Improved detection and pharmacotherapy of major depression from 1989 to 2001 in psychiatric outpatient care in Finland.

There have been several reports of non-detection and undertreatment of major depression during the past decades. In this study, we investigated how accurately major depression was assessed, diagnosed and treated according to gold standards, and whether any trend could be found from 1989 to 2001 in Finland. In total, documents of 4447 patients were retrospectively checked at most four times to find the patients fulfilling the study criteria.

The effects of asthma on the quality of life and employment of construction workers.

Relatively little is known about the consequences of asthma for patients' work ability. In particular, the relationship between asthma and construction work has not been studied previously. The aim of this study was to determine how asthma affects construction workers' work ability and quality of life, and the most important conditions that cause respiratory symptoms in construction work.

Serum cholesterol trends among members of the Finnish parliament.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUND. Mortality from coronary heart disease in Finland has declined remarkably since the early 1970s. Most of the change has apparently been due to the active national strategy for reduction of serum cholesterol levels.

Follow-up of asbestosis patients and predictors for radiographic progression.

Objective: We followed a group of 85 Finnish asbestosis patients radiographically for an average of 6.5 (range 2-10) years to examine the progression of the disease and to assess possible explanations for the progression.

Methods: The examinations included full-size chest radiographs and a blood specimen analysis.

Progression of asbestosis predicts lung cancer.

Study Objectives: To explore whether the progression of asbestosis correlates with the risk of lung cancer among patients with asbestosis.

Design: A group of 85 asbestosis patients (78 men and 7 women) were radiographically followed up between 1979 and 1987. Two or three posteroanterior radiographs taken from each patient in 1978 to 1979, 1983 to 1984, and 1986 to 1987 were classified according to the International Labour Office 1980 classification and were used to divide the patients into progressors and nonprogressors.

Prevalence and predictive value of ECG findings in acute extremity ischemia.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and predictive value of ECG findings in patients treated surgically for acute extremity ischemia.

Experimental Design: Retrospective study with follow-up for one month.

Setting: Tampere University Hospital, Jyväskylä Central Hospital.