Publications by authors named "Larry Svenson"
Wastewater monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 enables early detection and monitoring of the COVID-19 disease burden in communities and can track specific variants of concern. We determined proportions of the Omicron and Delta variants across 30 municipalities covering >75% of the province of Alberta (population 4.5 million), Canada, during November 2021-January 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To examine injury-related health services use, defined as hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) visits, as well as mortality among Métis people in Alberta, and to compare those results with the entire Alberta population.
Methods: This population-based descriptive epidemiological research used administrative data maintained by the Alberta Ministry of Health (AH), for the year 2013. Hospital morbidity data and Alberta Vital Statistics registry were extracted and included a unique personal number to identify individuals across multiple records.
Background: Understanding of the specific risk of agricultural injury sustained by different populations of children and adolescents is needed for effective safety intervention.
Objective: To compare the rates and patterns of agricultural injury incidence (fatal and non-fatal injury) between farm and non-farm children less than 18 years of age in Alberta, Canada.
Methods: A total of 115 378 children (five subgroups: two groups of farm children and three groups of non-farm children) in Alberta were followed from 1999 to 2010 to examine injury incidence using the linkage of three administrative health databases.
Background: Risk factors for psychiatric comorbidity in multiple sclerosis (MS) are poorly understood.
Objective: We evaluated the association between physical comorbidity and incident depression, anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder in a MS population relative to a matched general population cohort.
Methods: Using population-based administrative data from Alberta, Canada we identified 9624 persons with MS, and 41,194 matches.
Background: Antibiotic administration to individuals with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection remains controversial. We assessed if antibiotic administration to individuals with STEC infection is associated with development of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
Methods: The analysis included studies published up to 29 April 2015, that provided data from patients (1) with STEC infection, (2) who received antibiotics, (3) who developed HUS, and (4) for whom data reported timing of antibiotic administration in relation to HUS.
Objective: To estimate the association between fine particulate (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution and systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs).
Methods: Associations between ambient air pollution (PM2.
Objective: The study was designed to investigate whether beryllium exposure was related to illness diagnosed as sarcoidosis. Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) and sarcoidosis are clinically and pathologically indistinguishable, with only the presence of beryllium-specific T-lymphocytes identifying CBD. Testing for such cells is not feasible in community studies of sarcoidosis but a second characteristic of CBD, its much greater incidence in those with a glutamic acid residue at position 69 of the HLA-DPB1 gene (Glu69), provides an alternative approach to answering this question.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To estimate systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease (SARD) prevalence across 7 Canadian provinces using population-based administrative data evaluating both regional variations and the effects of age and sex.
Methods: Using provincial physician billing and hospitalization data, cases of SARD (systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, primary Sjögren syndrome, polymyositis/dermatomyositis) were ascertained. Three case definitions (rheumatology billing, 2-code physician billing, and hospital diagnosis) were combined to derive a SARD prevalence estimate for each province, categorized by age, sex, and rural/urban status.
Background: This population-based study assessed rates of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke for up to 12 years of follow-up in 3.5 million Canadian adults newly diagnosed with hypertension.
Methods: Hypertension cohort, outcomes, and covariates were defined using validated case definitions applied to inpatient and outpatient administrative health databases.
Objectives: To track and compare trends in diabetes rates from 1995 to 2007 for Status Aboriginal and general population youth.
Study Design: Longitudinal observational research study (quantitative) using provincial administrative data.
Methods: De-identified data was obtained from Alberta Health and Wellness administrative databases for Status Aboriginal (First Nations and Inuit people with Treaty status) and general population youth (<20 years).
Purpose: The aim of the study is to develop a method to estimate osteoarthritis (OA) incidence by using administrative health care databases.
Methods: Using actual counts of OA diagnoses in different periods, we generated an equation that estimated the number of new OA diagnoses based on the length of time used for excluding prevalent OA cases. Physicians billing files from 1983 to 2002 maintained at Alberta Health and Wellness were used to verify the proposed method.
Background: The optimal management of croup--a common respiratory illness in young children--is well established. In particular, treatment with corticosteroids has been shown to significantly reduce the rate and duration of intubation, hospitalization, and return to care for on-going croup symptoms. Furthermore treatment with a single dose of corticosteroids does not appear to result in any significant adverse outcomes, and yields overall cost-savings for both families and the health care system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is responsible for significant morbidity, mortality and health resource consumption. There have been major advances in the treatment of this condition over the past two decades, yet little information is currently available regarding the current status of CHF management in Canada.
Objective: To describe the pharmacological management of patients hospitalized with CHF in five provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.
Background: Because obesity promotes inflammation and imposes mechanical constraints to the airways, a high birth weight may be a risk factor for asthma in childhood. However, to our knowledge, few studies have examined this potential relationship.
Objective: To determine the relationship between high birth weight and risk of emergency visits for asthma during childhood.
Background: The association between injurious falls requiring a visit to the emergency department and various classes of medications was examined in a case-control study of community living persons aged 66 years and older.
Methods: Administrative databases from an urban health region provided the information used. Five controls for each case were randomly selected from community dwelling older persons who had not reported an injurious fall to one of the six regional emergency departments in the study year.
Study Objective: Children from poor families are much more likely to have emergency visits for asthma than those from nonpoor families, which may be related to financial access barriers to good preventive care for the poor. We sought to determine whether in a health-care system that provides free access to outpatient and hospital services, the disparities in the rates of emergency visits for asthma would be less apparent across the income gradient.
Design: Longitudinal, population-based study.