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R K Scragg

Publications and source records attributed to R K Scragg.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Dietary nutrient intakes and slight albuminuria in people at least 40 years old.

We studied the relation between diet and slight albuminuria in 5416 people, ages 40 years and over, who participated in a health screening survey of a local workforce. Degree of albuminuria showed log-linear univariate relations with dietary protein, cholesterol, and sodium intakes, and negative log-linear univariate relations with dietary fiber and polyunsaturated to saturated fat (P/S) ratio. After adjusting for age, gender, and ethnicity, the relative risk (95% confidence interval) for slight albuminuria was significantly increased in people reporting dietary cholesterol consumption > 226 mg/day compared with people reporting consumption < or = 226 mg/day [1.32 (1.02, 1.70)], and significantly reduced in people reporting dietary fiber consumption > 26 g/day compared with people reporting consumption < or = 26 g/day [0.74 (0.58, 0.95)]. There was no significant effect of dietary protein, P/S ratio, or salt intake. We conclude that risk of slight albuminuria is increased by consumption of dietary cholesterol and reduced by consumption of dietary fiber.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

A case-control study of smoking and gallbladder disease: importance of examining time relations.

We report a case-control study of gallbladder disease and cigarette smoking. Subjects were 252 incident cases and 233 age-sex-residence-matched community controls. Three quarters of the subjects were women. The age-matched risk of gallbladder disease was increased in current smokers vs never-smokers [odds ratio (OR) = 1.6 and 1.3 in women and men, respectively] and in past smokers (OR = 1.5 for each sex). In light of earlier research, showing that, in women, certain risk factors for gallbladder disease may act maximally soon after first exposure, we examined time relations. In women, multivariable analysis showed that the risk increase was especially high in current-smoking women less than 35 years of age [OR = 3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2-9.8] and in women who had been smoking for 1-8 years (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.1-7.1). These results indicate that, in women, the smoking-related risk of gallbladder disease is greatest soon after first exposure--as has also been reported for oral contraceptive use. The findings highlight the potential for mis-estimating risk in case-control studies when late-occurring cases have a different relation to the exposure factor than do the early-occurring cases within the original, albeit undocumented, exposure cohort.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Plasma lipids and insulin in gall stone disease: a case-control study.

Fasting plasma lipid and insulin concentrations were measured in 173 patients with gall stones and 284 hospital controls to investigate their relationship to this disease. Multivariate methods of analysis were used to estimate the net associations between individual plasma variables and the risk of developing gall stones. In both sexes increased plasma insulin values were associated with an increased risk of gall stones independently of plasma triglyceride values; increased plasma triglyceride concentrations were associated with an increased risk of gall stones in young subjects only; increased plasma total cholesterol concentrations were associated with a decreased risk of gall stones only after controlling for plasma insulin and triglyceride concentrations; while increased plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were associated with a decreased risk of gall stones, but were confounded by plasma insulin and triglyceride values. These associations were independent of obesity and dietary intake.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1984

Oral contraceptives, pregnancy, and endogenous oestrogen in gall stone disease--a case-control study.

A case-control study of gall stone disease in women in relation to use of contraceptives, reproductive history, and concentrations of endogenous hormones was undertaken. The study population comprised 200 hospital patients with newly diagnosed gall stone disease, 182 individually matched controls selected from the community, and 234 controls who were patients in hospital. Use of oral contraceptives was associated with an increased risk of developing gall stones among young subjects but a decreased risk among older subjects. The risk of developing gall stone disease increased in association with increasing parity, particularly among younger women. The risk fell with increasing age at first pregnancy, independent of parity. Mean urinary excretion over 24 hours of oestrone, but not of pregnanediol, was significantly (p less than 0.05) greater for postmenopausal patients than controls. The age dependence of the relative risk associated with exposure to oral contraceptives and pregnancy suggests that there are subpopulations of women susceptible to early formation of gall stones after exposure to either oral contraceptives or pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Diet, alcohol, and relative weight in gall stone disease: a case-control study.

A case control study of gall stone disease in relation to diet, alcohol, and relative weight was undertaken. The study population comprised 267 hospital patients with newly diagnosed gall stone disease, 241 individually matched controls selected from the community, and 359 controls who were patients in hospital. Dietary intake was estimated with a quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the net association between individual nutrients and the risk of formation of gall stones. Variations in risk with sex and age were examined in the light of prior evidence of influences of sex hormones and age on hepatobiliary metabolism. In both sexes increased intake of alcohol was associated with a decreased risk of developing gall stones; increased intake of simple sugars in drinks and sweets was associated with an increased risk; and increased intake of energy or fat was associated with an increased risk in young subjects. Obesity was associated with an increased risk only in young women.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Congenital malformations and maternal drinking water supply in rural South Australia: a case-control study.

A case-control study, carried out in the Mount Gambier region of South Australia, investigated the relationship between mothers' antenatal drinking water source and malformations in offspring. It was prompted by earlier descriptive findings of a statistically significant, and localized, increase in the perinatal mortality rate in Mount Gambier, due principally to congenital malformations affecting the central nervous system and multiple organ systems. Available for statistical analysis were 218 case-control pairs, from the period 1951-1979, individually matched by hospital, maternal age (+/- 2 years), parity and date of birth (+/- 1 month). Compared with women who drank only rainwater during their pregnancy (relative risk (RR) = 1.0), women who consumed principally groundwater had a statistically significant increase in risk of bearing a malformed child (RR = 2.8). Statistically significant risk increases occurred specifically for malformations of the central nervous system and musculoskeletal system. Reanalysis of the data by estimated water nitrate concentration demonstrated a nearly threefold increase in risk for women who drank water containing 5-15 ppm of nitrate, and a fourfold increase in risk for those consuming greater than 15 ppm of nitrate. A seasonal gradient in risk was evident among groundwater consumers, ranging from 0.9 for babies conceived in winter, 3.0 in autumn, to 7.0 and 6.3 for spring and summer conceptions, respectively. Linear logistic regression analysis, controlling for risk factors not accounted for in the study design, showed that maternal water supply, infant's sex, and mother's area of residence all contributed significantly to the risk of malformation. These results are discussed in relation to previous experimental and human descriptive studies, suggesting a plausible mechanism for nitrate-induced teratogenesis.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology of microalbuminuria in the general population.

Microalbuminuria in the general population is associated with recognized risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperlipidemia; and it is an independent predictor of subsequent cardiovascular mortality in hypertensive, diabetic, and elderly populations. Although different methods have been used for measuring and expressing urinary albumin excretion and a variety of cutoff levels have been used for defining microalbuminuria, prevalence of microalbuminuria appears to be higher in non-Europeans (8%-28%) than in Europeans (2%-10%). However, because of the large within-individual variability of urinary albumin excretion and the relatively low prevalence of microalbuminuria, large studies are required to detect statistically significant associations between albuminuria and cardiovascular risk factors. Evidence presented here supports the proposition that microalbuminuria represents a marker of cardiovascular disease risk in nondiabetic individuals as well as diabetic individuals. Moreover, because of a high sensitivity of the test and because albuminuria is a concomitant of many forms of renal disease, microalbuminuria also has a role in detecting patients with renal involvement associated with essential hypertension, lupus erythematosus, women with pre-eclampsia, and subjects with unsuspected primary and secondary nephropathies.

Albuminuria↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Birth defects and household water supply. Epidemiological studies in the Mount Gambier region of South Australia.

We report a descriptive study indicating a localised excess of congenital malformations in Mount Gambier, South Australia, and summary results of a subsequent case-control study showing an association between the occurrence of congenital malformations and the consumption of underground water by pregnant women. The internal cohesion of the data analyses, and the plausibility conferred by experimental evidence, suggests that the underground water, and its elevated concentration of nitrates, may warrant further consideration as a source of human teratogens.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗