Validity of self-reported birthweight among middle-aged and elderly women in the Danish Nurse Cohort Study.

Objective: To investigate the validity of self-reported birthweight among middle-aged and elderly women and to identify possible determinants of reporting accuracy.

Setting And Design: The Danish Nurse Cohort Study (DNCS), a prospective risk factor and hormone therapy study.

Population: Participants in the 1999 DNCS.

Intentional weight loss and mortality among initially healthy men and women.

Most prospective observational studies suggest that weight loss increases the risk of premature death among obese individuals. This is surprising because clinical studies show that weight loss generally leads to overall improvements in cardiovascular risk factors. It is sometimes argued that the increased mortality observed with weight loss must depend on confounding or poor study designs.

Influence of health, lifestyle, working conditions, and sociodemography on early retirement among nurses: the Danish Nurse Cohort Study.

Aims: The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between health, lifestyle, work-related and sociodemographic factors, and older nurses' exit from the labor market to Post-Employment Wage (PEW). PEW is an early retirement scheme to make it possible for workers to retire at the age of 60.

Methods: The study was based on 5,538 nurses in the age of 51-59 who in 1993 completed a questionnaire on health, lifestyle, working environment, and sociodemographic factors.

Risk factors for hip fracture and a possible effect modification by hormone replacement therapy. The Danish nurse cohort study.

Objective: To identify risk factors for hip fracture and to examine whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) modifies the effect of these risk factors.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: The Danish Nurse Cohort Study.

Risk of low-energy hip, wrist, and upper arm fractures among current and previous users of hormone replacement therapy: The Danish Nurse Cohort Study.

Objective: To examine the effect of oestrogen alone and in combination with progestin on the risk of low-energy, hip, wrist, and upper arm fractures. Additionally, to examine to what extent previous use, duration of use as well as recency of discontinuation of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) influences the fracture risk.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

The validity of self-reported fractures among Danish female nurses: comparison with fractures registered in the Danish National Hospital Register.

Background: The authors compared self-reported non-spine fractures obtained from a cohort of Danish female nurses with fracture diagnoses registered in the Danish National Hospital Register (DNHR).

Method: The self-reported fracture history was obtained from a questionnaire and was related to fracture information registered with the DNHR by means of the unique person identification code of Danish citizens. A total of 166 self-reported hip fractures, 391 self-reported wrist fractures, and 121 self-reported upper arm fractures were available for the comparison.

The validity of self-reported use of hormone replacement therapy among Danish nurses.

Background: Recent findings from randomized clinical trials on the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) among postmenopausal women contradict findings from observational studies indicating a protective effect on the development of cardiovascular disease. Most observational studies on HRT are based on self-reported data, although data on the validity of HRT in postmenopausal women are sparse.

Methods: We examined self-reported HRT use from questionnaires administered in 1993 (n = 2694) and again in 1999 (n = 2666) to a cohort of Danish nurses living in two Danish counties compared with prescription-reimbursement data from two administrative databases through the Danish National Health Service.

Increased risk of breast cancer following different regimens of hormone replacement therapy frequently used in Europe.

Epidemiologic studies have shown an increased risk of breast cancer following hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The aim of this study was to investigate whether different treatment regimens or the androgenecity of progestins influence the risk of breast cancer differently. The Danish Nurse Cohort was established in 1993, where all female nurses aged 45 years and above received a mailed questionnaire (n = 23,178).

Increased risk of stroke in hypertensive women using hormone therapy: analyses based on the Danish Nurse Study.

Background: Recent randomized clinical trials suggest an increased risk of stroke with hormone therapy (HT), whereas observational studies have suggested mixed results. Differences in design, definitions of HT exposure, and stroke outcome may explain these discrepancies. Little attention has been paid to identifying subgroups of women who are particularly sensitive to HT.

Use of hormone replacement therapy among Danish nurses at increased risk of osteoporosis.

Observational studies and recent randomized trials have shown that postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures by about 30 to 40%. In this study we used a log linear graphical model to determine whether women with a known increased risk of osteoporosis were more likely to use HRT than other women and to examine whether women at increased risk modified this risk through their lifestyle. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze if women at risk of osteoporosis used HRT longer than women not at risk.

Lifestyle factors and choice of hormone replacement therapy among Danish nurses.

Background: Studies have found that women who use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are healthier or report better health than non-users. This study examines the association between lifestyle factors, self-reported health and the use of HRT in Danish female nurses above the age of 50 years.

Methods: Postal questionnaires were used for data collection.