DISCRIMINATION – A THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH Final report – Health and Discrimination Project

Discrimination – a threat to public health is the final report of the “Health and Discrimination” (HD) project conducted jointly from 2004 to 2006 by the National Institute of Public Health (FHI), the Office of the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination (DO), the Office of the Disability Ombudsman (HO) and the Office of the Ombudsman against Discrimination on grounds of Sexual Orientation (HomO). The principal aims of the HD project have been to develop methods for measuring health and discrimination, to shed light on the correlations between health and discrimination, to develop indicators for discrimination, and subsequently to disseminate the results at the national, regional and local levels. HD has employed reports of self-reported discrimination at the individual level to quantify the incidence of discrimination and clarify the correlation with health issues. Posing questions on experiences of discrimination in population surveys makes it possible to relate such experiences with other measures of health based on person experience. HD considers that self-reported discrimination is a good indicator for monitoring the development and prevalence of discrimination since the sum total of such experiences reveals structures in society related to gender, age, ethnic background, religion, disabilities and sexual orientation.http://www.fhi.s

Proceedings of the 13th annual conference of INEBRIA

CITATION: Watson, R., et al. 2016. Proceedings of the 13th annual conference of INEBRIA. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 11:13, doi:10.1186/s13722-016-0062-9.The original publication is available at https://ascpjournal.biomedcentral.comENGLISH SUMMARY : Meeting abstracts.https://ascpjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13722-016-0062-9Publisher's versio

Diabetes in Young Adults : Remission, β-cell function and markers of inflammation

Type 1 diabetes is caused by immuno-mediated β-cell destruction leading to insulin deficiency and hyperglycaemia. The decline in β-cell function and the clinical course after diagnosis vary. Whether the process of destruction of the β-cells is associated with markers of a non-specific inflammatory response is unknown. The aims of these studies were to identify factors of importance for clinical remission (low insulin need and normoglycaemia) and long-term β-cell function and estimate the degree of non-inflammatory response in type 1 diabetes in young adults. Clinical remission and β-cell function eight years after diagnosis were assessed and related to clinical, biochemical and immunological variables at diagnosis, including islet autoantibodies [ICA, GADA, IA-2A]. Markers of low-grade inflammation in plasma [CRP and IL-6] were estimated and the concentrations were related β-cell function [plasma C-peptide], glycaemic control and autoimmunity at diagnosis and the first year thereafter. The results showed that clinical remission occurred in about half of the patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. Preserved β-cell function eight years after diagnosis was observed in 16% of the patients classified at diagnosis as having autoimmune type 1 diabetes. Duration of remission was dependent on BMI, degree of metabolic derangement and presence of GADA at diagnosis. BMI at diagnosis was also of importance for preserved β-cell function after eight years of the disease, as were the amount of islet antibodies and presence of ICA. Elevated CRP levels were noted in the majority of cases at diagnosis and both CRP and IL-6 concentrations were stable the first year after clinical diagnosis. High concentrations of CRP and IL-6 did not relate to β-cell destruction or the degree of autoimmunity. CRP concentrations were higher in islet antibody negative than in positive patients. CRP also correlated positively to BMI, C-peptide at 12 months and to increasing HbA1c between six and 12 months. In general, females had shorter remissions, lower concentrations of serum bicarbonate and higher levels and prevalence of GADA at diagnosis, compared to males. Females also had higher HbA1c and CRP values the first year after diagnosis. In summary, BMI at diagnosis is a strong predictor of duration of remission and preservation of β-cell function. Elevated CRP concentrations are correlated to factors linked rather to insulin resistance than to β-cell destruction. Females appear to have a more acute onset and a more severe course of the disease than males

The incidence of retinopathy 10 years after diagnosis in young adult people with diabetes: results from the nationwide population-based Diabetes Incidence Study in Sweden (DISS).

OBJECTIVE—To estimate the prevalence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) 10 years after diagnosis in a nationwide population-based cohort study of young adult diabetic patients in Sweden. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The Diabetes Incidence Study in Sweden (DISS) aims to register all incident cases of diabetes aged 15–34 years in Sweden. In 1987–1988, 806 cases were reported, and 627 (78%) of them were followed up with regard to retinopathy 8–10 years later. The assessment was based on retinal photographs in most cases (86%). RESULTS—Ten years after diagnosis, retinopathy was found in 247 patients (39%). The retinopathy was mild in 206 (33%), whereas 30 (4.8%) patients had moderate nonproliferative DR (NPDR) and 11 (1.8%) had proliferative DR (PDR). Patients with retinopathy had worse glycemic control during the years than patients without (HbA1c 8.1 ± 1.5% and 6.8 ± 1.2%, respectively; P < 0.001). In a Cox regression analysis, time to retinopathy was related to high HbA1c (P < 0.001) and high BMI (P = 0.001). Patients with type 2 diabetes had an increased prevalence of severe retinopathy (NPDR or PDR) compared with those with type 1 diabetes (14 of 93 [15%] versus no or mild 24 of 471 [5%], respectively; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS—Despite modern diabetes management, 39% of young adult diabetic patients developed retinopathy within the first 10 years of the disease. Nevertheless, compared with the prevalence of retinopathy (63%), after a similar duration of diabetes before the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, this prevalence was clearly lower. Current treatment aimed to achieve strict glycemic control has reduced the risk for developing retinopathy

A systematic review of alcohol screening and assessment measures for young people

CITATION: Watson, R., et al. 2016. Proceedings of the 13th annual conference of INEBRIA. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 11:13, doi:10.1186/s13722-016-0062-9.The original publication is available at https://ascpjournal.biomedcentral.comENGLISH SUMMARY : Meeting abstracts.https://ascpjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13722-016-0062-9Publisher's versio