Glucose tolerance and insulin response in parents of patients with insulin-dependent and juvenile-onset non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Glucose tolerance and insulin response were examined using a 100 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in 108 parents of 23 patients with insulin-dependent (IDDM) and 31 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), whose age of onset of diabetes was less than 35 years. Thirty-two age-matched healthy volunteers without a family history of diabetes were also examined as a control group. Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) were significantly more frequent in parents of NIDDM (diabetes 34%, IGT 27%) than in parents of IDDM (diabetes 7%, IGT 13%) (P less than 0.001). At least one parent had diabetes or IGT in 30% of IDDM and 84% of NIDDM patients (P less than 0.001), and both parents had diabetes or IGT in 9% of IDDM and 39% of NIDDM patients (P less than 0.02). Even in cases with 'normal' glucose tolerance, the mean plasma glucose was higher in parents of NIDDM than in control subjects, suggesting a high prevalence of abnormal glucose tolerance including the marginal degree of abnormality in the families of NIDDM. The early phase insulin response was decreased more among parents of NIDDM with the greater impairment of glucose tolerance. However, among those with 'normal' glucose tolerance, early phase insulin response did not differ between parents of IDDM and NIDDM, and control subjects. The results confirmed a stronger familial background in NIDDM patients of younger onset than in IDDM. The different patterns of glucose tolerance among two parents of young-onset NIDDM patients suggest heterogeneity of the mode of inheritance of NIDDM among families.     

Prognostic indices for intra-hospital mortality in Nigerian diabetic NIDDM patients. Role of gender and hypertension

Hypertension and diabetes mellitus are independently associated with a high rate of target organ complications, which is particularly accentuated in the Negroid race. The aims of this study were to evaluate the mortality associated with diabetes mellitus and concurrent hypertension and diabetes mellitus in indigenous Africans, and to identify and assess the factors that are predictive of intra-hospital mortality in Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) diabetic Nigerians. The subsequent impact of the modification of these risk factors was also evaluated. A prospective study of 51 hypertensive-diabetic (Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetics, NIDDM) Nigerians (32 males, 19 females) over a 15-month period, from 1996 to 1997 was undertaken. The mean admission blood pressures were 170/102+/-35/22 mm Hg, with a body mass index (BMI) of 25.4+/-10.2 kg/m(2). A total of 54 normotensive (BP<130/85 mm Hg)-NIDDM diabetic Nigerians (30 men, 24 women), who were concurrently admitted in the hospital, were compared to the hypertensive-NIDDM. The total mortality of all the NIDDM diabetics, as well as the mortality rates in normotensives and hypertensive-diabetics, were computed. The causes of death and associated complications were noted. Predictive indices of intrahospital mortality were statistically evaluated by comparison of proportions, chi(2) test, Fischer's exact test, logistic regression, and analysis of variance (ANOVA).Over-all mortality rate among all the diabetics (both normotensive and hypertensive) was 26.6% (28/105), which was significantly higher than the crude death rate on the Internal Medicine service of 17.8% (P=0.006) or the non-obstetric crude death rate in the hospital of 10.96% (P=0.001) Among the hypertensive-NIDDM patients (n=51) the mortality rate was 31.4% (16 deaths/51 patients). This was slightly higher than the value of 22.2% (12 deaths/54 patients) seen in normotensive -NIDDM patients. The mortality rate among the male diabetics (23/63 patients) 46.6% was significantly higher than female mortality rate of 11.6% (5/43). The 95% Confidence interval for the difference in mortality rates being 16.9% to 53.3% (P<0.0001, z=3.57). The impact of gender remained significant by the chi(2) test, chi(2)=7.17, P=0.007. 50% of the deaths in hypertensive-diabetics had associated stroke (8/16), while none of the 12 deaths among the normotensive-diabetics was stroke-related (P=0.008, Fisher's exact test). The case fatality rate for stroke in hypertensive-NIDDM men (7/7.9) was significantly greater than in hypertensive-NIDDM women (1.0/7) (P=0.04,by Fisher's exact test). Male gender, presence of Hyperosmolar Non-Ketotic Coma (HONK) (P<0. 05), associated stroke (P<0.01) and a Glasgow coma < or =10 (P<0.01) were found to be poor prognostic indices for mortality in hypertensive-NIDDM. Aggressive anti-platelet, (aspirin) anti-hypertensive, and strict glycemic control, instituted early and intensively, especially in male hypertensive-NIDDM Nigerians have resulted in reduction in the mortality rates from 26.6% in 1997 to 12.6% in 1999 [P=0.05, 95% CI -26.9% to -1.3%]. The prognosis in 1999 of hospitalized African diabetics is still dismal. Hypertensive-NIDDM represents a higher risk group for intra-hospital mortality in black Africans. Male patients appear to have significantly (P<0.001) enhanced risk, especially with thrombotic/stroke-related deaths (P<0.01). However, intervention measures can reduce the mortality rate considerably, even in developing countries. The mechanisms of the apparent male mortality excess require elucidation.     

Causes of death and associated factors among patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Taipei, Taiwan

A cohort of 766 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) from a general teaching hospital in Taipei, Taiwan were followed prospectively to assess survival experience and associated risk factors. Data were abstracted from the medical records and additional information was obtained from patients or their closest relatives using a structured questionnaire. Date and cause of death were determined from death certificates. Standardized mortality ratios were calculated by the direct method. Chi2-Square test and Cox's proportional hazard analysis were used to control for potential confounders. During a median follow-up of 3.5 years (range 1 month to 4.6 years), 131 deaths occurred. Of these, 29.8% were due to cardiopulmonary disease (ICD 401-429), 13.0% due to cerebrovascular disease (ICD 430-438), 13.0% due to acute diabetes metabolic complications (250.1, 250.2), and 11.4% due to nephropathy (580-589). Adjusted for age, people with NIDDM had 2.2 (95% CI 1.6-2.9) times the risk of death than members of the general population, and cause-specific standardized mortality ratios were: CPD 4.6, nephropathy 8.8, cerebrovascular disease 1.9, and neoplasm 0.7. Age, fasting plasma glucose, hypertension, and proteinuria were positively and independently associated with all-cause mortality (P < 0.05 for each). Thus, NIDDM patients have higher mortality rates than the general population in Taiwan, and age, fasting plasma glucose, hypertension, and proteinuria are associated with this excess risk. Proper application of available interventions may control these factors with a consequent reduction in mortality. Particular attention is needed to prevent deaths from the acute metabolic complications of diabetes.     

Epidemiological and immunogenetic analysis of tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus association

The prevalence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) among adults in two Moscow okrugs was studied. It was 0.218 and 1.678%, respectively, the latter form being encountered 7.7 times more frequently. Patients with pulmonary tuberculosis followed at tuberculosis control dispensaries (n = 69,012) were found to have diabetes mellitus in 236 cases (120 with IDDM and 116 with NIDDM). The prevalence of IDDM among the tuberculosis control dispensary patients was 1.7%, which was 8 times greater than that in the general population. That of NIDDM was 1.68%, which did not significantly differ from that in the population. Epidemiological analysis showed that there was a highly significant association of tuberculosis with diabetes mellitus in the population. The risk for IDDM was 3.6% in patients and exceeded that in the population while the risk for NIDDM in the population was the same as that in the population. Analyzing the distribution of immunogenetic HLA-1 and HLA-2 markers showed that patients with tuberculosis concurrent with IDDM were intermediate between a group of patients with isolated tuberculosis and isolated IDDM.     

Mortality in diabetes mellitus: experience of a geographically defined population.

A population-based cohort study identified 915 deaths in 4186 patients with diabetes mellitus over a 5-year period. Ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and malignant neoplasms were the major causes of death and accounted for 40%, 16%, and 14% of deaths, respectively, compared with 27%, 14%, and 25% of deaths in the non-diabetic population. Diabetic patients had a standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of 1.15 (95% Cl 1.08-1.22) (p less than 0.001). This excess risk of death was largely due to the excess death from ischaemic heart disease (SMR 1.55 (1.40-1.71); p less than 0.001) and the impact was greatest in middle-aged female patients. Stroke mortality was not significantly increased (SMR 1.09 (0.92-1.29)) while cancer mortality was reduced (SMR 0.75 (0.63-0.89); p less than 0.01). Death rates in diabetic male patients (SMR 1.04 (0.96-1.13)) did not differ significantly from those in non-diabetic male patients because the increased risk of ischaemic heart disease deaths (SMR 1.41 (1.22-1.62); p less than 0.001) was offset by the reduced risk of deaths from malignant neoplasms (SMR 0.65 (0.51-0.82); p less than 0.001). The reduction in cancer mortality did not reach statistical significance in diabetic women (SMR 0.82 (0.64-1.05)). Diabetic nephropathy and metabolic disasters were uncommon as causes of death.     

Diabetes and atherosclerosis: an epidemiologic view

Diabetes is associated with changes in plasma lipids and lipoproteins into atherogenic direction. In IDDM these changes are small or absent if good metabolic control can be maintained. Diabetic nephropathy is, however, associated with the appearance of dyslipoproteinemia. In NIDDM plasma total and VLDL triglyceride levels are elevated, and HDL-cholesterol level is decreased, and this pattern of dyslipoproteinemia does not always respond to improved control of hyperglycemia. Abnormalities of lipoprotein metabolism, not reflected in conventional plasma lipid and lipoprotein level measurements, and glucosylation of lipoproteins and resulting alterations in lipoprotein catabolism may be of importance in the enhanced atherogenesis in diabetes. Both IDDM and NIDDM are associated with an increased frequency of hypertension, but the underlying mechanisms appear to be different. In IDDM hypertension is usually associated with the development of diabetic nephropathy and thus with a long duration of the disease. In NIDDM hypertension is often present already at the time of diagnosis, and also in IGT, the precursor stage of NIDDM, the prevalence of hypertension is already increased. Obesity explains only in part the high prevalence of hypertension in patients with NIDDM. Diabetes is known to be associated with multiple abnormalities in hemostatic factors and, although these abnormalities may contribute importantly to the increased risk of ASVD in diabetic patients, information about their real role is scanty and conflicting. The impact of general major risk factors for ASVD, elevated plasma cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and smoking, on the risk of ASVD appears to be similar in diabetics and nondiabetics. Only a relatively small proportion of the excessive occurrence of ASVD in diabetics can, however, be explained by the effects of diabetes on the levels of general risk factors for ASVD. This proportion mediated through the effects of diabetes on risk factors is larger in female diabetics than in male diabetics. The major proportion of the excess of ASVD in diabetics remains, however, unexplained and must be due to effects of diabetes itself through mechanisms that are incompletely understood.     

Prevalence, age at diagnosis, clinical characteristics and treatment of diabetes in the young in Pahang, Malaysia

The prevalence, age at diagnosis, clinical characteristics and treatment of young diabetics, younger than 40 years were determined on the basis of a cross-sectional study of medical records of 2 health districts in Pahang, Malaysia. There were only 20 insulin-dependent diabetics (IDDM), prevalence 0.07 per 1000 inhabitants. There were 84 non-insulin-dependent diabetics (NIDDM), prevalence 0.3 per 1000 inhabitants. Three of the NIDDM patients could have malnutrition-related diabetes. Many NIDDM patients were asymptomatic which is an important reason why many of them remain undetected in the community. Seventy-four percent of the patients below the age of 30 years at diagnosis had NIDDM, 56% of the patients below the age of 20 years at diagnosis also had NIDDM and 54% of the NIDDM patients had a strong family history of diabetes. Many NIDDM patients were misdiagnosed as IDDM, especially if they were underweight, leading to considerable overuse of insulin. This study confirms that IDDM is rare in Malaysia, as in other Asian countries. Most young diabetics have NIDDM and have a strong family history. This pattern of diabetes in the young is unlike that seen in the West.     

Hepatocellular carcinoma among female Japanese hepatitis B virus carriers

In order to examine the association between hepatitis B virus carriage and hepatocellular carcinoma 3,769 female hepatitis B surface antigen positive blood donors were followed-up from 1977 to 1985 in Fukuoka, Japan. The observed number of deaths was compared with the expected deaths calculated by applying cause- and age-specific death rates among females for Fukuoka in 1980 to age-specific population at risk of the subjects. Mortalities from all causes and from all malignant neoplasms were decreased. Mortality from liver cancer (or hepatocellular carcinoma) was specifically elevated as compared with the general population; where observed, expected deaths, and O/E were 4, 0.71, and 5.63, respectively (p less than 0.05). Population attributable risk was estimated to be 6.5%. These values were assumed to be somewhat underestimated, in part because of a healthy donor effect and limited observation period.     

Use of hospital services by elderly diabetics: the Frederica study of diabetic and fasting hyperglycaemic patients aged 60-74 years

The use of hospital services was studied in 228 patients with known diabetes (KD) (52 insulin treated. 101 diet plus oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHAs), 66 diet treated and 9 without treatment) and 87 subjects with fasting hyperglycaemia (FH) found by screening of a well-defined population aged 60-74 years. Ninety per cent were NIDDM as evaluated by a high C-peptide response on glucagon stimulation. Information about all admissions during the year before ascertainment was obtained from the complete regional computerized hospital registration system. The overall average admission rate per year for KD males was 0.47 and for females 0.50. The average number of bed-days occupied per person-year was 6.8 for KD males and 8.2 for females. These rates are 2-3 times higher than those of the general population. Insulin treated NIDDM patients had a rate of 23.9, whereas IDDM patients had a rate of 15.2 bed-days per person-year. The corresponding figures for patients treated with OHAs were 3.5 and for patients treated with diet 4.6. FH had overall bed-day occupancy rates of 0.50 and 1.09 for males and females, respectively, which was less than half of that expected from the general population. IF discharge diagnosis (principal and/or subsidiary) had been used for identification of hospitalized patients with diabetes the bed-days used by KD patients would have been underestimated by 15.3%, most pronounced for diabetics treated with OHAs (21.1%) or diet (21.6%).     

Higher Mortality Due to Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Dialysis Patients: A Comparison with the General Population in Japan

Cerebrovascular diseases, including intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, and subarachnoid hemorrhage, remain prevalent causes of morbidity and mortality among dialysis patients. Their mortality rate for cerebrovascular diseases is roughly three times higher than that in the general population. However, whether mortality rates for all subtypes of cerebrovascular diseases are equally higher has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the mortality rate for each stroke subtype, comparing dialysis patients and the general population in Japan. We used mortality data reported by the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy and national Vital Statistics data between 2008 and 2009. We calculated standardized mortality ratios and compared the mortality rates for stroke subtypes including intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. During the 2‐year study period, 51 994 and 933 deaths from intracerebral hemorrhage, 79 124 and 511 deaths from cerebral infarction, and 24 957 and 147 deaths from subarachnoid hemorrhage were recorded per 252 million person‐years and per 546 474 dialysis patient‐years, respectively. Standardized mortality ratios among dialysis patients relative to the general population were 3.8 (95% confidence interval, 3.6–4.1), 1.3 (1.2–1.4), and 1.3 (1.1–1.6) for intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, and subarachnoid hemorrhage, respectively. Intracerebral hemorrhage was the highest cause of mortality in the dialysis population, although cerebral infarction was the highest in the general population. Relative to the general population in Japan, Japanese dialysis patients had higher mortality rates, especially for intracerebral hemorrhage.     

Mortality risk attributable to atrial fibrillation in middle-aged and elderly people in the Japanese general population: nineteen-year follow-up in NIPPON DATA80.

BACKGROUND: The extent to which atrial fibrillation (AF) contributes to mortality in the Japanese general population has not been clarified. METHODS AND RESULTS: A randomly sampled general population from all over Japan (4,154 men, 5,329 women; age > or =30 years) was enrolled. Single electrocardiogram recordings were taken in the baseline survey. Stroke death, cardiovascular deaths and all-cause deaths during the subsequent 19 years were analyzed by the presence of AF at baseline. Cox's regression analysis was carried out to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) of each cause of death attributable to AF after adjusting for other risk factors. Prevalence of AF was 0.64% in the study. The observed person-years were 162,980 among persons without AF and 699 among persons with AF. There were 1,919 deaths. Multivariate adjusted HRs for stroke death, cardiovascular death and all-cause death were 2.69, 2.76 and 1.88, respectively (p<0.05). These HRs were 14.7, 9.63 and 4.00 among persons aged 64 years or younger (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: AF affects stroke mortality, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality in the Japanese general population. Careful attention should be paid to persons with AF in order to prevent future cardiovascular events.     

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes and renal replacement therapy

Reports of renal replacement therapy in diabetes usually refer to patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) only, and little is known about renal failure in non-insulin-dependent diabetics (NIDDM). A high proportion, 46/141 (32%), of the diabetics treated at our unit since 1974 had NIDDM. They were older at treatment (56 +/- 9 years, mean +/- SD) compared to the IDDM patients (39 +/- 10 years, p less than 0.001), and had a shorter duration of diabetes (13 +/- 8 years versus 23 +/- 8 years, p less than 0.001). Asians and Afro-Caribbeans accounted for 48% of the NIDDM patients (22/46) compared to only 7% of those having IDDM (6/95, p less than 0.0001). Non-diabetic renal disease accounted for the renal failure in 32% (15/46) of the NIDDM patients but only in 10.5% (10/95) of the IDDMs (p less than 0.001). Despite these differences the prevalence of other diabetic complications (retinopathy, neuropathy, and cardiovascular disease) was similar. Patient survival after transplantation was poorer in NIDDM than IDDM (23% and 57%, respectively, at 2 years). Survival on dialysis was equally poor in NIDDM and IDDM. Thus, NIDDM patients treated for renal failure are more commonly non-European and more often have non-diabetic renal disease. Yet other diabetic complications occur to the same extent in both IDDM and NIDDM patients with diabetic nephropathy.     

Presence of anti-DNA antibody in diabetes mellitus: its relation to the duration of diabetes and diabetic complications

In seven patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 86 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), serum anti-DNA antibody was measured by a semiquantitative radioimmunoassay (RIA) method. Prevalence of positive anti-DNA antibody (more than 20 U/mL) was five of seven in IDDM patients, 15 of 36 in NIDDM patients with insulin therapy, and seven of 50 in NIDDM patients without insulin therapy. None of normal subjects or patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) showed positive anti-DNA antibody. The titer of anti-DNA antibody was higher in IDDM patients than in age-matched normal subjects (mean +/- SD; 22.1 +/- 15.3 v 6.5 +/- 2.2 U/mL, P less than .05). In patients with NIDDM, the antibody titer regardless of insulin treatment, was higher than in age-matched subjects with IGT (18.5 +/- 13.1 U/mL in NIDDM patients receiving insulin, 14.8 +/- 8.1 U/mL in NIDDM patients not receiving insulin, and 8.8 +/- 3.9 U/mL in IGT patients [P less than .001] for either of NIDDM groups v IGT). The titer of anti-DNA antibody was positively correlated with the duration of diabetes (r = .413, P less than .001) and with the postprandial blood glucose level (r = .311, P less than .01) in NIDDM patients when all of them were combined and analyzed as a group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

High Mortality Rate of Infectious Diseases in Dialysis Patients: A Comparison With the General Population in Japan

Infectious disease is the second leading cause of death among dialysis patients, and it is generally assumed that the mortality rate of infectious disease is considerably higher in dialysis patients than in the general population. There are no comprehensive studies on this issue and on the contribution of each category of infectious disease to excess mortality in dialysis patients in Japan. We used mortality data reported to the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy and national Vital Statistics data for 2008 and 2009. We calculated standardized mortality ratios and compared the mortality rates for each category of infectious disease. During the 2‐year study period, 274 683 and 10 435 deaths from infectious diseases were recorded in 126 million people and 273 237 dialysis patients, respectively. The standardized mortality ratio for all infectious diseases was 7.5 (95% confidence interval, 7.3–7.6) in dialysis patients with respect to the general population in Japan. The categories of infectious disease with a significantly higher standardized mortality ratio among the dialysis patients were sepsis, peritonitis, influenza, tuberculosis, and pneumonia and in that order. In particular, the mortality rate of sepsis contributed to 69.5% of the difference in infectious disease mortality between dialysis patients and the general population. This study underlines markedly increased mortality from infectious diseases, particularly from sepsis, in dialysis patients compared with the general population.     

Cause‐Specific Excess Mortality Among Dialysis Patients: Comparison With the General Population in Japan

Despite significant therapeutic advances, mortality of dialysis patients remains unacceptably high. The aim of this study is to compare mortality and its causes in dialysis patients with those in the general Japanese population. We used data for 2008 and 2009 from the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy registry and a national Vital Statistics survey. Cardiovascular mortality was defined as death attributed to heart failure, cerebrovascular disorders, myocardial infarction, hyperkalemia/sudden death, and pulmonary thromboembolism. Non‐cardiovascular mortality was defined as death attributed to infection, malignancies, cachexia/uremia, chronic hepatitis/cirrhosis, ileus, bleeding, suicide/refusal of treatment, and miscellaneous. We calculated standardized mortality ratios and age‐adjusted mortality differences between dialysis patients and the general population for all‐cause, cardiovascular versus non‐cardiovascular, and cause‐specific mortality. During the 2‐year study period, there were 2 284 272 and 51 432 deaths out of 126 million people and 273 237 dialysis patients, respectively. The standardized mortality ratio for all‐cause mortality was 4.6 (95% confidence interval, 4.6–4.7) for the dialysis patients compared to the general population. Age‐adjusted mortality differences for cardiovascular and non‐cardiovascular disease were 33.1 and 30.0 per 1000 person‐years, respectively. The standardized mortality rate ratios were significant for all cause‐specific mortality rates except accidental death. Our study revealed that excess mortality in dialysis patients compared to the general population in Japan is large, and differs according to age and cause of death. Cause‐specific mortality studies should be planned to improve life expectancies of dialysis patients.     

Prospective analysis of the natural course of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in early adulthood

Non-insulin-dependent diabetics with early manifestation of the disease (NIDDM) who were registered by an epidemiological cross-sectional study 1979 in the Erfurt district were pursued prospectively and 47 of the 58 patients underwent a re-examination five years later. The changes of therapy performed (7 new administrations of insulin, 9 change from diet to normal food) as well as the metabolic development of the patients under epidemiological aspect prove the heterogeneity of NIDDM and the doubtfulness of hitherto existing MODY-criteria. The oGTT performed in 37 patients 9 times resulted in a full remission and in 4 cases in an IGT. Including the 10 insulinized patients 34 diabetics (72.3%) had remained manifest. In contrast to the initially different degree of post-load hyperglycaemia in patients with and without remission the behaviour of the insulin secretion did not show any significant differences in the course and between the groups of patients. Young non-insulin-dependent diabetics are mainly among a representative target population type-II-diabetics with early onset. In contrast to this type-I-diabetics with a long insulin-free initial phase go into the background. In our population real MODY-cases are apparently extraordinarily rare.     

Mortality after remote surgery for benign gastroduodenal disease.

Mortality was studied after partial gastrectomy in a cohort of 1575 patients operated on because of benign gastroduodenal disease 29 to 59 years ago. The final status was confirmed in all but 8.4% of the cohort. At the close of the study 78% of the traced population were dead. Overall mortality was significantly higher than in the general population of southern Sweden (standardised mortality ratio = 1.10; 95% confidence intervals 1.03 to 1.17). Excess deaths resulted from neoplasms in the stomach, pancreas, male genital organs, and respiratory organs, as well as from respiratory diseases and suicide. Patients operated on before the age of 45 had a 60% increase in overall mortality during the first 19 years after surgery, mainly because of cardiovascular disease and suicide, whereas among those operated on after this age mortality was comparable to that in the reference population. The 75% increased death rate in cardiovascular disease during the first 19 years after surgery in patients operated on at young age, dramatically decreased during the years thereafter. An increased risk of death caused by malignancy was apparent more than 20 years postoperatively, irrespective of age at surgery. Excess deaths resulting from gastrointestinal malignancies, mainly gastric and pancreatic carcinoma, outnumbered the increased number of deaths resulting from cancer in the respiratory organs.     

Mortality in Barrett's oesophagus: results from a population based study

BACKGROUND: Patients with Barrett's oesophagus have an increased risk of oesophageal adenocarcinoma but this cancer only accounts for a small proportion of deaths in these patients. Other causes of death are reportedly raised in this group. We examined cause specific mortality among individuals in a population based Barrett's oesophagus register. METHODS: We constructed a register of all patients diagnosed with columnar mucosa (including specialised intestinal metaplasia) of the oesophagus within Northern Ireland between 1993 and 1999. Deaths occurring within this cohort until 31 December 2000 were identified and mortality rates were compared with the general population. RESULTS: Overall mortality was not raised in Barrett's patients. During 7413 person years of follow up in 2373 patients there were 253 deaths (standardised mortality ratio (SMR) 96 (95% confidence interval (CI) 84-107)). Mortality from oesophageal cancer was raised in patients with specialised intestinal metaplasia (SMR 774 (95% CI 317-1231)) but only 4.7% of patients died from this cancer. Mortality from stroke (SMR 65 (95% CI 37-93)) was significantly lower than the general population while mortality from non-cancerous digestive system diseases was significantly higher (SMR 211 (95% CI 111-311)). Mortality rates from all other causes were similar to those of the general population. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the overall mortality rate in patients with Barrett's oesophagus is closely similar to that of the general population. Oesophageal cancer mortality was raised but is an uncommon cause of death in these patients who also appear to have a reduced risk of death from stroke.     

Why do lean hypertensives have higher mortality rates than other hypertensives? Findings of the Hypertension Detection and Follow-up Program

Specific causes of death were analyzed for 10,908 participants in the Hypertension Detection and Follow-up Program, to explore possible explanations for the observed excess 8.3-year mortality from all causes in hypertensives with low body mass. Although the cardiovascular mortality rate among men in the lowest decile of body mass (body mass index 21.96 or less) was 50% higher than that of men in the median class (body mass index 26.4-28.8), death rate for noncardiovascular deaths was more than 2 1/2 times higher in men with lean versus median body mass. The pattern was similar among women. Among noncardiovascular causes, striking differences in mortality rates between lean hypertensives and those of average body mass were observed for cirrhotic death (relative risk of 12+ in men and 11+ in women), for nonmalignant respiratory disease in men (relative risk of 7+), for violent death (both sexes), and for malignant neoplasms in men. Prevalence of smoking was almost twice as high in the lowest compared with the median body mass group; among the lean, excess deaths, particularly noncardiovascular deaths, were concentrated among smokers. Thus, male smokers in the lowest decile of body mass constituted only 3% of the study population, but contributed 8% of all deaths, 11% of all noncardiovascular deaths, and 22% of all cirrhotic deaths. A larger proportion of deaths occurred early in follow-up in the lean versus other hypertensives, suggesting occult disease among the lean at baseline. There was no evidence that more severe or treatment-resistant hypertension was present in or could explain excess mortality among the hypertensives with low body mass. The inference from the findings is not that overweight is protective for hypertensives nor that excess risk is due to leanness per se. Rather, a reasonable hypothesis, particularly from findings on specific causes of death, is that excess mortality in lean hypertensives is due to deleterious lifestyles, particularly smoking and excess alcohol intake, contributing to both leanness and risk of death.     

Mortality Among Alcoholics Discharged From a Japanese Hospital

A study of mortality among alcoholics was carried out involving patients discharged from the alcoholic ward of a Hamamatsu University-affiliated hospital from 1972 to 1984 (1021 patients). The average age at death was 48,4 years. The causes of death were divided into three groups; ‘diseases, accidents’, ‘suicide and homicide’, accounting for 73.5%, 10.5% and 7.3% of 257 deaths, respectively. Death rates per 1000 persons for the years at risk were compared with the expected rates for the general population. Briefly, the death rates for patients were more than 10 times as large as those in the general population. Our results showed that liver cirrhosis and heart failure ranked high among the causes of death in alcoholics. Among patients who died, only 3.1% were total abstainers after discharge from hospital, which was an extremely low proportion in comparison with the average cross-total abstinence rate of 25.8% among patients after discharge.