other genotypes (26.2% vs. 33.6%, p = 0.04). That non-migrainous headache was less likely among women with the Val/Val genotype may be an incidental finding, but should be investigated in further studies.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Headache epidemiology: how and why?

The objective is to give an introduction to methods and study designs used in headache epidemiologic studies, to discuss their merits and problems, and to show the potential of such studies. The distinction between descriptive and analytic studies is made, and methodological issues are discussed related to headache case definition, validation of diagnoses, time frame for headache, instruments for data collection, source population and sampling methods, as well as the problems with bias and confounding. Examples of how different designs (case series, ecological, cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies) have been used in the headache field are then presented. Studies on headache epidemiology are important to document the prevalence and burden of headache disorders. It is as important that studies with an analytical design can prove to be potent tools to disclose causes and risk factors for headache, but a standardisation of methods is needed to increase comparability of studies.

Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMed2006

Prevalence, burden, and cost of headache disorders.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Documentation of disease impact, both on the individual and on society, is vital to ensure that healthcare resources are distributed according to the relative importance of the different disorders. For headache, international initiatives now promote the cause of headache sufferers by documenting the prevalence, burden, and cost. The present review aims to give an update on studies on these aspects of headache that have appeared since 2004. RECENT FINDINGS: Some studies indicate that the headache prevalence may be increasing, but the evidence is conflicting. The disease burden and the costs of migraine are probably among the highest for the neurologic disorders, and it is probably as high in poor countries as in the rich. For other headaches, reliable data on impact are still scarce, but these disorders may be as important as migraine because they are even more prevalent. SUMMARY: Robust and increasing evidence suggests that headache should be taken seriously as a public health problem, not only in the rich countries. More studies on the impact of non-migrainous headaches, largely of the tension type, are urgently needed for a full evaluation of the consequences of headache disorders.

Cost of Illness↗
PubMed2005

Does hypertension protect against chronic musculoskeletal complaints? The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study.

BACKGROUND: Although an inverse relationship between pain sensitivity and hypertension has been described, it is still unknown whether hypertension may protect against chronic musculoskeletal complaints (MSCs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between blood pressure (BP) and prevalence of chronic MSCs at various anatomical sites. METHODS: Two consecutive public health studies within the county of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway, were conducted between January 5, 1984, and February 15, 1986 (Nord-Trøndelag Health Study [HUNT] 1), and from August 1995 to June 1997 (HUNT-2). Among 46 901 adults who participated in both surveys, 24 127 (51.4%) in HUNT-2 who reported MSCs continuously for at least 3 months during the past year were defined as having chronic MSCs. The prevalence of chronic MSCs was estimated using multiple logistic regression, with odds ratio and 95% confidence interval as measures of association with systolic and diastolic BP. RESULTS: A high systolic and diastolic BP was associated with a 10% to 60% lower prevalence of chronic MSCs, and there was a strong linear trend (P<.001) of decreasing prevalence of chronic MSCs with increasing BP values. The findings were remarkably consistent at all anatomical sites, for both sexes, across all age groups, and for systolic and diastolic BP measured in HUNT-1 and HUNT-2. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with a high BP had a lower prevalence of chronic MSCs than individuals with a normal BP. One possible explanation may be the phenomenon of hypertension-associated hypalgesia, due to an interaction between the cardiovascular and pain regulatory systems. The effect of antihypertensive medication on this interaction should be evaluated in further studies.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Do high TSH values protect against chronic musculoskeletal complaints? The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT).

The aim of this large cross-sectional population-based study was to examine a possible positive or negative association between thyroid dysfunction and chronic musculoskeletal complaints (MSC). Between 1995 and 97, all 94,197 adults in Nord-Trøndelag County in Norway were invited to participate in a health survey. A total of 64,787 (69%) responded to questions related to MSC, whereof thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was measured in 34,960 individuals. These included a 5% random sample of women and men 20-40 years of age (n=2165), nearly all women above 40 (n=19,308), a random sample which included 50% of men older than 40 years (n=9983), and 3504 (97%) with self-reported thyroid dysfunction. Among the 64,787 participants, 30,158 (47%) who reported MSC continuously for at least 3 months during the past year where defined as having chronic MSC. Associations between thyroid dysfunction and chronic MSC were assessed in multivariate analyses, estimating prevalence odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). High TSH values were associated with lower prevalence of chronic MSC at ten anatomical sites among women with no history of thyroid dysfunction. Among these, chronic MSC was less likely (OR=0.6, 95% CI 0.4-0.8) if TSH >or=10 mU/L than in women with normal TSH (0.2-4 mU/L). Chronic MSC was less likely among women with high TSH values. The mechanism is unclear and, theoretically, may reflect a fundamental gender-specific relationship between TSH and pain perception in the central nervous system.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Low socioeconomic status is associated with chronic musculoskeletal complaints among 46,901 adults in Norway.

AIMS: A study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and chronic musculoskeletal complaints (MSC), and to determine how this relationship is influenced by change in SES. METHODS: Two consecutive public health surveys within the county of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway, were conducted in 1984-86 (HUNT-1) and 1995-97 (HUNT-2). Among 46,901 adults who participated in both surveys, 24,127 persons (51%) in HUNT-2 who reported MSC continuously for at least 3 months during the past year were defined as having chronic MSC. Prevalence of chronic MSC was estimated at nine anatomical sites using multiple logistic regression with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) as measures of association with SES. RESULTS: When defining SES by educational level, type of occupation, or income, low status was associated with increased prevalence of chronic MSC (age-adjusted analyses). The negative influence of low education or low occupation level was not eliminated by increasing the level of education or occupation from HUNT-1 to HUNT-2, in contrast with what was found for individuals with higher income level in HUNT-2 than in HUNT-1. The relationship with SES was more evident among individuals with musculoskeletal symptoms 15 days during the past month than among those with less than 15 days, evident at all nine different anatomical sites. The strongest relationship was found between low SES and prevalence of widespread chronic MSC. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with low SES had higher prevalence of chronic MSC than those with high SES. Future studies should try to clarify whether chronic MSC are a cause or consequence of low SES.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Chronic whiplash syndrome--an overview].

In some countries a seemingly large number of patients suffer from chronic whiplash syndrome, whereas in other countries whiplash is not known or is considered to give only moderate symptoms over a brief period of time. In this paper, this discrepancy is accounted for by a biopsychosocial model, a central element of which is the existence of a large pool of spontaneously occurring symptoms in the population, among them head and neck pain. By the mechanisms of attribution, expectation ("nocebo") and reinforcement, common symptoms may be experienced by the patient as caused exclusively by a mild or moderate trauma. Inappropriate behaviour and harmful treatment may worsen and prolong symptoms. To this one should add the effects of conscious exaggeration of symptoms, under-performance in neuropsychological testing, and underreporting of pre-accident symptoms in a medico-legal context. When assessing litigation claims, it is emphasised that a causal relation between common whiplash injuries and chronic complaints has not been demonstrated; a causal relationship can be accepted in exceptional cases only if a set of minimal criteria are fulfilled.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2002

High headache prevalence among women with hemochromatosis: the Nord-Trøndelag health study.

In this large cross-sectional population-based study, 51,272 persons responded to a headache questionnaire and were screened for hemochromatosis. Phenotypic hemochromatosis and the C282Y/C282Y genotype were both associated with an 80% increase in headache prevalence evident only among women. The reason for this association is unclear, but one may speculate that iron overload alters the threshold for triggering a headache by disturbing neuronal function.

Adult↗