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S Wallerstedt

Publications and source records attributed to S Wallerstedt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Subjects with essential hypertension are more sensitive to the inhibition of 11 beta-HSD by liquorice.

In this intervention study, we have investigated if hypertensive patients are more sensitive to liquorice-induced inhibition of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-HSD) type 2 than normotensive (NT) subjects and if the response depends on gender. Healthy volunteers and patients with essential hypertension (HT), consumed 100 g of liquorice daily, for 4 weeks, corresponding to a daily intake of 150 mg glycyrrhetinic acid. Office, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and blood samples were measured before, during and after liquorice consumption. Effect on cortisol metabolism was evaluated by determining the urinary total cortisol metabolites and urinary free cortisol/free cortisone quotient (Q). The mean rise in systolic BP with office measurements after 4 weeks of liquorice consumption was 3.5 mmHg (p<0.06) in NT and 15.3 mmHg (p=0.003) in hypertensive subjects, the response being different (p=0.004). The mean rise in diastolic BP was 3.6 mmHg (p=0.01) in NT and 9.3 mmHg (p<0.001) in hypertensive subjects, the response also being different (p=0.03). Liquorice induced more pronounced clinical symptoms in women than in men (p=0.0008), although the difference in the effect on the BP was not significant. The increase in Q was prominent (p<0.0001) and correlated to the rise in BP (p=0.02). The rise in BP was not dependant on age, the change in plasma renin activity or weight. We conclude that patients with essential HT are more sensitive to the inhibition of 11 beta-HSD by liquorice than NT subjects, and that this inhibition causes more clinical symptoms in women than in men.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗
PubMed2002

HLA class II markers and clinical heterogeneity in Swedish patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Genetic susceptibility to PBC can, at least in part, be ascribed to the major histocompatibility complex. The relevance of immunogenetic markers for the clinical presentation and course, however, is unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of HLA class II genes to susceptibility, clinical presentation and course of disease in PBC patients. HLA genotyping for HLA-DRB1, -DQB1 and -DPB1 was carried out in a total of 99 Swedish PBC patients and 158 controls. Clinical parameters including epidemiologic variables, signs and symptoms of PBC-related liver disease and histologic data were collected and analyzed in 92 patients at study entry and at follow-up five years later. Significant clinical heterogeneity was seen among PBC patients upon study entry. Although a significant disease association was seen for HLA DRB1*08 and DQB1*0402, immunogenetic markers identified neither a particular subset of patients nor an association with the clinical course of the disease. HLA-DRB1*08 and DQB1*0402 provide the strongest immunogenetic influence in PBC. However, this association is not restricted to any particular, clinically defined subgroup of patients and it is not predictive for the course of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Therapeutic program for ascites. Recommendations from the Swedish Society of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy].

As ascites is related to liver cirrhosis in 80% of the patients, the present therapeutic guidelines are focused on ascites in liver cirrhosis. A combination of spironolactone and furosemide is recommended as first line therapy in patients with mild to moderate ascites and is effective in 90% of patients. In patients with pronounced or tense ascites, first line treatment is total paracentesis with intravenous infusion of human albumin as colloid replacement. Maintenance therapy for the prevention of recurrent ascites is based on spironolactone with or without furosemide. The indications for peritoneovenous shunt, or transjugular intrahepatic stent-shunt (TIPSS), are limited and only recommended in strictly selected patients with refractory ascites. Ascites in liver cirrhosis is a symptom of advanced liver disease, and liver transplantation should always be considered in eligible patients.

Ascites↗
PubMed2001

Liquorice-induced rise in blood pressure: a linear dose-response relationship.

To clarify the dose-response and the time-response relationship between liquorice consumption and rise in blood pressure and explore the inter-individual variance this intervention study was designed and executed in research laboratories at University hospitals in Iceland and Sweden. Healthy, Caucasian volunteers who also served as a control for himself/herself consumed liquorice in various doses, 50-200 g/day, for 2-4 weeks, corresponding to a daily intake of 75-540 mg glycyrrhetinic acid, the active substance in liquorice. Blood pressure was measured before, during and after liquorice consumption. Systolic blood pressure increased by 3.1-14.4 mm Hg (P < 0.05 for all), demonstrating a dose-response but not a time-response relationship. The individual response to liquorice followed the normal distribution. Since liquorice raised the blood pressure with a linear dose-response relationship, even doses as low as 50 g of liquorice (75 mg glycyrrhetinic acid) consumed daily for 2 weeks can cause a significant rise in blood pressure. The finding of a maximal effect of liquorice after only 2 weeks has important implications for all doctors dealing with hypertension. There does not seem to be a special group of responders since the degree of individual response to liquorice consumption followed the normal distribution curve.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Hepatocellular carcinoma in Sweden: its association with viral hepatitis, especially with hepatitis C viral genotypes.

Viral markers of chronic hepatitis were tested for in 95 frozen serum samples from 299 patients from Malmö, Sweden, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), diagnosed between 1977 and 1994. Hepatitis B analysis included anti-HBc, HBsAg and, if anti-HBc positive, HBV DNA. Hepatitis C infection analysis included anti-HCV screening, RIBA, HCV RNA and HCV genotyping. HCV genotyping was also carried out in 9 HCV-viraemic HCC-patients from Gothenburg. HCV genotype distribution in HCC cases was compared with Swedish HCV-infected blood donors. Among the 95 patients from Malmö, 28 (29%) had anti-HBc, but only 5 (5%) were chronic HBV carriers, compared with 16 (17%) with chronic hepatitis C (p = 0.021). HCV-related HCC was more common among immigrants (8/16 vs. 8/79; p < 0.001). Genotyping of 25 HCV-infected cases showed genotype 1a in 6 (24%), genotype 1b in 13 (52%), genotype 2b in 4 (16%), and genotype 3a in 2 (8.0%) patients. Genotype 1b was more common among HCC patients than among blood donors (p < 0.001), but 8 of 13 genotype 1b-infected patients were from countries where genotype 1b is predominant. Among native Swedes there was no difference between the HCV genotypes infecting blood donors and those found in HCC patients.

Blood Donors↗
PubMed1998

Spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIMS: To determine the clinical and histopathological features of a case of a spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). CASE DETAILS: HCC was found incidentally in a 73-year-old man during a laparotomy for evaluation of gastric retention. Despite no treatment being given, he improved gradually with no sign of tumour as evidenced by coeliac angiography 15 months later, as well as by explorative laparotomy after another 2 years. The patient died 15 years after the primary diagnosis of HCC, without known evidence of tumour recurrence. The patient's clinical records were reviewed, and paraffin-embedded liver tissue was re-evaluated. Both histological and immunohistochemical features were compatible with the diagnosis of a well differentiated HCC. Conceivable causes of the spontaneous regression of this and other reported cases are discussed, but the phenomenon remains enigmatic. CONCLUSIONS: This case with a histologically proven HCC and a very long follow-up time confirms that spontaneous regression does occur. Since the case was found incidentally our report also implies that this may not be as rare as reported.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Incidence, etiologic aspects and clinicopathologic features in intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma--a study of 51 cases from a low-endemicity area.

A total of 51 cases (19 males and 32 females) of intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCC) from a low-endemicity area of primary liver cancer was analyzed during the periods from 1958 to 1979 and from 1984 to 1991. The mean annual age-adjusted incidence rate was 0.44 for males and 0.56 for females per 100,000 inhabitants. CCC was diagnosed before death in only 31%. There was a female predominance in patients over 70 years of age (p < 0.05). At presentation, malaise (85%), weight loss (73%) abdominal pain (50%) and hepatomegaly (80%) were common. The median survival time from diagnosis was 2 months. The mean age at the time of death was 72 years (range 41-92). At autopsy, cholelithiasis was found in 61% (81% in patients older than 70 years) and cirrhosis in 30% of patients. Cholelithiasis was more common in CCC (p < 0.01) than in hepatocellular carcinoma cases with the same mean age. Not one case of inflammatory bowel disease was found. The gross appearance of the tumor was predominantly massive (49%) or multinodular (35%). The most common histological features were tubular pattern of growth (82%) and abundant fibrous stroma. Metastases were particularly associated with the lymph nodes (41%), skeleton (26%) and lungs (16%).

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Ursodeoxycholic acid treatment in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. A Swedish multicentre, double-blind, randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has been shown to improve serum levels of liver enzymes and bilirubin in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). However, it is still uncertain whether UDCA treatment also improves symptoms, liver histology, and survival without liver transplantation. METHODS: We randomized 116 patients with PBC to receive 0.5 g UDCA (n = 60) or placebo (n = 56) daily for 2 years. During the next 2 years, 80% of the UDCA-treated patients and 65% of the placebo-treated patients continued to take UDCA. RESULTS: UDCA improved serum enzyme values but not survival, symptoms, serum bilirubin levels, or liver histology. There was no significant difference in response between initially symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. CONCLUSIONS: UDCA in a dosage of 7.7 mg/kg body weight is of little benefit in PBC. This does not exclude the possibility that larger doses have beneficial effects.

Bile Acids and Salts↗
PubMed1996

Incidence of primary liver cancer and aetiological aspects: a study of a defined population from a low-endemicity area.

The prevalence of primary liver cancer (PLC) varies throughout the world. It has been attributed to variations in incidence of the predominant histological type, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The incidence of PLC types other than HCC such as cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCC) is far less known, especially in low-incidence areas. The aetiology of HCC and other PLC types is obscure, with the exception of the association between HCC and cirrhosis as well as chronic viral hepatitis. The present retrospective incidence and aetiology study concerns a well-defined population from a period with a high autopsy frequency. Preserved biopsy specimens were re-evaluated histopathologically and patient records were studied. Among 590 histologically verified cases of PLC, HCC constituted 90%, CCC 8% and a mixed form of these types 1%. At the end of the study period the annual age-standardised incidence rate of HCC was 3.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Other PLC types were hepatoblastoma (n = 3), fibrolamellar carcinoma (n = 2), angiosarcoma (n = 1) and infantile haemangioendothelioma (n = 1), each constituting less than 1% of the PLC cases. Comparing HCC with CCC we found that cirrhosis (70%) and alcoholism (21%) was significantly more frequent in HCC, and cholelithiasis was significantly more common (60%) in patients with CCC. In the majority of the PLC cases with liver cirrhosis this disorder was unknown before diagnosis of the tumour.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Natural history and prognostic factors in 305 Swedish patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS--The course of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is highly variable and unpredictable. This study describes the natural history and outcome of PSC. These data were used to construct a prognostic model for patients with PSC. METHODS--A total of 305 Swedish patients with PSC were studied. The median follow up time was 63 (1-194) months and all patients could be traced for follow up. Some 79 patients died or had a liver transplant. The prognostic significance of clinical, biochemical, and histological findings at the time of diagnosis were evaluated using multivariate analysis. RESULTS--The estimated median survival from time of diagnosis to death or liver transplantation was 12 years. Cholangiocarcinoma was found in 24 (8%) of the patients and 134 (44%) of the patients were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. The estimated survival rate was significantly higher in the asymptomatic group (p < 0.001). However, 29 (22%) of the asymptomatic patients became symptomatic during the study period. It was found that age, serum bilirubin concentration, and histological stage at the time of diagnosis were independent predictors of a bad prognosis. These variables were used to construct a prognostic model. CONCLUSIONS--This prognostic model developed from a large homogeneous population of PSC patients should be of value for the timing of transplantation and patient counselling in PSC.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Minor role of hepatitis B and C virus infection in the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma in a low-endemic area.

BACKGROUND: The etiologic role of hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a low-endemicity area is obscure. METHODS: Patients suspected of having primary liver cancer (PLC) in Göteborg, Sweden (n = 113), were tested serologically for HBV surface antigen and antibodies to HBV surface and core antigens. The presence of HBV surface and core antigens in cancer and non-neoplastic liver tissue in HCC cases was investigated immunohistochemically. Antibodies to HCV were tested by third-generation tests. The prevalence of HBV and HCV infection was compared in 73 patients with HCC and 32 patients with a final diagnosis other than PLC. RESULTS: No patient had signs of chronic HBV infection. Seven of 64 (11%) HCC patients were anti-HCV-positive, compared with 1 of 31 (3%) without PLC. All seven patients with HCC and HCV infection had liver cirrhosis, and two were alcoholics. Alcoholism was judged the commonest (42%) cause of cirrhosis. CONCLUSION: Contrary to areas with a high incidence of HCC, chronic viral hepatitis, particularly HBV, seems to play a minor etiologic role for HCC in Sweden compared with alcohol-related cirrhosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Prevalence of Crohn's disease and simultaneous occurrence of extraintestinal complications and cancer. An epidemiologic study in adults.

BACKGROUND: Very dissimilar prevalence figures for Crohn's disease (CD) have been reported from different regions of Scandinavia. There are few reports on the occurrence of liver, joint, skin, and eye disease and gastrointestinal cancer in CD. METHODS: All patients > or = 16 years old with CD living in a well-defined catchment area on 1 March 1990 were identified from the previous 10 years' registers of inpatients and outpatients. The records were screened for evidence of extraintestinal complications and fistulas. RESULTS: The prevalence of CD was 94/10(5) (95% confidence interval, 84-104) inhabitants > or = 16 years old. Signs of liver disease were encountered in 1 of 10 patients, and other extraintestinal complications and intestinal cancer occurred in 1-3%. The true prevalence of primary sclerosing cholangitis could not be assessed. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of CD was midway between recent figures from Orebro and Copenhagen. Fistulas and pathologic liver laboratory test results were more prevalent when CD involved both the large and small bowel.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Fibrolamellar hepatic carcinoma in an area with a low incidence of primary liver cancer: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence and prognosis of fibrolamellar hepatic carcinoma in a defined population. DESIGN: Retrospective study of histological slides. SETTING: University hospital, Sweden. SUBJECTS: The 532 patients (out of a total of 711 who were treated at the university hospital during a 22 year period 1 January 1958-31 December 1979) whose primary hepatocellular carcinoma was confirmed on review of the histological slides. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence and prognosis of fibrolamellar hepatic carcinoma. RESULTS: Two patients (women aged 22 and 46) were found to have fibrolamellar tumours and in both they were advanced and the patients died 2 weeks and 9 months, respectively, after exploratory laparotomy. If these are taken as a proportion of the 18 patients who were under the age of 50 at the time of diagnosis then the incidence of the fibrolamellar type of hepatocellular carcinoma is 11%. Since then (in 1993) we have come across one further case, a woman of 39 who was well 22 months after operation though she had metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS: The fibrolamellar type of hepatocellular carcinoma is rare, and all three of our cases were young women (under the age of 50). It seems to have a slightly better prognosis than other types of primary hepatic tumours.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Ischemic heart disease and epilepsy: two major causes of out-hospital natural death in male alcoholics.

The objectives of this research were to study the distribution of in- and out-hospital deaths and causes of death in male alcoholics and in particular to analyze obscure cases. In a population-based sample of 1123 men treated in one detoxification unit during 1986-1989, 97 patients with alcohol dependence (DSM-III-R) died < or = 1 year after in-hospital detoxification. In each case, the cause and the manner of death were assessed by scrutiny of information in hospital and autopsy records, toxicological examinations, and police reports. The results were that 71 of the 97 men died outside hospital. The overall autopsy rate was 89%. Ischemic heart disease accounted for 18 out of 41 evaluable natural out-hospital deaths. Epileptic seizures were judged to be the cause of death in five cases and could also have contributed to seven out of eight obscure out-hospital deaths. Ethanol in blood or urine was detected in 19 of the 23 deaths attributed to trauma or intoxication, whereas only four out of the 18 out-hospital deaths from ischemic heart disease were ethanol-positive. It was concluded that early detection and adequate treatment of ischemic heart disease and epilepsy might improve prognosis in patients with alcohol dependence. The use of clinical information could be of crucial importance in evaluating possible causes of death, especially in obscure cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Colchicine treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There is no medical treatment of documented benefit in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Colchicine has been observed to reduce mortality in primary biliary cirrhosis in one study. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of colchicine in PSC. METHODS: Eighty-four patients with PSC were randomized to receive 1 mg of colchicine daily (n = 44) or placebo (n = 40) in a double-blind 3-year study. The effect of treatment was evaluated through blind scoring of 10 variables in prestudy and poststudy liver biopsy specimens, daily recording of symptoms, and biochemical tests (serum bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, albumin, immunoglobulins, ceruloplasmin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, and plasma prothrombin levels) at 6-month intervals. RESULTS: There was no evidence of a favorable effect of colchicine on survival, symptoms, serum biochemistry, or liver histology in patients with PSC. CONCLUSIONS: One milligram of colchicine daily is ineffective in PSC.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Erythrocyte porphobilinogen deaminase activity and primary liver cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To study whether primary liver cancer (PLC) could be associated with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) carriership and whether the activity of erythrocyte porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) could be used as a tumour marker for PLC. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Medical and surgical wards in two general hospitals in Göteborg, Sweden. SUBJECTS: All patients with a strong suspicion of PLC (n = 109) who came to the authors' attention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measurement of PBGD activity in erythrocytes. Comparison of the PBGD activity in groups with various final diagnoses-hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 58), cholangiocellular carcinoma (n = 2), malignancy other than PLC (n = 18), benign liver disorders (n = 11)--and according to presence of cirrhosis. RESULTS: None of the patients had a clinical or family history of AIP. Four cases with low PBGD activity, suggesting AIP gene carriership, were found, which is more than expected. However, the cases were evenly distributed amongst the groups. The mean activity of PBGD was higher in cirrhotic patients, irrespective of the presence of PLC, than in others. CONCLUSIONS: (i) Acute intermittent porphyria gene carriership might be associated with an increased risk not only for PLC but also for secondary malignancies and benign tumours in the liver. (ii) High activity of PBGD is not unusual in liver cirrhosis and the reason for this needs to be elucidated, but it seems to be of no clinical value as a tumour marker for PLC.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The prevalence of alcoholism and its relation to cause of hospitalization and long-term mortality in male somatic inpatients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of alcoholism in patients hospitalized because of somatic disorders, and to analyse morbidity, mortality, and causes of death in those alcoholics. DESIGN: Inception cohort, 7-year follow-up. SETTING: Primary and secondary care clinics at a community hospital in Göteborg, Sweden. PATIENTS AND CONTROLS: A convenience sample of all 205 men hospitalized at a medical, surgical, and orthopaedic clinic at a random time-point. The diagnosis of alcoholism was stated or rejected by means of structured interviews about drinking habits and by scrutiny of records from the hospital, psychiatric clinics, and social authorities. In the study of morbidity pattern and mortality in the alcoholics (n = 52), age-matched, non-alcoholic controls were recruited from the same sample. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of alcoholism; distribution of somatic disorders as cause of hospitalization at inclusion; mortality and risk ratio of death using the death hazard function of the groups compared with that of men of the same age-distribution in the Swedish population; causes of death during a 7-year follow-up. MAIN RESULTS: Fifty-two of the 205 hospitalized men (25%) were alcoholics and 16 of these men (31%) were treated for an alcohol-related disorder. During follow-up, the mortality rate was about 50% both in the alcoholic and in the control groups. The risk of death ratio was 5.0 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.9 to 8.3] in the alcoholics and 3.9 (95% CI, 2.2 to 6.4) in the controls. Death from trauma, intoxication, and liver failure occurred exclusively in the alcoholics and accounted for almost one-third of the deaths after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Alcoholism was found in every fourth male somatic inpatient, and an alcohol-related disorder was the cause of hospitalization in one-third of these men. The long-term prognosis did not differ from that in non-alcoholic patients. In the treatment of alcoholics with somatic disorders, it is important to take measures against alcoholism as well.

Alcoholism↗