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Biomedical subjects

R Hubbard

Publications and source records attributed to R Hubbard.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

A population based case-control study of cataract and inhaled corticosteroids.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Exposure to systemic corticosteroid use is known to be associated with a risk of cataract. Whether low doses of inhaled corticosteroids are associated with an increased risk of cataract is not known. This study was undertaken to quantify the risk of cataract associated with the use of inhaled corticosteroids and assess whether there is a dose-response relation. METHODS: A population based case-control study based on the General Practice Research Database in the United Kingdom. 15 479 people with cataract and 15 479 controls were matched for age, sex, practice, and observation period. RESULTS: The crude odds ratio for the association between any recorded exposure to inhaled corticosteroids and cataract was 1.58 (95% CI 1.46 to 1.71), reduced to 1.10 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.20) after adjustment for systemic corticosteroid exposure and consultation rate. There was a dose-response relation, the adjusted odds ratio rising from 0.99 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.13) at daily doses up to 400 micro g to 1.69 (95% CI 1.17 to 2.43) for daily doses greater than 1600 micro g. The association was also stronger with increasing duration of use. CONCLUSION: Higher doses and longer duration of exposure to inhaled corticosteroids are associated with an increased risk of cataract. The lowest doses compatible with good control of airways disease should be used. The risk of cataract associated with high doses of inhaled corticosteroids needs to be more widely appreciated.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Seroprevalence, correlates, and characteristics of undetected coeliac disease in England.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the seroprevalence, correlates, and characteristics of undetected coeliac disease in a large adult population sample in Cambridge, UK. METHODS: The Cambridge General Practice Health Study invited individuals from 12 general practices, aged 45-76 years, to attend for a health survey that included a bone density measurement, between 1990 and 1995. A total of 7550 participants' serum samples were tested for antiendomysial antibody (EMA). Seroprevalence of undetected coeliac disease was based on EMA positivity. Differences between EMA positive and negative participants of various physiological correlates and reported characteristics were estimated by multivariate logistic and linear regression and adjusted for age, sex, social class, and smoking behaviour. RESULTS: The seroprevalence of undetected coeliac disease in this general population sample aged 45-76 was 1.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9-1.4). EMA positive participants (n=87) were on average slightly lighter by 2.2 kg (p=0.08), were more likely to have reported their general health as being "good or excellent" (odds ratio (OR) 1.76 (95% CI 0.90-3.46)), and were less likely to report being a current smoker (OR for current versus never 0.36 (95% CI 0.14-0.90)) than EMA negative participants. EMA positivity was associated with an 8% reduction in mean serum cholesterol (0.5 mmol/l; p<0.01) and reductions in mean haemoglobin (0.3 g/dl; p<0.01), total protein (1.0 g/l; p<0.05), and corrected serum calcium (0.02 mmol/l; p<0.05). There was an increased risk of osteoporosis in EMA positive participants (OR 3.1 (95% CI 1.3-7.2)) and of mild anaemia (OR 4.6 (95% CI 2.5-8.2)) compared with EMA negative participants. CONCLUSIONS: Undetected coeliac disease is likely to affect approximately 1% of the population of England aged 45-76 years, a value similar to several other countries. Those affected report "better health" but they do have an increased risk of osteoporosis and mild anaemia. In contrast, they have a favourable cardiovascular risk profile that may afford protection from ischaemic heart disease and stroke.

Age Distribution↗

Does influenza vaccination increase consultations, corticosteroid prescriptions, or exacerbations in subjects with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

BACKGROUND: Concern over the safety of influenza vaccination in individuals with obstructive airways disease has contributed to suboptimal rates of vaccine uptake in this group. We investigated the safety of influenza vaccine in older people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a cohort from the UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD). METHODS: A population based cohort study of 12,000 individuals with asthma or COPD from 432 general practices was conducted. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated for asthma or COPD diagnoses, prescriptions for oral corticosteroids, and acute exacerbations on the day of vaccination and on days 1-2 and 3-14 after vaccination compared with other time periods in the influenza season. RESULTS: The IRRs for asthma or COPD diagnoses and oral corticosteroid prescriptions were increased on the day of vaccination (for example, the IRR for oral corticosteroid prescriptions for subjects with asthma during the 1992-3 influenza season was 8.24 (95% confidence interval 5.54 to 12.26)). However, there was no consistent increase in the IRR of any of the outcomes on days 1-2 or 3-14 after vaccination, and most of these IRRs were close to 1. Rates of exacerbation were low and showed no consistent statistically significant increase during any risk periods. CONCLUSIONS: Older people with asthma or COPD commonly have diagnoses recorded or prescriptions for oral corticosteroids given on the day of influenza vaccination, but there is no increased risk of adverse acute outcomes in the first 2 weeks after vaccination. Our findings strongly suggest that influenza vaccination is safe in this population.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Heavy metals in green mussel (Perna viridis) and oysters (Crassostrea sp.) from Trinidad and Venezuela.

Heavy metal concentrations were monitored in edible soft tissues of shellfish from Trinidad and Venezuela. Oysters (Crassostrea sp.) and the green mussel (Perna viridis), which is a recently transplanted species to the Caribbean from the Far East, were collected at six locations in Venezuela and five in Trinidad, the latter along the coast line of the Gulf of Paria. Simple and low-cost methods of analysis were optimized and validated using standard reference materials. Cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Mercury was determined by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. The present study has confirmed that oysters have a much greater capacity for accumulation of copper and zinc than does green mussel. In addition, concentrations of copper and zinc in oysters (Crassostrea sp.) at many of the sites in the Gulf of Paria exceeded local and international standards, whereas green mussel P. viridis contained generally acceptable levels for human consumption.

Animals↗

The impact of coexisting connective tissue disease on survival in patients with fibrosing alveolitis.

OBJECTIVES: Previous reports have suggested that patients who have fibrosing alveolitis in association with a connective tissue disease (FA-CTD) have a better prognosis than patients with 'lone' cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (LCFA). The present study was designed to compare the survival of a general population-based sample of patients with FA-CTD and LCFA both with each other and with the general population. METHODS: A survival analysis was performed using data for 107 patients with FA-CTD, 872 with LCFA and 5958 controls matched for age, sex and general practice, drawn from the General Practice Research Database. The data were analysed using Cox regression, adjusting for a number of potential confounders, including age, gender, smoking habit and use of oral corticosteroids. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 2.1 yr and during this time 54 (50%) patients with FA-CFA, 386 (44%) patients with LCFA and 601 (10%) controls died. The mortality rates for patients with FA-CTD, LCFA and the controls were 284, 270 and 41 per 1000 person-yr respectively. After adjusting for age, gender, smoking habit and exposure to oral corticosteroids, patients with FA-CTD had a marginally worse survival than patients with LCFA (hazard ratio 1.20, 95% confidence interval 0.90-1.61). Compared with the general population controls, patients with either LCFA or FA-CTD had a considerably worse prognosis (hazard ratio 5.56, 95% confidence interval 4.77-6.49). CONCLUSIONS: The median survival in patients with fibrosing alveolitis is less then 3 yr. We found no evidence to support previous reports of a better prognosis amongst patients with FA-CTD.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Is smoking a communicable disease? Effect of exposure to ever smokers in school tutor groups on the risk of incident smoking in the first year of secondary school.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of joining a first year secondary school tutor group with a high prevalence of ever smoking on the risk of incident smoking in schoolchildren. DESIGN: Cross-sectional questionnaire survey. SETTING: 10 randomly selected secondary schools in Nottinghamshire, UK. PARTICIPANTS: Pupils in years (grades) 7-11 (aged 11-16 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incident smoking in the first year of secondary education, defined as pupils who reported smoking their first cigarette during year 7. RESULTS: Of 6522 pupils (75% of those eligible) who completed the questionnaire, 17% were current smokers and 49% had ever smoked, of whom 23% had started smoking in year 7. Incident smoking in year 7 was more common in girls, in children with parents or siblings who smoke, and in more deprived children, and was independently increased in relation to the proportion of ever smokers in the year 7 tutor group joined by the child (adjusted odds ratio of incident smoking for a child joining a year 7 tutor group in the highest relative to the lowest quartile of ever smoking prevalence 1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11 to 1.89). Exposure to ever smokers in year 7 tutor groups also accounted for most of the increased risk of incident smoking associated with socioeconomic deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of incident smoking in children entering secondary education is independently increased by exposure to other ever smokers in school tutor groups. Incident smoking in adolescents is thus to some extent a communicable disorder, and may be partly preventable by policies that reduce exposure to smoking at school.

Adolescent↗

Relationship between supramaximal flow during cough and mortality in motor neurone disease.

The main function of cough is clearance of intrathoracic airways. A normal cough is characterized by a transient increase in expiratory flow above the maximal flow-volume loop envelope, known as cough "spikes". They may be absent in patients with motor neurone disease. The relationship between cough pattern, pulmonary function and survival was studied. Fifty-three patients were recruited (25 bulbar). Vital capacity, maximal inspiratory and expiratory mouth pressures and cough flow/volume curves were performed on all patients, and the presence or absence of spikes were recorded. The primary endpoints were mortality or initiation of ventilatory support over a period of 18 months. Thirty-five patients died over the 18-month period of the study (including the six who were started on noninvasive ventilation). Twelve of the 24 patients with spikes died compared to 23 out of 29 patients without spikes (p<0.05). Patients without spikes were more likely to be bulbar on clinical grounds (p<0.0001) and had poorer lung function. The results showed an association between the absence of cough spikes and increased mortality. However the main determinants of survival in motor neurone disease are age, vital capacity and inspiratory mouth pressure, and it remains to be shown whether regular monitoring of cough conveys any additional advantage.

Adult↗

Living near a main road and the risk of wheezing illness in children.

The effect of road vehicle traffic pollution on asthma is still not clearly understood. However, any effect is likely to be most marked among those who live within 150 m of a main road, because this is the distance within which concentrations of primary vehicle traffic pollutants are raised above ambient background levels. We have investigated the relation between proximity of the family home to the nearest main road, estimated objectively using geographical information system software, and the risk of wheeze in the past year in a case-control sample of 6,147 primary schoolchildren (age 4 to 11 yr) and a random cross-sectional sample of 3,709 secondary schoolchildren (age 11 to 16 yr) in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Among children living within 150 m of a main road, the risk of wheeze increased with increasing proximity by an odds ratio (OR) of 1.08 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00 to 1.16) per 30-m increment in primary schoolchildren, and 1.16 (1.02 to 1.32) in secondary schoolchildren. Most of the increased risk was localized to within 90 m of the roadside. Among primary schoolchildren, effects were stronger in girls than boys (p(interaction) = 0.02). Living within approximately 90 m of a main road is associated with a proximity-related increase in the risk of wheezing illness in children.

Case-Control Studies↗

Siblings, multiple births, and the incidence of allergic disease: a birth cohort study using the West Midlands general practice research database.

BACKGROUND: The presence of older siblings reduces the risk of developing hay fever, eczema and atopy, but findings for asthma have been inconsistent. Whether twins have a reduced risk of allergic disease is also unclear. We have investigated these questions in a birth cohort analysis of the West Midlands General Practice Research Database (GPRD). METHODS: Our birth cohort included 29,238 children. The incidence of allergic disease was examined according to the number of siblings, multiple births, and parental allergic disease and smoking habit using Cox regression. RESULTS: There was a dose related decrease in the incidence of eczema and hay fever with increasing number of older siblings (hazard ratio for children with three or more older siblings compared with none 0.70 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.76) for eczema and 0.67 (95% CI 0.52 to 0.86) for hay fever). In contrast, the presence of older siblings increased the incidence of asthma (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.29), although this effect was strongly dependent on age of diagnosis. For children diagnosed over the age of 2 years the presence of older siblings was protective (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.82), while below this age the reverse was true (HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.54). Members of a multiple birth had a reduced incidence of all three allergic diseases. Birth order and multiple birth effects were independent of sex, maternal age, consulting behaviour, and parental allergy and smoking habit. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of older siblings and being a member of a multiple birth appears to protect against the development of eczema, hay fever, and asthma diagnosed after the age of 2. In contrast, the presence of older siblings increases the incidence of early asthma.

Adolescent↗

Adverse effects of oral corticosteroids in relation to dose in patients with lung disease.

BACKGROUND: The adverse effects of oral corticosteroids are widely recognised but there are few quantitative data on which to base advice to patients. In a two part cross sectional study we compared adverse effects in patients with lung disease taking oral corticosteroids and control subjects and related the adverse effects to corticosteroid dose in the patient group. METHODS: Data on oral corticosteroid use, lifestyle, fractures, and other possible adverse effects were collected by questionnaire and compared between a community based cohort of patients taking continuous or frequent intermittent oral corticosteroids for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or alveolitis and age and sex matched control subjects. Dose related effects were explored in the corticosteroid group using cumulative dose quartiles and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 367 patients (> or = 50 years, 48% female) and 734 control subjects completed the questionnaire. The cumulative incidence of fractures since the time of diagnosis was 23% for patients taking oral corticosteroids and 15% in the control group (odds ratio (OR) 1.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3 to 2.6). Patients were more likely to have had a fracture of the vertebrae (OR 10; 95% CI 2.9 to 34), hip (OR 6; 95% CI 1.2 to 30), and ribs or sternum (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6 to 6.6) than control subjects. They also reported a significant increase in cataracts, use of antacids, muscle weakness, back pain, bruising, oral candidiasis, and having fewer teeth. The effects of oral corticosteroids were dose related: the odds ratio for patients in the highest compared with the lowest cumulative dose quartile (median prednisolone dose 61 g versus 5 g) ranged from 2 for all fractures to 9 for vertebral fractures and bruising. CONCLUSIONS: By quantifying the morbidity associated with the use of oral corticosteroids, this study should help to rationalise their long term use.

Administration, Oral↗

A survey of nocturnal hypoxaemia and health related quality of life in patients with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis.

BACKGROUND: A survey of overnight oximetry was conducted to estimate the prevalence of nocturnal hypoxaemia in patients with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis and to establish whether nocturnal hypoxaemia is related to quality of life. METHODS: All patients with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis attending Nottingham City Hospital were invited to enter the study. Spirometric measurements and capillary blood gas tensions were obtained and overnight oxygen saturation was recorded at home. Quality of life was assessed using the Short Form-36, Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, and Epworth Sleepiness Score questionnaires. RESULTS: Sixty seven eligible patients were identified and 50 agreed to enter the study, although two were subsequently excluded because they already used oxygen overnight. In the remaining 48 the mean (SD) overnight oxygen saturation (SaO(2)) was 92.5 (4.3)% and the median number of dips greater than 4% per hour was 2.3 (interquartile range 1.5-5.3). Daytime oxygen level predicted mean overnight SaO(2) (1.94%/kPa, 95% CI 1.22 to 2.66, p<0.001) but percentage predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) did not (0.018%/% predicted FVC, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.08, p=0.5). Nocturnal hypoxaemia was associated with decreased energy levels and impaired daytime social and physical functioning, and these effects were independent of FVC. CONCLUSIONS: Nocturnal hypoxaemia is common in patients with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis and may have an impact on health related quality of life.

Aged↗

Symptoms, signs, and prescribing for acute lower respiratory tract illness.

BACKGROUND: Most patients who consult with acute lower respiratory symptoms receive antibiotics, usually without evidence of significant infection. The physical signs at presentation of acute lower respiratory tract illness and the rate at which symptoms resolve and normal activities recover is not well documented. AIM: To examine in patients with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTi), their physical signs at presentation, their relationship to antibiotic prescribing, and symptom resolution and resumption of normal activities. DESIGN OF STUDY: Analysis of data collected prospectively during presentation of acute LRTi in primary care and from patient symptom diary cards. SETTING: Forty GPs who were members of an informal Community Respiratory Infection Interest Group recruited 391 patients to the study. METHOD: Information was collected on pulse, oral temperature, respiratory rate, abnormalities on auscultation, and details of any antibiotic prescription. Patients completed symptom diary cards for the following 10 days. RESULTS: Of the 391 patients who consulted 71% received antibiotics. A minority had abnormal physical signs: 17% had a pulse greater than 90 bpm, 15% a respiratory rate greater than 20 breaths per minute, 4% had a temperature greater than 38 degrees C, and 25% had an abnormality on auscultation. Antibiotic prescribing was more common in the presence of abnormal chest signs (odds ratio = 8.71, 95% confidence interval = 3.69-20.61) or discoloured sputum (OR = 2.67, 95% CI = 1.57-4.56). Ten days after consultation, 58% of patients were still coughing and 29% had not returned to normal activities. CONCLUSION: Abnormal physical signs at presentation do not explain the high rates of antibiotic prescribing nor do they predict persisting cough and functional impairment at 10 days. Reconsultation for the same symptoms within a month is common and is strongly related to persisting cough, but not abnormalities at presentation.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Otitis externa in UK general practice: a survey using the UK General Practice Research Database.

BACKGROUND: Otitis externa is a common clinical problem in general practice and yet there are remarkably few data available on the demographic characteristics of patients with this condition and the approaches used by general practitioners (GPs) in the United Kingdom (UK) to manage it. AIM: To define the descriptive epidemiology of otitis externa in the general population, to describe the first-line drug treatment used by UK GPs, and to determine factors related to second disease episodes. DESIGN OF STUDY: Epidemiological data survey. SETTING: All cases of otitis externa occurring in 1997 in practices contributing data to the UK General Practice Research Database. METHOD: Data were extracted on age, sex, date of episode of otitis externa, treatment prescribed, co-existing diagnoses of eczema and diabetes, referral to ear, nose, and throat departments and occurrence of subsequent episodes of disease. Arbitrarily a second episode of disease was defined as persistence if it occurred at 28 days or fewer after the first episode and recurrence if it occurred at more than 28 days after the first episode. RESULTS: A diagnosis of otitis externa was common in all age groups and, except in the elderly, was more common in females than males. There was an increase in disease episodes at the end of the summer in all age groups except the 60 years and over group. In the majority of cases GPs prescribed ear drops (85%), but a significant proportion of patients were also prescribed oral antibiotics (21%). Referral to secondary care was uncommon (3%). Among patients prescribed ear-drop formulations, those containing both steroid and antibiotic or steroid alone were used most commonly and were associated with the lower rates of disease persistence but not recurrence. Among patients prescribed antibiotics, penicillins were prescribed most commonly. Disease persistence rates, and to a lesser extent disease recurrence rates, were higher in patients prescribed oral antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Otitis externa is a common condition and GPs can expect to see an excess of cases at the end of the summer. Topical ear drops are the most common treatment used in the UK. Patients prescribed steroid or steroid/antibiotic combination ear drops have fewer subsequent consultations for otitis externa over the following 28 days.

Adolescent↗

Occupational dust exposure and the aetiology of cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis.

Cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (CFA), synonymous with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, is probably a disease entity of increasing frequency. Epidemiological investigations into the aetiology of CFA are at an early age; yet there are several indications that exposures associated with traditionally male manufacturing occupations may be a cause of CFA. Specifically, metal exposure, and to a lesser extent wood dust exposure, was increased in patients with CFA and may explain some cases of CFA. Indeed, the four case-control studies in the literature, to date, have all found an identical occupational exposure to metal or working with metal as a risk factor for CFA and there is now further evidence confirming this association from a case-control study nested within an occupational cohort. There is also evidence from three of the case-control studies that working with wood may be a risk factor for CFA. However, these exposures clearly only explain a minority of cases of cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis. Further studies amongst different populations with different occupational demographics are required to fully assess the impact of several exposures on the occurrence of cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗

Interstitial lung diseases: an epidemiological overview.

Epidemiological studies on interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) may be schematically subdivided into the following major types: 1) quantifications of disease, broken down into incidence, prevalence and mortality data; 2) identification of aetiological factors; and 3) clinical epidemiological studies. Epidemiological data may be obtained from different sources or population groups, using different study designs such as systematic national statistics, population-based data and registries, and large case series of specific diseases. Differences in results between epidemiological studies may be due to real differences in incidence, but may also be due to changes in disease definitions and classifications, differences in the epidemiological design of the studies, or even registration bias. Comparative epidemiological data of different ILDs are almost limited to the general population study in Bernalillo County and to national mortality statistics, which should be interpreted with great caution. Also, some, mostly national registries of the different ILDs have been carried out by specific medical profession groups (especially pulmonologists), which clearly underestimate the real incidence of ILDs, but in which the comparison of the relative frequencies is probably accurate. Based on all these comparative studies, sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis appear to be the most frequent ILDs, followed by hypersensitivity pneumonitis and ILD in collagen vascular disease, when classical pneumoconioses are not included. There is also a relatively large group of nonspecific fibrosis. Much more data have been published on the epidemiology of specific forms of interstitial lung disease. Most information is available on the epidemiology of sarcoidosis, and those data are probably the most accurate. Data on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis have the disadvantage of the recent changes in definition and classification of this disease. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis has been studied epidemiologically, especially in some exposure groups such as farmers and pigeon breeders, and in some regions in North America, UK, France and Scandinavia. Estimates of frequencies of interstitial lung disease in collagen vascular disease or of drug-induced interstitial lung disease are less accurate and more variable, depending on diagnostic criteria. Notwithstanding the aforementioned problems, this report tries to provide a balanced overview of the epidemiology of different interstitial lung diseases.

Humans↗

Inhaled corticosteroid use and bone-mineral density in patients with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Inhaled corticosteroids are absorbed into the systemic circulation, but the extent to which they have adverse effects on bone is uncertain. The question is important since 3% of the European population take an inhaled corticosteroid regularly and may do so for many years. METHODS: We studied the dose-response relation between cumulative inhaled corticosteroid dose and bone-mineral density at the lumbar spine and proximal femur in 196 adults (119 women) with asthma aged 20-40 years. Patients had taken an inhaled corticosteroid regularly for at least 6 months, and had had limited exposure to systemic steroids. Cumulative dose of inhaled corticosteroid was calculated from questionnaires and computerised and written general-practice records, and its effect on bone-mineral density was estimated by multiple regression analysis. FINDINGS: Median duration of inhaled corticosteroid treatment was 6 years (range 0.5-24), and median cumulative dose was 876 mg (87-4380). There was a negative association between cumulative dose of inhaled corticosteroid and bone-mineral density at the lumbar spine (L2-L4), femoral neck, Ward's triangle, and trochanter, both before and after adjustment for the effects of age and sex. A doubling in dose of inhaled corticosteroid was associated with a decrease in bone-mineral density at the lumbar spine of 0.16 SD (95% CI 0.04-0.28). Similar decreases were found at the femoral neck, Ward's triangle, and trochanter. Adjustment for potential confounding factors including physical activity and past oral, nasal, dermal, and parenteral corticosteroids did not weaken the associations. INTERPRETATION: This study provides evidence of a negative relation between total cumulative dose of inhaled corticosteroid and bone-mineral density in patients with asthma.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗