Browsing by Subject "prevalence"

The aims of this study are to determine the prevalence of clinically apparent orolabial herpes and the rate of recrudescence in the Finnish population. As a secondary aim we evaluate the significance of sociodemographic, health-related and other factors previously associated with the disease. The study sample was collected from the Finnish population register office using simple random sampling. A mailed questionnaire was sent to 3200 adults and 1000 children in 1989-1990. Response rate was excellent. In the adult study sample (15-65 years old) the lifetime prevalence of recurrent herpes labialis is 19.4%. Over 60% of cases have 1-3 relapses per year. Family background and health factors are found to be independent predictive factors for recurrent herpes labialis: mother (OR 3.38; 95% CI 2.35 – 4.86), chapped lips (OR 3.28; 95% CI 2.39 - 4.49). A larger proportion of women than men have the disease (OR 2.17; 95% CI 1.70 – 2.77). In order to develop the management of the disease further studies on the role of factors affecting the clinical manifestation, symptomatic and asymptomatic latency reactivation are needed.

Antidepressant use among children and adolescents has become more common in many countries. The prevalence of antidepressants is higher for boys but during adolescence girls’ have a higher antidepressant prevalence. In previous studies, the prevalence of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI) has increased. The aim of this study was to investigate antidepressant use among Finnish children and adolescents aged 1–17 years during 2008–2019. The differences of antidepressant use in different age groups and genders were investigated. Furthermore, the secondary objective was to examine the trends in prevalence and costs of the five most commonly used antidepressant agents. This was a nation-wide register study. The data for this study was from Kelasto which is a statistical database maintained by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. The extracted data was from 2008–2018 and included each persons’ age, gender, dispensed drug and costs. The data extracted was for 1–17-year-olds who had been dispensed reimbursed antidepressants from community pharmacies. The data was analyzed with Microsoft Office’s Excel program. The results were transferred in to tables and reported as prevalences by age groups, genders, antidepressants and costs. The prevalence of antidepressant use among children and adolescents was 5,0 per 1000 in 2008 and it increased to 10,3 by 2018. In the youngest age group of 1–6-year-olds, antidepressant use decreased. Antidepressant use increased slightly among 7–12-year-olds. Antidepressant use increased the most among 13–17-year-olds. 13–17-year-old girls had the higher antidepressant use prevalence throughout the study. The same group had a 2,4-fold increase in prevalence during the study period which accounted for the biggest increase in the study. The most used group of antidepressants was SSRIs. The total cost for antidepressants among children and adolescents increased by 73,7 % during the study period. The most commonly used antidepressant agents were fluoxetine, sertraline, escitalopram, mirtazapine, and venlafaxine, respectively. Fluoxetine was the most used agent throughout the study. In 2014, sertraline surpassed escitalopram and became the second most used antidepressant agent. Escitalopram and venlafaxine’s cost per user decreased during the study. The cost per user stayed stable for mirtazapine. Fluoxetine and sertraline’s cost per user increased. The Kelasto database does not include data on indications for prescriptions. The prevalence of antidepressants does not necessarily correlate directly to depression among children and adolescents because antidepressants can be used to treat other diseases. More studies need to be conducted on different off-label uses for antidepressants among children and adolescents. This study only investigated the trends on cost for the five most commonly used antidepressants. Further studies on antidepressant costs among children and adolescents are needed. Additionally, it is essential to investigate the reasons for the increase in antidepressant use among children and adolescents.

Objective: Accumulating research has shown that severe illness and ICU care seem to affect the cognitive functioning of ICU survivors in many different patient populations. So far, there seems to be little research focusing on the cognitive functioning of circulatory shock patients. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the cognitive functioning of circulatory shock patients during the first three months after ICU care. The study aimed to compare the level of cognitive functioning of circulatory shock patients with control subjects at the time of ICU discharge and three months thereafter. Further, a temporal viewpoint was added to explore the recovery of cognitive functioning within the first three months following ICU care. Methods: This study is part of the ASSESS-SHOCK 2 project. The sample (N = 99) included 51 circulatory shock patients and 48 control subjects. The cognitive functioning of circulatory shock patients was assessed at ICU discharge and 3 months thereafter with the MoCA test. The assessment 3 months after ICU discharge also included a comprehensive domain-specific neuropsychological evaluation including 23 tests. The control subjects were assessed once with the same methods. Both the performance means, and frequency of cognitive impairment were considered in the analyses. Group differences were studied with general linear models and analysis of covariance, with age and level of education as factors and covariates. The temporal change was studied with a general linear mixed model, with age, level of education, delirium, and severity of illness as factors and covariates. Results and conclusions: This study was one of the first to focus on the post-ICU cognitive functioning of all types of circulatory shock patients. As hypothesised, circulatory shock patients had a lower level of overall cognitive functioning at ICU discharge than the control subjects. The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 77% for the patients at ICU discharge and 43% three months thereafter, compared to 33% for the control subjects. The significant cognitive differences between the two groups disappeared during the first three months after ICU discharge, as the patients’ cognitive functioning seemed to recover during that period. A closer look at the performance on different cognitive domains revealed, however, that circulatory shock patients still seemed to perform worse than the control subjects in the domains of executive functions and attention, and visuomotor and visual functions at the 3-month follow-up. Based on the results, circulatory shock patients seem to be particularly vulnerable to experiencing cognitive difficulties after ICU care. The findings of this study highlight the importance of screening for post-ICU cognitive difficulties in patients treated for circulatory shock. Identifying the cognitive difficulties already at the hospital could help to set up rehabilitation programs, ensuring that the patients would receive the support needed for the best possible recovery.

Finnish conscripts have proven to be an excellent study group for epidemiological research within oral health in the past decades. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the geographical distribution of dental caries prevalence in young healthy males in Finland in the beginning of the 2020s. Studying associated risk factors for dental caries were of interest as well. The data were randomly collected from the eight biggest garrisons in Finland in July of 2021 by ten calibrated dentists. The study population consisted of 2077 male conscripts born between 2000-2002. Dental caries was recorded according to the ICDAS system. Wisdom teeth were excluded. Mean DMFT and mean DT values were calculated and geomaps were constructed to visualize the geographical distribution. Generalized linear mixed models with logit link were conducted for the associated risk factors. The mean DMFT value of all conscripts was 3.29 (SD 3.91), while the mean DT value was 1.19 (SD 2.33). Living in areas with endemic fluoride levels in drinking water ≥0.3 mg/l, decreased the odds for restorative treatment need. The geographical distribution of dental caries prevalence remains like before. However, the overall restorative treatment need and treatment history has decreased countrywide.

The aim of this study was to investigate the intestinal parasite prevalence in the animals living in the Cat valley of Helsinki Zoo. The initiative for the study came from the Zoo, as the knowledge on intestinal parasite prevalence of zoo animals is fairly limited. A study on soil contamination with parasite eggs and oocyst of selected enclosures was added, as suspicions arose that the flooring might be a possible source of reinfection. Some possible parasite control methods are discussed, and how they could be used in a zoo environment. The hypothesis of this prevalence study was that the faecal samples might contain Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonina eggs. The hypothesis was based on the previous findings in Helsinki zoo as well as findings in other zoos and wild animals abroad. Clinical signs had not been detected from the animals that were studied in Helsinki zoo, and intestinal parasites of big cats have not been a major problem for this particular zoo. For the study, faecal samples from the animals in Cat valley were collected and studied monthly from late May until October 2016, for a period of approximately half a year. Faecal samples from eight different animal species from 13 different enclosures were studied. The species studied included amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), red panda (Ailurus fulgens), snow leopard (Panthera uncia), amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), pallas cat (Otocolobus manul), Asian lions (Panthera leo persica), European lynx (Lynx lynx) and European Wild Cats (Felis silvestris silvestris). A total of 78 faecal samples was collected, of which 18 were found to be positive for parasite eggs. The faecal samples were studied with a modified MacMaster method. Additionally, soil samples from five different enclosures were studied by using modified centrifugation-flotation method. Most common finding were those of Toxascaris leonina (6 samples), followed by Toxocara cati (4 samples). Other findings included for example oocysts of coccidia and Strongyle type eggs, which were quite possibly from the herbivores that were used as food for the cats. The soil samples were found to contain Toxascaris leonina eggs with a larva inside, oocysts of coccidia, as well as one developing Toxocara cati egg. Based on the findings on both the faecal samples as well as soil samples, Helsinki zoo did not have major problem with intestinal parasites at the time of the study, but the soil flooring of the enclosures might act as a source of reinfection and maintain the parasites transmission cycle. (The thesis was written in English, as the student completed her matriculation examination in English (International Baccalaureate Diploma programme). The subject of the study might also be of interest in zoos abroad.)