Annals of epidemiology
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Annals of epidemiology · May 1995
Comparative StudyA prospective study of alcohol, smoking, caffeine, and the risk of symptomatic diverticular disease in men.
The relationship between smoking, caffeine, and alcohol intake and the risk of symptomatic diverticular disease has not been investigated directly. We examined these associations in a prospective cohort of 47,678 US men, 40 to 75 years old. During 4 years of follow-up (1988 to 1992), we documented 382 newly diagnosed cases of symptomatic diverticular disease. ⋯ Current smoking was not appreciably associated with risk of symptomatic diverticular disease compared to nonsmokers (RR = 1.25; 95 percent CI, 0.75 to 2.09) after adjustment for age, physical activity, and energy-adjusted intake of dietary fiber and total fat. In a subset analysis restricted to men who had undergone sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, a modest positive association was seen between smoking and risk of symptomatic diverticular disease. These results suggest that smoking, caffeine, and alcohol intake are not associated with any substantially increased risk of symptomatic diverticular disease.
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Annals of epidemiology · May 1994
Age-specific patterns of association between breast cancer and risk factors in black women, ages 20 to 39 and 40 to 54.
Data from the 1980 to 1982 population-based Cancer and Steroid Hormone case-control study of women 20 to 54 years old afforded the opportunity to investigate risk factors for breast cancer among black women younger than 40 years (177 patients and 137 control subjects) and to compare the results to black women 40 to 54 years old (313 patients and 348 control subjects). Information on exposure variables was obtained by in-person interviews. The logistic regression results indicated that the risk of breast cancer among black women younger than 40 years was nearly three times greater for those who used oral contraceptives for more than 10 years relative to never-users (odds ratio, 2.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 6.8) and more than four times greater for severely obese women (body mass index > or = 32.30 kg/m2) relative to women whose relative weights were less than 24.90 kg/m2. Patterns of association for the two age groups were similar for surgical menopausal, age at first full-term pregnancy, and multiple births, but differed for age at menarche.
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Annals of epidemiology · Jan 1993
Comparative StudyIs there an ethnic difference in the effect of risk factors for diabetic retinopathy?
Mexican Americans have an increased prevalence and incidence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). In addition, Mexican American diabetic subjects have an increased prevalence of retinopathy relative to Caucasian diabetic subjects. In Mexican American diabetic subjects, established risk factors may have a stronger effect on diabetic retinopathy, compared to Caucasian diabetic subjects. ⋯ Longer duration of diabetes, more severe glycemia, earlier age at diagnosis, and insulin therapy were associated with diabetic retinopathy in both Mexican Americans and Caucasians. Socioeconomic status was not associated with prevalence of retinopathy. Moreover, the effect of risk factors for retinopathy was similar in both ethnic groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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There is a need for caution in measuring blood pressure in the obese. Problems related to adequate cuff-bladder size and shape are apparent from a review of the literature. Imperfections in experiments comparing intra-arterial/indirect blood pressure measurements remain. ⋯ The most important adjustment for measuring blood pressure in the obese derives from choosing the correct cuff width-arm circumference (CW/AC) ratio. Such action reduces the intersubject variability of blood pressure measurement in clinical and epidemiologic studies. Past studies probably overestimated blood pressure level in the obese and so underestimated the risk of elevated blood pressure in the obese.