Hypertension prevalence, awareness, control and association with metabolic abnormalities in the San Marino population: the SMOOTH study.

Background: The aim of the SMOOTH (San Marino Observational Outlooking Trial on Hypertension) study was to explore hypertension awareness, treatment and control and the associated metabolic abnormalities and risk factors in the population of San Marino, a small state in the Mediterranean area, for which limited evidence is available.

Methods: Nine general practitioners enrolled 4590 consecutive subjects (44% of the San Marino population age 40-75 years), seen in their office by collecting history, physical and laboratory data and office blood pressure (BP) measurements.

Results: Of these subjects, 2446 were normotensive and 2144 hypertensive; 62.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus and Helicobacter pylori infections in the general population of a developed European country (the San Marino study): evidence for similar pattern of spread.

Objective: To evaluate the role of faecal-oral transmission in the spread of Helicobacter pylori.

Design: A cross-sectional comparison of the patterns of hepatitis A and H. pylori seropositivity.

Heterogeneity of immunoglobulin G response to Helicobacter pylori measured by the unweighted pair group method with averages.

The heterogeneity of the immune response to Helicobacter pylori has always been noticed but has never been evaluated by obtaining a quantitative measure. For this purpose, sera were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and 207 positive serum specimens were subsequently tested by immunoblotting. The presence or absence of six specific bands was noted.

Fulminant hepatitis associated with hepatitis A virus superinfection in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Background: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection rarely causes fulminant hepatic failure in people with no underlying liver disease. There are limited data on the course of this infection in patients with chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: We prospectively followed, from June 1990 to July 1997, 595 adults with biochemical and histologic evidence of chronic hepatitis B (163 patients) or chronic hepatitis C (432 patients) who were seronegative for HAV antibodies.