Health-related quality of life as associated with asthma control, psychological status and insomnia.

Background: Asthma is associated not only with lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) but also with psychological health and insomnia. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between HRQL, asthma symptoms, psychological status and insomnia in adults from three Nordic countries.

Methods: This study comprised 2,270 subjects aged 29-55 from Sweden, Iceland and Norway.

Measurement of Horse Allergens Equ c 1 and Equ c 2: A Comparison among Breeds.

Introduction: Horse allergens are less studied than allergens from other furry animals and these allergens must be evaluated to understand the complexity of allergy to horses. The aims of this study were to develop assays for the horse allergens Equ c 1 and Equ c 2 in dander and saliva and to determine their levels in ten horse breeds. The study also included a comparison of these findings with previous results on the levels of Equ c 4 performed on the same study population.

Medical students' self-reported gender discrimination and sexual harassment over time.

Background: Gender discrimination (GD) and sexual harassment (SH) occur at all academic institutions worldwide. Medical students report high prevalence of GD and SH, which may negatively affect their education and health. There are indications that policies and reforms on reducing GD/SH are insufficient.

Nurse managers in perioperative settings and their reasons for remaining in their jobs: A qualitative study.

Aim: The study describes what helps nurse managers maintain the strength to keep going as leaders.

Background: Good leadership is important for the quality of patient care, patient satisfaction in care and efficiency. Many nurse managers stay on despite challenges at work.

Levels of horse allergen Equ c 4 in dander and saliva from ten horse breeds.

Background: Horses are an important source of allergens, but the distribution of horse allergens is poorly understood. Five horse allergens have been identified, Equ c 1-4 and 6. Equ c 4 seems to be an important allergen, with an IgE-binding frequency of 77% in horse-sensitized individuals.

I Stay-Swedish Specialist Nurses in the Perioperative Context and Their Reasons to Stay at Their Workplace.

Purpose: To investigate why nurse anesthetists and operating room nurses choose to stay in the same workplace.

Design: Qualitative design.

Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with 15 nurse specialists from four hospitals in Sweden.

A supportive climate and low strain promote well-being and sustainable working life in the operation theatre.

Background: Shortage of health-care workers e.g. in operating theatres is a global problem.

I am quitting my job. Specialist nurses in perioperative context and their experiences of the process and reasons to quit their job.

The lack of specialist nurses in operating theatres is a serious problem. The aim of this study was to describe reasons why specialist nurses in perioperative care chose to leave their workplaces and to describe the process from the thought to the decision. Twenty specialist nurses (i.

Respiratory symptoms and lung function in relation to wood dust and monoterpene exposure in the wood pellet industry.

Introduction: Wood pellets are used as a source of renewable energy for heating purposes. Common exposures are wood dust and monoterpenes, which are known to be hazardous for the airways. The purpose of this study was to study the effect of occupational exposure on respiratory health in wood pellet workers.

Impact of anxiety and depression on respiratory symptoms.

Psychological factors such as anxiety and depression are prevalent in patients with asthma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between respiratory symptoms and psychological status and to estimate the importance of psychological status in comparison with other factors that are known to be associated with respiratory symptoms. This study included 2270 subjects aged 20-44 (52% female) from Sweden, Iceland, and Norway.

Sensitization to pets is a major determinant of persistent asthma and new asthma onset in Sweden.

Introduction: Our knowledge about atopy as a longitudinal predictor of asthma is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognosis of asthma and risk factors for asthma onset, especially sensitization of specific allergens in a population sample.

Material And Methods: A cohort responded to a respiratory questionnaire in 1990 and 2003.

Determinants for a low health-related quality of life in asthmatics.

People with asthma suffer from impaired health-related quality of life (HRQL), but the determinants of HRQL among asthmatics are not completely understood. The aim of this investigation was to study determinants of low HRQL in asthmatics and to study whether the determinants of HRQL differ between sexes and age groups. A cohort of three age groups in Sweden was investigated in 1990 using a questionnaire with focus on respiratory symptoms.

Asthma increase among farmers: a 12-year follow-up.

Respiratory disease is a well known health hazard for farmers, but the long-term prognosis is less well known. This is a 12-year follow-up of an investigation of Swedish farmers, most of them dairy farmers. A questionnaire was mailed to all 418 farmers who were alive of the farmers originally participating in 1982.

Associations between mortality, asthma, and health-related quality of life in an elderly cohort of Swedes.

Background: Asthma is a common chronic health condition among the elderly and an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Some studies show that subjective assessments of health-related quality of life (HRQL) are important predictors of mortality and survival. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether low HRQL was a predictor of mortality in elderly subjects and whether such an association differed between subjects with and without asthma.

High BMI is related to higher incidence of asthma, while a fish and fruit diet is related to a lower- Results from a long-term follow-up study of three age groups in Sweden.

The causes of the worldwide increase in asthma seen during the last decades remain largely unexplained, but lifestyle and diet are suggested to play important roles. In this follow up of a large-scale population sample in Sweden, we wanted to identify modifiable risk factors for the cumulative incidence over a 13-year follow-up period. In 1990, a self-administered questionnaire was completed by 12,560 individuals from three age groups (16, 30-39 and 60-69 years of age) in two counties of Sweden.

Non-respiratory symptoms and well-being in asthmatics from a general population sample.

Background: Different instruments have been developed to assess health-related quality of life (HRQL) in asthma patients. However, relatively few studies have assessed HRQL in asthma patients from a general population, and it is still unclear which instrument is most suitable. The purpose of this study was to compare HRQL in clinically verified asthmatics with subjects with respiratory symptoms without asthma and with subjects with no respiratory symptoms from a general population.

Health-related quality of life predicts onset of asthma in a longitudinal population study.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQL) has been increasingly used as an outcome measure in asthma, but less is known about the prognostic implication of low health-related quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate if a set of quality of life measures could predict onset of asthma.

Methods: In the baseline study 391 subjects without asthma answered a respiratory questionnaire and the Gothenburg Quality of Life (GQL) instrument in 1990.

Pleuropulmonary lesions, ergotamines and asbestos exposure.

Objectives: This study investigated the possibility of pleuropulmonary lesions, which can occur as rare but serious side effects of different ergot drugs, occurring more commonly in persons earlier exposed to asbestos.

Methods: All reports of pleuropulmonary side effects of the ergot drugs used in Sweden in the Swedish side effect registry from 1985 to 2003 were studied. In addition, the literature was reviewed.