Does LDL-C determination method affect statin prescribing for primary prevention? A register-based study in Southern Denmark.

Aims: Examine whether the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL -C) determination method influences the rate of statin initiation for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Methods And Results: We conducted a register-based retrospective study in the Region of Southern Denmark. Two hospital-based laboratories in the region directly measure LDL -C whereas four laboratories calculate LDL -C using Friedewald's formula.

[Christmas article. Significantly fewer acute hospital admissions on days off].

The number of acute admissions in Danish hospitals is increasing and is causing recurrent overcrowding problems. There are fewer hospitalisations on days off, like weekends, public holidays and vacations, and this phenomenon is analysed in our review with data from the period 1.1.

[Medication reconciliation].

The purpose of medicines reconciliation (MR) is to avoid medication errors through the complete and accurate transfer of information on patients' medicines during health care sector transitions. We review the rapidly expanding literature on MR showing a need for consensus on taxonomy and research into efficient ways to implement MR. Further, we describe quality improvement initiatives on MR in Denmark and challenge the, in our view, one-sided focus on information technology in MR.

Occurrence of Anaemia in the First Year of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a European Population-based Inception Cohort-An ECCO-EpiCom Study.

Background And Aims: Anaemia is an important complication of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anaemia and the practice of anaemia screening during the first year following diagnosis, in a European prospective population-based inception cohort.

Methods: Newly diagnosed IBD patients were included and followed prospectively for 1 year in 29 European and one Australian centre.

Diagnosis of Helicobacter Pylori Infection is Associated with Lower Prevalence and Subsequent Incidence of Crohn's Disease.

Background And Aims: Helicobacter pylori infection may protect against some chronic inflammatory diseases. This study examined H. pylori infection and its association with the prevalence of the gastrointestinal diseases Crohn's disease [CD], ulcerative colitis [UC], and coeliac disease [CeD].

Text mining electronic health records to identify hospital adverse events.

Manual reviews of health records to identify possible adverse events are time consuming. We are developing a method based on natural language processing to quickly search electronic health records for common triggers and adverse events. Our results agree fairly well with those obtained using manual reviews, and we therefore believe that it is possible to develop automatic tools for monitoring aspects of patient safety.

[Patient deaths are not suited for monitoring quality and patient safety in hospitals].

Although some patient deaths in hospitals can be prevented if quality of care and patient safety are improved, it is not given that such deaths can be used to track improvements. Since preventable deaths only amount to about 5% of all deaths, a decline in that number will be a weak signal as far as mortality is concerned. The commonly used hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR) has a low signal-to-noise ratio and is therefore not suitable for monitoring.

[Hospital standardised mortality ratios do not with certainty reflect the quality of patient care].

Hospital standardised mortality ratios (HSMRs) are presumed to reflect an overall quality of patient care in hospitals. Figures for all Danish hospitals are being published quarterly on the Internet, and aggregated values are used to set goals for both regional and nationwide efforts to improve quality of care and patient safety. We have analysed the available data from 2007 through 2011 and cannot reconcile the quite substantial and often sudden changes in HSMRs with changes in quality of care, but believe that they are due to inherent noise in calculating HSMRs, e.

First-time urea breath tests performed at home by 36,629 patients: a study of Helicobacter pylori prevalence in primary care.

Background: The aim of the current study was (1) to describe the use of a (13) C-urea breath test (UBT) that was performed by patients at their homes as a part of a test-and-treat strategy in primary care and (2) to investigate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in patients taking a first-time UBT.

Material And Methods: The patients performed UBTs at home based on the discretion of the general practitioner and mailed the breath bags to a central laboratory for analysis. Each patient was identified by a unique civil registration number.

Estimating the incidence of the acute coronary syndrome: data from a Danish cohort of 138 290 persons.

Background: Estimates of incidence are crucial to the planning of public health measures, but most studies of incidence of, for example, acute myocardial infarction (MI) are troubled by methodological problems such as; (i) selection biases of the patients being included for study, (ii) lack of identification and control of the cohort under observation, (iii) inconsistencies in the use of diagnostic criteria, and (iv) missing data. We aimed to measure directly the incidence of the entire spectrum of the acute coronary syndrome (ACS), consisting of unstable angina pectoris, MI and sudden cardiac death (SCD), by use of the new criteria for MI as proposed in 2000.

Design: Cohort study.

[Uniform reference intervals and harmonised results in clinical biochemistry in Scandinavia--light ahead].

Danish laboratories are introducing identical reference intervals for a number of biochemical components in accordance with a Nordic agreement and recommendations during 2007. Danish doctors will consequently experience both changes in reference interval limits as well as adjustments of patients' levels of reported results for some components.

The common polymorphism of apolipoprotein E: geographical aspects and new pathophysiological relations.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) has important functions in systemic and local lipid transport, but also has other functions. The gene (APOE) shows a common polymorphism with three alleles--APOE*2, APOE*3, and APOE*4. Their frequencies vary substantially around the world, but APOE*3 is the most common almost everywhere and is often considered to be the ancestral or "wild-type" allele for that reason.

Twelve single nucleotide polymorphisms on chromosome 19q13.2-13.3: linkage disequilibria and associations with basal cell carcinoma in Danish psoriatic patients.

The genetic susceptibility to basal cell carcinoma (BCC) among Danish psoriatic patients was investigated in association studies with 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms on chromosome 19q13.2-3. The results show a significant association between BCC and the A-allele of a polymorphism in ERCCI exon4 (Odds ratio 12;95% Confidence Interval 1.

Changes in community and individual level psychosocial coronary risk factors in the Danish MONICA population, 1982-92.

Aim: Myocardial infarction incidence declined by 3-5% per year from 1982-92 in the Danish study population of the WHO MONICA project. This study examined whether psychosocial coronary risk factors changed in the population during this period.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from 6,695 Danish men and women aged 30, 40, 50, and 60 years, were examined in 1982-84, 1986-87, and 1991-92.