Explore the vast range of titles available.

Hazard ratios for cause-specific death were calculated according to baseline diabetes status or fasting glucose level. In addition to its association with vascular disease, diabetes was associated with premature deaths from a number of diseases and disorders, independent of several major risk factors. The presence of diabetes mellitus approximately doubles the risk of a wide range of vascular diseases. 1 Evidence is also emerging that diabetes is associated with nonvascular conditions, including positive associations with certain cancers (e.g., liver cancer) and negative associations with other cancers (e.g., prostate cancer). 2 – 4 However, a joint consensus statement of the American Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society indicated that it is unclear whether such associations are direct (e.g., due to hyperglycemia) or indirect (e.g., due to diabetes as a marker of underlying biologic factors such as insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia that alter the risk of cancer) . . .

Abstract Context Anemia and decreasing levels of hemoglobin (Hb) have previously been linked to increased fracture risk, but the added value to FRAX, the most utilized fracture prediction tool worldwide, is unknown. Objective To investigate the association between anemia, Hb levels, bone microstructure, and risk of incident fracture and to evaluate whether Hb levels improve fracture risk prediction in addition to FRAX clinical risk factors (CRFs). Methods A total of 2778 community-dwelling women, aged 75-80 years, and part of a prospective population-based cohort study in Sweden were included. At baseline, information on anthropometrics, CRFs, and falls was gathered, blood samples were collected, and skeletal characteristics were investigated using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography. At the end of follow-up, incident fractures were retrieved from a regional x-ray archive. Results The median follow-up time was 6.4 years. Low Hb was associated with worse total hip and femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD), and lower tibia cortical and total volumetric BMD, and anemia was associated with increased risk of major osteoporotic fracture (MOF; hazard ratio 2.04; 95% CI 1.58-2.64). Similar results were obtained for hip fracture and any fracture, also when adjusting for CRFs. The ratio between 10-year fracture probabilities of MOF assessed in models with Hb levels included and not included ranged from 1.2 to 0.7 at the 10th and 90th percentile of Hb, respectively. Conclusion Anemia and decreasing levels of Hb are associated with lower cortical BMD and incident fracture in older women. Considering Hb levels may improve the clinical evaluation of patients with osteoporosis and the assessment of fracture risk.

Anticholinergic burden is associated with cognitive impairment, especially in older individuals with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The objective of the study was to explore the use of drugs displaying anticholinergic properties and examine the utility of the newly developed Swedish Anticholinergic Burden Scale (Swe-ABS) in a memory clinic setting. A descriptive cross-sectional study, involving individuals ≥ 50 years of age attending a memory clinic in southern Sweden between September 2017 and September 2021. In total, 657 individuals, mean age 72.4 ± 9.0 years, 375 (57.1%) males, were included. The study population used 4805 medications at an average of 7.3 ± 4.3 per individual. A total of 448 (68.2%) participants used drugs with any anticholinergic effects identified with the Swe-ABS of whom 179 (27.2%) had a high anticholinergic burden (i.e., Swe-ABS ≥ 3). The corresponding figures for the established Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) scale were 314 (47.8%) and 97 (14.8%) respectively. The mean Swe-ABS score was significantly higher than the mean ACB score (1.7 and 1.0; p  < 0.05). Individuals < 75 years had a significant higher Swe-ABS score and ACB score than individuals ≥ 75 years (Swe-ABS: < 75 years: 1.94 ± 2.20 and ≥ 75 years: 1.50 ± 1.54; p  < 0.05; ACB: < 75 years: 1.13 ± 1.57 and ≥ 75 years: 0.80 ± 1.14 p  < 0.05). Within the study population, a total of 64 drugs not listed in the Swe-ABS were identified. This study highlights the prevalence of drugs with anticholinergic effects among individuals presumably vulnerable to muscarinic antagonism. The Swe-ABS, a risk scale for ascertaining the anticholinergic burden, seems to effectively identify a substantial proportion of drugs commonly used on the Swedish market. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, TRN: NCT03208569, Registration date: 27 June 2017.

Background: Better knowledge of long-term symptoms following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the so-called post-COVID-19, in non-hospitalized patients is needed. The aim of this study was to study persisent symptoms up to 12 months after COVID-19 in non-hospitalized patients and their impact on work ability. We also investigated predictors of persistent symptoms. Methods: This study encompassed non-hospitalized adult subjects with a COVID-19 infection confirmed via positive nasopharyngeal swab polymerase chain reaction test during the first wave of the pandemic in Uppsala, Sweden. In total, 566 subjects were sent a survey via e-mail or post with an invitation to participate in the survey 12 months post-diagnosis. The majority of subjects were healthcare workers, as this group was prioritized for testing. Results: A total of 366 subjects responded, with 47% reporting persistent symptoms 12 months after their COVID-19 diagnosis. The most commonly reported symptoms at this time were impaired sense of smell and/or taste and fatigue. Among the predictors of persistent symptoms were being born abroad, lower physical fitness compared with peers before COVID-19, body mass index >25 kg/m2, cooccurrence of hypertension and chronic pain, and having more than seven of the general COVID-19 symptoms at the onset. Respondents with symptoms after 12 months self-reported negatively about their general health and work ability. Conclusions: This study indicated that many people who had mild COVID-19 might have a variety of long-term symptoms. It highlights the importance of considering work ability after mild COVID-19.

Background In axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), 5–10% of patients have comorbid inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Beyond that, 50–60% display histologic inflammation in ileum/colon biopsies, and fecal calprotectin (F-calprotectin) is elevated in relation to healthy controls. Prior studies have shown such, often subclinical, gut inflammation in axSpA to be associated with more active disease, as measured by clinical indices as well as magnetic resonance imaging – both known risk factors for structural spinal damage development. In light of this, in the current study we aimed to examine whether gut inflammation, assessed by F-calprotectin, is associated with more structural spinal damage in axSpA. Methods Patients with well-characterized non-radiographic or radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA/r-axSpA; n  = 76/152), according to ASAS or modified New York criteria, enrolled in a population-based cohort study in southern Sweden, were assessed for structural spinal damage (modified Stoke ankylosing spondylitis spinal score [mSASSS]) and gut inflammation (F-calprotectin). mSASSS values were compared between patients with normal (< 50 mg/kg), moderately elevated (50–149 mg/kg) or distinctly elevated (≥ 150 mg/kg) F-calprotectin, reflecting no/some/evident gut inflammation, respectively (one-way ANOVA). Moreover, logistic regression was applied to explore if elevated F-calprotectin (≥ 50 mg/kg) was associated with mSASSS values above the median, adjusted for sex, symptom duration, HLA-B27 status, smoking, CRP, NSAID and anti-TNF therapy. Analyses limited to r-axSpA were also performed. Results In both axSpA patients overall and separately in r-axSpA, mSASSS distributions differed significantly between subjects with normal/moderately/distinctly elevated F-calprotectin, with more damage observed in those with higher F-calprotectin levels. Furthermore, elevated F-calprotectin (≥ 50 mg/kg) was associated with mSASSS values above the median, in both the entire axSpA group (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.2 [95%CI 1.1–4.2]); and in r-axSpA alone (adjusted OR 2.9 [1.2–7.1]). Conclusion In the current study, the presence of gut inflammation, assessed by F-calprotectin, was cross-sectionally associated with more structural damage in the spine in patients with axSpA, even after adjustments for known risk factors for spinal damage. Prospective studies are, however, needed to investigate whether gut inflammation may be a predictor of spinal radiographic progression in axSpA.

Background Physical function is an important risk factor for fracture. Previous studies found that different physical tests (e.g., one‐leg standing [OLS] and timed up and go [TUG]) predict fracture risk. This study aimed to determine which physical function test is the most optimal independent predictor of fracture risk, together with clinical risk factors (CRFs) used in fracture risk assessment (FRAX) and bone mineral density (BMD). Methods In total, 2321 women out of the included 3028 older women, aged 77.7 ± 1.6 (mean ± SD), in the Sahlgrenska University Hospital Prospective Evaluation of Risk of Bone Fractures study had complete data on all physical function tests and were included in the analysis. At baseline, hand grip strength, OLS, TUG, walking speed and chair stand tests were performed. All incident fractures were confirmed by X‐ray or review of medical records and subsequently categorized as major osteoporotic fractures (MOFs), hip fractures and any fracture. Multivariate Cox regression (hazard ratios [HRs] and 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) analyses were performed with adjustments for age, body mass index (BMI), FRAX CRFs, femoral neck BMD and all physical function tests as predictors both individually and simultaneously. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses and Fine and Gray analyses were also performed to investigate associations between physical function and incident fractures. Results OLS was the only physical function test to be significantly and independently associated with increased risk of any fracture (HR 1.13 [1.04–1.23]), MOF (HR 1.15 [1.04–1.26]) and hip fracture (HR 1.34 [1.11–1.62]). Adjusting for age, BMI, CRFs and femoral neck BMD did not materially alter these associations. ROC analysis for OLS, together with age, BMI, femoral neck BMD and CRFs, yielded area under the curve values of 0.642, 0.647 and 0.732 for any fracture, MOF and hip fracture, respectively. In analyses considering the competing risk of death, OLS was the only physical function test consistently associated with fracture outcomes (subhazard ratio [SHR] 1.10 [1.01–1.19] for any fracture, SHR 1.11 [1.00–1.22] for MOF and SHR 1.25 [1.03–1.50] for hip fracture). Walking speed was only independently associated with the risk of hip fracture in all Cox regression models and in the Fine and Gray analyses. Conclusions Among the five physical function tests, OLS was independently associated with all fracture outcomes, even after considering the competing risk of death, indicating that OLS is the most reliable physical function test for predicting fracture risk in older women.

Suboptimal use of medications is a leading cause of health care-related harm. Medication reviews improve medication use, but evidence of the possible benefit of inpatient medication review for hard clinical outcomes after discharge is scarce. To study the effects of hospital-based comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs), including postdischarge follow-up of older patients' use of health care resources, compared with only hospital-based reviews and usual care. The Medication Reviews Bridging Healthcare trial is a cluster randomized crossover trial that was conducted in 8 wards with multiprofessional teams at 4 hospitals in Sweden from February 6, 2017, to October 19, 2018, with 12 months of follow-up completed December 6, 2019. The study was prespecified in the trial protocol. Outcome assessors were blinded to treatment allocation. In total, 2644 patients aged 65 years or older who had been admitted to 1 of the study wards for at least 1 day were included. Data from the modified intention-to-treat population were analyzed from December 10, 2019, to September 9, 2020. Each ward participated in the trial for 6 consecutive 8-week periods. The wards were randomized to provide 1 of 3 treatments during each period: CMR, CMR plus postdischarge follow-up, and usual care without a clinical pharmacist. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of unplanned hospital visits (admissions plus emergency department visits) within 12 months. Secondary outcomes included medication-related admissions, visits with primary care clinicians, time to first unplanned hospital visit, mortality, and costs of hospital-based care. Of the 2644 participants, 7 withdrew after inclusion, leaving 2637 for analysis (1357 female [51.5%]; median age, 81 [interquartile range, 74-87] years; median number of medications, 9 [interquartile range, 5-13]). In the modified intention-to-treat analysis, 922 patients received CMR, 823 received CMR plus postdischarge follow-up, and 892 received usual care. The crude incidence rate of unplanned hospital visits was 1.77 per patient-year in the total study population. The primary outcome did not differ between the intervention groups and usual care (adjusted rate ratio, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.89-1.22] for CMR and 1.15 [95% CI, 0.98-1.34] for CMR plus postdischarge follow-up). However, CMR plus postdischarge follow-up was associated with an increased incidence of emergency department visits within 12 months (adjusted rate ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05-1.59) compared with usual care. There were no differences between treatment groups regarding other secondary outcomes. In this study of older hospitalized patients, CMR plus postdischarge follow-up did not decrease the incidence of unplanned hospital visits. The findings do not support the performance of hospital-based CMRs as conducted in this trial. Alternative forms of medication reviews that aim to improve older patients' health outcomes should be considered and subjected to randomized clinical trials. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02986425.