European journal of epidemiology
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There are little data available on the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the United Kingdom. The Northern Ireland Cost and Epidemiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (NICECOPD) study is a two-stage survey to examine the prevalence of obstructive lung disease in a general population sample in the Greater Belfast area. ⋯ The data suggest that COPD and asthma are common conditions in the general population and should inform future plans to address the burden of disease.
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To assess changes in consultation rates, medication use and work absences due to migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) in Denmark over a 12-year period. ⋯ Despite an increase in headache consultation rates and in use of prescription medication and triptans, no improvement in work absence rates was observed. Consultations, medication use, and absence rates were highest for individuals with both migraine and frequent TTH.
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To examine the pattern and strength of seasonal fluctuations in emergency department (ED) visits due to asthma, by month and day of the week, by the patient's age, gender, and severity of asthma attack. ⋯ The strength of seasonal patterns of asthma ED visits is influenced by age and the severity of attack, and to a lesser extent, gender. Understanding the significance of seasonal precipitants of asthma in different patients subgroups could lead to better management strategies.
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To estimate the effect of waiting time for surgery and volume of surgical activity on mortality in patients with hip fracture and to compare risk-adjusted outcomes between hospitals providing surgery for such patients. ⋯ Longer waiting time for surgery was not associated with mortality after adjusting for patient risk factors, and taking into account hospital level variability. Hospital level variability was statistically significant, and was partially explained by the total volume of hospital surgical activity. The decrease in mortality between 1996 and 2000 was confirmed by multivariate models.
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The present study aims to compare the prevalence of primary headaches in Denmark in two periods as only few replicate studies have re-evaluated the prevalence of primary headaches. ⋯ The prevalence of tension-type headache but not of migraine increased. The increase in migraine and tension-type headache frequency suggests a higher individual and societal impact of primary headaches now, than 12 years ago.