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T Truelsen

Publications and source records attributed to T Truelsen.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Stroke incidence and prevalence in Europe: a review of available data.

Reliable data on stroke incidence and prevalence are essential for calculating the burden of stroke and the planning of prevention and treatment of stroke patients. In the current study we have reviewed the published data from EU countries, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland, and provide WHO estimates for stroke incidence and prevalence in these countries. Studies on stroke epidemiology published in peer-reviewed journals during the past 10 years were identified using Medline/PubMed searches, and reviewed using the structure of WHO's stroke component of the WHO InfoBase. WHO estimates for stroke incidence and prevalence for each country were calculated from routine mortality statistics. Rates from studies that met the 'ideal' criteria were compared with WHO's estimates. Forty-four incidence studies and 12 prevalence studies were identified. There were several methodological differences that hampered comparisons of data. WHO stroke estimates were in good agreement with results from 'ideal' stroke population studies. According to the WHO estimates the number of stroke events in these selected countries is likely to increase from 1.1 million per year in 2000 to more than 1.5 million per year in 2025 solely because of the demographic changes. Until better and more stroke studies are available, the WHO stroke estimates may provide the best data for understanding the stroke burden in countries where no stroke data currently exists. A standardized protocol for stroke surveillance is recommended.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2005

Is the effect of alcohol on risk of stroke confined to highly stressed persons?

BACKGROUND: Psychological stress and alcohol are both suggested as risk factors for stroke. Further, there appears to be a close relation between stress and alcohol consumption. Several experimental studies have found alcohol consumption to reduce the immediate effects of stress in a laboratory setting. We aimed to examine whether the association between alcohol and stroke depends on level of self-reported stress in a large prospective cohort. METHODS: The 5,373 men and 6,723 women participating in the second examination of the Copenhagen City Heart Study in 1981-1983 were asked at baseline about their self-reported level of stress and their weekly alcohol consumption. The participants were followed-up until 31st of December 1997 during which 880 first ever stroke events occurred. Data were analysed by means of Cox regression modelling. RESULTS: At a high stress level, weekly total consumption of 1-14 units of alcohol compared with no consumption seemed associated with a lower risk of stroke (adjusted RR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.31-1.07). At lower stress levels, no clear associations were observed. Regarding subtypes, self-reported stress appeared only to modify the association between alcohol intake and ischaemic stroke events. Regarding specific types of alcoholic beverages, self-reported stress only modified the associations for intake of beer and wine. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the apparent lower risk of stroke associated with moderate alcohol consumption is confined to a group of highly stressed persons. It is suggested that alcohol consumption may play a role in reducing the risk of stroke by modifying the physiological or psychological stress response.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Lung function and risk of fatal and non-fatal stroke. The Copenhagen City Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: Reduced lung function has been shown to be a significant predictor of non-fatal ischaemic heart disease, and of mortality due to cardiovascular disease. Fewer studies have analysed the relationship between lung function and risk of fatal or non-fatal stroke. The present study presents results on the relation between forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and risk of incident and fatal first-ever stroke. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The analyses are based on prospective cohort data from 12 878 eligible men and women aged 45-84 years, who participated in the first health examination of the Copenhagen City Heart Study in 1976-1978. The subjects were followed from day of entry until 31 December 1993. During that period 808 first-ever strokes occurred of which 153 were fatal within 28 days. Risk of incident and fatal stroke was estimated by means of Cox hazard regression. The analyses included adjustment for potential confounders: sex, age, smoking, inhalation, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, physical activity in leisure time, education, diabetes mellitus, and antihypertensive treatment. RESULTS: We found an inverse association between FEV1 and risk of first-time stroke. For each 10% decrease in FEV1 in percentage of expected, the relative risk (RR) increased 1.05 (95% CI : 1.00-1.09, P = 0.03). This represents an approximately 30% higher risk of stroke in the group of people with the lowest lung function as compared to the group with the highest lung function. The association between lung function and risk of fatal stroke resembled that of risk of incident stroke (fatal and non-fatal). The RR was 1.11 (95% CI : 1.03-1.19) for each 10% decrease in FEV1 in percentage of expected. This represents approximately a doubling of the risk between the highest and lowest lung function groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that reduced lung function measured in percentage of predicted FEV1 is a predictor of first-time stroke and fatal stroke independent of smoking and inhalation. The high risk of fatal first-ever stroke in the group of people with low lung function may be of significance in both the design and interpretation of clinical trials.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Surveillance of stroke: a global perspective.

For preventive strategies to be efficient, it is essential to have information on the pattern of disease and exposure to major risk factors that predict future diseases in the population. Basic epidemiological data such as mortality rates are reported for less than one-third of the world's population and are almost exclusively from developed countries. However, it is the developing countries, particularly those in rapid economic and demographic transition, which will experience a major rise in ageing-related diseases. The World Health Organization is intensifying the development and implementation of simple, sustainable surveillance systems that can be used in many different settings around the world. Unlike heart disease and cancer, stroke is a clinically defined disease, which makes it possible to identify trends in different countries irrespective of access to technological equipment. A stepwise approach to increasing detail in the data to be collected for surveillance of stroke is suggested. This will allow countries with different levels of resources and capacity in their health systems to collect useful information for policy.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2000

Prevention of recurrent stroke.

There is a considerable knowledge about risk factors for first ever stroke and a lack of knowledge about risk factors for recurrent stroke. As neurologists we rarely see the patient before the first transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke, and we are concerned with and need data on secondary stroke prevention. For lifestyle factors such as cigarette smoking, physical activity and alcohol consumption, data are scarce. For post-menopausal estrogen use there are no data on risk of recurrent stroke. Plasma homocysteine has emerged as a risk factor for stroke and cardiovascular disease. It is not yet documented if supplementation of folic acid, which may reduce plasma homocysteine, also lowers risk of stroke. Elevated blood pressure is a risk factor for recurrent stroke. There are four randomized trials of antihypertensive treatment after stroke indicating a tendency of reduced risk of stroke recurrence. Three studies of antihypertensive treatment after first stroke are in progress. Prevention of recurrent stroke is well documented in atrial fibrillation where warfarin is highly beneficial and aspirin has some effect. Carotid endarterectomy in high grade carotid artery stenosis is also well documented. Antiplatelet therapy provides secondary prevention in most types of ischemic brain disease.

Carotid Stenosis↗
PubMed1999

Passive smoking as well as active smoking increases the risk of acute stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the relative risk of stroke associated with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS, passive smoking) and to estimate the risk of stroke associated with current smoking (active smoking) using the traditional baseline group (never-smokers) and a baseline group that includes lifelong non-smokers and long-term (> 10 years) ex-smokers who have not been exposed to ETS. DESIGN AND SETTING: Population-based case-control study in residents of Auckland, New Zealand. SUBJECTS: Cases were obtained from the Auckland stroke study, a population-based register of acute stroke. Controls were obtained from a cross-sectional survery of major cardiovascular risk factors measured in the same population. A standard questionnaire was administered to patients and controls by trained nurse interviewers. RESULTS: Information was available for 521 patients with first-ever acute stroke and 1851 community controls aged 35-74 years. After adjusting for potential confounders (age, sex, history of hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes) using logistic regression, exposure to ETS among non-smokers and long-term ex-smokers was associated with a significantly increased risk of stroke (odds ratio (OR) = 1.82; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.34 to 2.49). The risk was significant in men (OR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.33 to 3.32) and women (OR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.07 to 2.57). Active smokers had a fourfold risk of stroke compared with people who reported they had never smoked cigarettes (OR = 4.14; 95% CI = 3.04 to 5.63); the risk increased when active smokers were compared with people who had never smoked or had quit smoking more than 10 years earlier and who were not exposed to ETS (OR = 6.33; 95% CI = 4.50 to 8.91). CONCLUSIONS: This study is one of the few to investigate the association between passive smoking and the risk of acute stroke. We found a significantly increased risk of stroke in men and in women. This study also confirms the higher risk of stroke in men and women who smoke cigarettes compared with non-smokers. The stroke risk increases further when those who have been exposed to ETS are excluded from the non-smoking reference group. These findings also suggest that studies investigating the adverse effects of smoking will underestimate the risk if exposure to ETS is not taken into account.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

Stroke incidence and case fatality in two populations: the Auckland Stroke Study and the Copenhagen City Heart Study.

Comparison of stroke incidence and case fatality in different parts of the world provides information that may lead to a better understanding of the disease. In this report we have investigated these two aspects in two large populations, one in Auckland, New Zealand, and the other in Copenhagen, Denmark (the Copenhagen City Heart Study, CCHS). Incidence rates of stroke are higher for men than women in both studies. The stroke incidence rate ratios between Auckland men and CCHS men are significantly different in most age groups, whereas in women the incidence rates differ only in one age group. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence rates are higher in the CCHS for both men and women as compared to the Auckland Stroke Study. The age-adjusted incidence rate ratio is higher for men than women in both studies: 1.29 in the Auckland Stroke Study and 1.54 in the CCHS. The 28-day case fatality is also higher in the CCHS than in Auckland and is higher for women than men in both studies. The incidence rate of stroke and the 28-day case fatality is higher in the CCHS as compared to the Auckland Stroke Study in both men and women. A very high proportion of smokers in CCHS may explain some of the differences in incidence rates in the two populations.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1998

Changes in subarachnoid hemorrhage mortality, incidence, and case fatality in New Zealand between 1981-1983 and 1991-1993.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: As with total stroke, mortality rates from subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have declined in New Zealand since the mid-1970s. Data from the Auckland Region Stroke studies allow an understanding of reasons for the change, as SAH incidence and 28-day case fatality rates were measured as part of population-based stroke registers. METHODS: National death registrations were used to describe the trends in mortality rates from SAH (International Classification of Diseases [ICD] code 430) among men and women in New Zealand. Changes in incidence and case fatality rates were determined from 2 large-scale population-based stroke registries carried out in 1981-1983 and 10 years later in Auckland. Similar methodology and case ascertainment techniques were used in both studies. RESULTS: The mortality rates from SAH declined in both men and women after the mid-1970s. The mortality rate remained higher among women than men. The incidence of SAH was lower in 1991-1993 (11.3 per 100,000) compared with 1981-1983 (14.6 per 100,000). In the younger age groups, the decrease was mostly due to a lower incidence among men, whereas in the older age groups women older than 65 years had a lower incidence. There was no consistent change in case fatality rates between the 2 periods in either men or women. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality rates from SAH have decreased in both men and women. This decrease may be explained by a decrease in the incidence of SAH, because case fatality rates showed no change.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Intake of beer, wine, and spirits and risk of stroke : the copenhagen city heart study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Alcohol consumption has been associated with a protective effect on risk of ischemic stroke. There may, however, be differences in the effect of beer, wine, and spirits due to properties other than ethanol, a topic that has gained only little attention in stroke research. METHODS: Our analysis was a prospective cohort study of 13 329 eligible men and women, aged 45 to 84 years, participating in the Copenhagen City Heart Study. Information on alcohol habits and a number of socioeconomic and health-related factors was obtained at baseline. During 16 years of follow-up, 833 first-ever strokes occurred. Data were analyzed by means of multiple Poisson regression. RESULTS: We found indications of a U-shaped relation between intake of alcohol and risk of stroke. In analyses adjusted for age, sex, and smoking, intake of wine on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis was associated with a lower risk of stroke compared with no wine intake (monthly: relative risk [RR], 0. 83; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.98; weekly: RR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.77; daily: RR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.46 to 1.00). This effect of wine intake remained after complete adjustment for confounding variables (monthly: RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.70 to 1.02; weekly: RR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.88; daily: RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.45 to 1.02). There was no association between intake of beer or spirits on risk of stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The differences in the effects of beer, wine, and spirits on the risk of stroke suggest that compounds in the wine in addition to ethanol are responsible for the protective effect on risk of stroke.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Trends in stroke incidence. The Copenhagen City Heart Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke incidence has increased in some countries and decreased in others. After 20 years of intensive antihypertensive treatment the latter could be expected, and we have evaluated the sex-specific temporal trends in stroke incidence using 17 years of follow-up in the Copenhagen City Heart Study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Our cohort comprised 19,698 subjects living in Copenhagen, Denmark. They were invited for health examinations in the following time periods: 1976 through 1978, 1981 through 1983, and 1992 through 1994. Trends are presented for all persons who attended at least one of the two first examinations as well as the total cohort including nonresponders. Subjects between 45 and 84 years of age were followed from March 1, 1976 until March 1, 1993. Changes in age-specific stroke incidence were calculated by means of Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS: For subjects aged 45 to 64 years, no significant trends were observed, with an annual incidence rate ratio of 1.00 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 1.03) and 1.04 (95% CI, 0.99 to 1.08) for men and women, respectively. In subjects aged 65 to 84 years a significant decrease in stroke incidence was found in men, whose annual rate ratio was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.95 to 0.99), but not in women, whose annual rate ratio was 0.98 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1.00). Throughout four observed periods the stroke incidence among men remained significantly higher than that for women. CONCLUSIONS: During the period from 1976 to 1993 there has been a decline in incidence of stroke in men and women aged 65 to 84 years that was significant only in men, whereas no changes were found for persons aged 45 to 64 years.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1994

Comparison of probability of stroke between the Copenhagen City Heart Study and the Framingham Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We wished to test the validity of a stroke probability point system from the Framingham Study for a sample of the population of Copenhagen, Denmark. In the Framingham cohort, the regression model of Cox established the effect on stroke of the following factors: age, systolic blood pressure, the use of antihypertensive therapy, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, prior cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, and left ventricular hypertrophy. Derived from this model, stroke probabilities were computed for each sex based on a point system. The authors claimed that a physician can use this system for individual stroke prediction. METHODS: The Copenhagen City Heart Study is a prospective survey of 19,698 women and men aged 20 years or older invited to two cardiovascular examinations at 5-year intervals. The baseline examination included 3015 men and 3501 women aged 55 to 84 years; 474 stroke events occurred during 10 years of follow-up. In both cohorts initial cases of stroke and transient ischemic attack recorded during 10 years of follow-up were used. We used the statistical model from the Framingham Study to establish a corresponding stroke probability point system using data from the Copenhagen City Heart Study population. We then compared the effects of the relevant risk factors, their combinations, and the corresponding stroke probabilities. We also assessed stroke events during 10 years of follow-up in several subgroups of the Copenhagen population with different combinations of risk factors. RESULTS: For the Copenhagen City Heart Study population some of the risk factors (diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, atrial fibrillation, and left ventricular hypertrophy) had regression coefficients different from those of the Framingham Study population. Consequently, the probability of stroke for persons presenting these risk factors and their combinations varied between the two studies. For some other risk factors (age, blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease), no major differences were found. The recorded frequency of stroke events in subgroups of the Copenhagen population was compatible with the estimated probability intervals of stroke from the Copenhagen City Heart Study and with those from the Framingham Study, but these intervals were very large. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of risk factors for stroke identified by the Framingham Study also had a significant effect in the Copenhagen City Heart Study population. The differences found could be due partly to different definitions of these factors used by the two studies. Although estimated stroke probabilities based on point systems from the Copenhagen City Heart Study and the Framingham Study were similar, the points scored in the two systems did not always correspond to the same combination of risk factors. Such systems can be used for estimating stroke probability in a given population, provided that the statistical confidence limits are known and the definitions of risk factors are compatible. However, because of the large statistical uncertainty, a prognostic index should not be applied for individual prediction unless it is used as an indicator of high relative risk associated with the simultaneous presence of several risk factors.

Adult↗