[Changes in myocardial infarction incidence and mortality in Iceland.].

Introduction: According to public health reports ischaemic heart disease was an uncommon cause of death in Iceland at the beginning of the last century. This death rate increased steadily until the ninety-eighties whereafter it leveled off and started to decline. The objective of the present study is to assess in detail the changes in myocardial infarction attack, incidence and death rate as well as case fatality.

[Survival and trends of ocurrence of left ventricular hypertrophy, gender differences during 1967-1992. The Reykjavík Study.].

Objective: We estimated the prevalence and incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in this large prospective cohort study of almost 20,000 participants and identified risk factors in them. Predictive factors of its appearance were evaluated along with morbidity and mortality calculations.

Material And Methods: LVH was defined as Minnesota Code 310 on ECG.

[In search for explanatory factors in the relationship between educational level and mortality.].

Objective: The connection between socioeconomic status and mortality is well known in Western countries. Educational level has frequently been used as a socioeconomic indicator. In a recent Icelandic prospective study, an inverse relationship between educational level and mortality was shown.

[The relationship between educational level, physical activity and mortality.].

Objectives: The relationship between educational level and mortality is well known. This has been shown in the Reykjavik Study and was only partly accounted for by unequal distribution of known risk factors. The objective of the present study was to explore the relationship between educational level and physical activity and whether that relationship could partly explain differences in mortality.

[Changes in smoking habits in the last thirty years in middle-aged Icelanders and their causes - Results from population surveys of the Icelandic Heart Association.].

Objective: During the last thirty years the Research Clinic of the Icelandic Heart Association has been engaged in several extensive cardiovascular population surveys. Smoking habits have been assessed by a questionnaire and the purpose of the present study is to describe the changes in smoking habits during the period 1967-2001, their causes and the reliability of the information gathered.

Material And Methods: The subjects were participants in four population surveys: The Reykjavik Study 1967-1996, Survey of "Young People" 1973-1974 and 1983-1985, MONICA Risk Factor Surveys 1983, 1988-1989 and 1993-1994 and the "Reykjavik Offspring Study" 1997-2001.

Epidemiology of kidney stones in Iceland: a population-based study.

Objective: The prevalence of kidney stones varies greatly between ethnic groups and geographic locations, ranging from 8% to 19% in males and from 3% to 5% in females in Western countries. The aim of this study was to examine the epidemiology of kidney stones in Iceland.

Material And Methods: Data were derived from the Reykjavik Study, a population-based cohort study carried out between 1967 and 1991.

[The health risk associated with smoking has been seriously underestimated. The Reykjavik Study].

Objective: To assess the risk for coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, cancer deaths, and all deaths associated with different smoking categories as determined by smoking status at a baseline examination only and at a baseline with reexamination 15-19 years later (persistent smokers).

Material And Methods: The participants were a random sample of 2930 men and 3084 women aged 34-61 years (when selected in 1967) invited for various standardized examinations under two periods, 1967-1972 and 1979-1991 and followed-up until the end of year 2001. The main outcome measures were clinical coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, cancer deaths, and all deaths.

Migraine patients have lower systolic but higher diastolic blood pressure compared with controls in a population-based study of 21,537 subjects. The Reykjavik Study.

Several studies have explored a possible association between migraine and hypertension, with contradictory results. Because of this uncertainty the relation between blood pressure (BP) and migraine was studied in 10,366 men and 11,171 women in a population-based longitudinal study. A modified version of the 1988 International Headache Society criteria was used for diagnosis of migraine.

[Coronary risk factors among men and women in Iceland. Results from the Reykjavik Study 1967-1985. 1992].

The Reykjavík Study 1967-1985: Risk factors for coronary heart disease mortality have been investigated in a prospective study of 8001 randomly selected Icelandic men and 8468 women. The men were aged 34-64 and the women 34-76 at the time of their first examination. After followup from 2-17 years 1140 (14.

Hypertension control as predictor of mortality in treated men and women, followed for up to 30 years.

Purpose: To examine the prognosis of treated, hypertensive individuals in the Reykjavik Study.

Methods: A population-based longitudinal study of 9328 men and 10 062 women. Subjects were included in the study during the period 1967-1996.

Risk profiles and prognosis of treated and untreated hypertensive men and women in a population-based longitudinal study: the Reykjavik Study.

The aim was to examine the risk profiles and prognosis of treated and untreated hypertensive subjects and examine to what degree confounding by indication was present in a population-based cohort study with up to 30-year follow-up. The study population consisted of 9328 men and 10 062 women, aged 33-87 years at the time of attendance from 1967 to 1996. The main outcome measures were myocardial infarction (MI), cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and all-cause mortality.

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, an independent predictor of coronary heart disease in men and women: The Reykjavik Study.

The relation between erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) or fatal cerebrovascular accident was assessed in a cohort of 7,988 men and 8,685 women who participated in The Reykjavik Study (Iceland). Cardiovascular risk assessment was based on characteristics at baseline, from 1967 to 1996. During an average follow-up of 19 and 20 years, 2,092 men and 801 women, respectively, developed CHD, and 251 men and 178 women died from cerebrovascular accident.

Survival and trends of occurrence of left ventricular hypertrophy, gender differences, 1967-92: The Reykjavik Study.

Objective: We estimated the prevalence, incidence and risk factors of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in a prospective cohort study of 26 489 participants.

Material And Methods: The LVH was defined as Minnesota Code 310 on electrocardiogram (ECG). Everyone with this code at first visit was defined as a prevalence case and those who developed it between subsequent visits were incidence cases.

Declining coronary heart disease mortality in Iceland: contribution by incidence, recurrence and case fatality rate.

Objective: To analyse to what extent the recent decline in coronary heart disease mortality in Iceland is due to changes in incidence, recurrence and case fatality rates.

Design: A countrywide registration of myocardial infarction (MI) in people aged 25-74 was performed in Iceland during 1981-1999 according to the MONICA protocol. Possible cases were found by review of all hospital discharge records, autopsy records and death certificates.

Prevalence and progression of CRF in Iceland: a population-based study.

Background: The prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is lower in Europe than in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine whether this difference results from a lower prevalence or slower progression of chronic renal failure (CRF) in a European cohort.

Methods: We studied 18,912 subjects (9,773 women, 9,139 men) aged 33 to 81 years who participated in the Reykjavik Study between 1967 and 1991.

Do lipids, blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking confer equal risk of myocardial infarction in women as in men? The Reykjavik Study.

Background: Studies on coronary risk factors in men and women are mainly based on mortality data and few compare results of both sexes with consistent study design and diagnostic criteria. This study assesses the major risk factors for coronary events in men and women from the Reykjavik Study.

Design: Within a prospective, population-based cohort study individuals without history of myocardial infarction were identified and the relative risk of baseline variables was assessed in relation to verified myocardial infarction or coronary death during follow-up.

Helicobacter pylori antibodies and gastric cancer in Iceland - The decline in IgG antibody level is a risk factor.

H. pylori infection is considered a causal agent of duodenal ulcer and a significant risk factor for gastric cancer. Retrospective cohort studies have demonstrated a significant association between presence of antibody to H.

Increased total mortality and cancer mortality in men with Dupuytren's disease: a 15-year follow-up study.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the mortality rate and causes of death of individuals with Dupuytren's disease. In 1981/82, as part of The Reykjavík Study, a general health survey, 1297 males were examined for clinical signs of Dupuytren's disease. Based on the clinical evaluation the participants were classified into three groups: (1) those with no signs of Dupuytren's disease were referred to as the reference cohort; (2) those with palpable nodules in the palmar fascia were classified as having stage 1; and (3) those who had contracted fingers or had been operated on due to contractures were classified as having stage 2 of Dupuytren's disease.

The relationship between educational level and mortality. The Reykjavík Study.

Objective: Epidemiological studies have indicated an association between socioeconomic factors and health. It has not been clearly established whether this association is wholly or partly independent of classical risk factors. Our objective was to estimate the relationship between educational level and coronary artery disease (CAD), mortality and all-cause mortality.

Epidemiology of Dupuytren's disease: clinical, serological, and social assessment. The Reykjavik Study.

Dupuytren's disease or palmar fibromatosis is a common disabling hand disorder, mainly confined to Caucasians of northwestern European origin. The prevalence of Dupuytren's disease and possible risk factors related to the disease were evaluated in a random sample of 1297 males and 868 females, aged 46 to 74 years. Blood samples were collected and biochemical parameters were evaluated.

Association between trans fatty acid intake and cardiovascular risk factors in Europe: the TRANSFAIR study.

Background: High intakes of trans fatty acids (TFA) have been found to exert an undesirable effect on serum lipid profiles, and thus may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Objectives: Investigation of the association between TFA intake and serum lipids.

Design: Cross-sectional study in eight European countries (Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden) among 327 men and 299 women (50-65 y).

Prevalence of joint complaints amongst individuals with Dupuytren's disease--from the Reykjavík study.

It has been reported that Dupuytren's disease is very uncommon amongst patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We investigated the prevalence of different joint complaints in a cohort of 1297 males, aged 46-74 years, participating in a prospective longitudinal health survey. Joint complaints were less frequently observed in men with Dupuytren's disease than in those who did not have any signs of this disease.

The prevalence and prognosis of third-degree atrioventricular conduction block: the Reykjavik study.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to find the prevalence of third-degree atrioventricular block in representative population sample and to estimate its prognostic significance. Most earlier studies have been performed on hospital patients and some professional groups.

Setting And Subjects: In the Reykjavik Study, a prospective cardiovascular population study, 9139 men and 9773 women aged 33-79 years were examined in 1967-91.

Effects of leisure-time physical activity and ventilatory function on risk for stroke in men: the Reykjavík Study.

Background: Stroke is a major cause of illness, death, and health expenditures. Leisure-time physical activity may reduce the risk for stroke.

Objective: To examine the association of leisure-time physical activity and pulmonary function with risk for stroke.