Natural history of gastroesophageal reflux disease and functional abdominal disorders: a population-based study.

Objective: Symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), dyspepsia, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are generally considered to be chronic conditions, but community-based studies are sparse, and long-term natural history data are unavailable. We aimed to determine the natural history of these conditions.

Methods: A representative Swedish sample (20-79 yr) completed a validated questionnaire over the preceding 3 months.

Effects on physicians' sick-listing practice of an administrative reform narrowing sick-listing benefits.

Objective: To find out whether administrative changes regulating sick-listing benefits affect sick-listing practice among physicians in hospitals and primary health care.

Setting: New sick-listing cases from four social security offices in mid-Sweden.

Design: A natural experiment design was used with a sample of newly started sick-listed cases collected 6 months before a sick-listing reform and a further sample taken 6 months after.

Endomysium antibodies are superior to gliadin antibodies in screening for coeliac disease in patients presenting supposed functional gastrointestinal symptoms.

Objective: To study the accuracy of IgA- and IgC-gluten antibodies and endomysium antibodies as screening tools for endoscopy with small bowel biopsy for histologic diagnosing of coeliac disease.

Design: Comparing serology with histologic examination--the "gold standard" for diagnosing coeliac disease.

Settings: 1.

Would prostate cancer detected by screening with prostate-specific antigen develop into clinical cancer if left undiagnosed? A comparison of two population-based studies in Sweden.

Objective: To assess the risk of over-diagnosing and over-treating prostate cancer if population-based screening with serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is instituted.

Patients And Methods: From a serum bank stored in 1980, PSA was analysed in 658 men with no previously known prostate cancer from a well-defined cohort from Göteborg, Sweden (men born in 1913); the incidence of clinical prostate cancer was registered until 1995. From the same area, and with the same selection criteria, another cohort of 710 men born in 1930-31, who in 1995 accepted an invitation for PSA screening, was also analysed.