Drinking patterns, risk taking and road accidents of young drivers: results of a Swiss case-control study.

A case-control study was conducted to test hypotheses about involvement in alcohol-related road accidents. Cases were defined as all male drivers between 18 and 25 years of age who were involved in a police-registered alcohol-related road accident in the Swiss cantons of Vaud and Ticino or the city of Zurich in 1990 and who had a BAC level of 0.8% and more (N = 306).

Alcohol and accidents in Switzerland--a critical review.

The analysis of alcohol-related traffic accidents points to a negative relationship between the average amount of alcohol consumed and the percentage of alcohol-related accidents. The data show that the officially registered problem-rates among drivers under the influence of alcohol depend primarily neither on consumption trends nor on general preventive factors, but, rather on the capacity for accident detection, the recording practices of the authorities and a less tolerant public opinion. Regional differences in the willingness to enforce control measures are related to varying cultural drinking contexts.

[Addiction problems in the occupational environment].

The article discusses the context of a topic currently very much under discussion in Switzerland. It provides reflections on the concept of "addiction"--better replaced by "dependence syndrome"--and summarizes the few research results concerning the Swiss situation. Due to the lack of basic epidemiological data the prevalence of "dependence-related" problems at the work place and the actual consequences and costs of substance abuse can only be estimated.

[Schoenlein-Henoch purpura in Borrelia burgdorferi infection].

In a 24-year-old patient suffering from recurrent purpura Schoenlein-Henoch, there were found positive Lyme-spirochete IFT. Due to the motion of titres in immune fluorescence examinations the purpura seems to be likely one form of a late manifestation in borrelia infection.