To Örebro University

Introduction Previous research has shown that nursing home applicants had negative experiences of living and receiving care in their ordinary housing due to several factors, such as difficulties in everyday activities and being depressed. However, whether these experiences stand solely for nursing home applicants, or are common in an older population in general needs to be investigated.

Aim of this study was to compare nursing home applicants with matched older adults with respect to difficulties in everyday life, life satisfaction and depressive mood.

Methods Using a case-control design, 34 participants (17 in each group) were compared using Wilcoxon signed rank test for continuous variables and McNemar test for binary variables. The magnitude of associations was explored using conditional logistic regression.

Results Nursing home applicants experienced more difficulties in daily life and were more depressed than their matched peers, and this difference between groups was significant. To experience several difficulties in everyday life and being depressed increased the odds for a nursing home application.

Conclusions As aging in place is the societal norm, older adults with increased likelihood of nursing home applications need to be identified and catered for in an early stage, to prevent nursing home admission.

BACKGROUND: A rapid shift has occurred from vitamin K antagonists toward direct oral anticoagulants, which have a lower risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, effects on clinical outcomes after ICH are understudied. We aimed to describe the prevalence of antithrombotic drugs and to study the prognosis among prestroke functionally independent Swedish patients with ICH.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified all patients diagnosed with nontraumatic ICH in 2017 to 2021 from the Swedish Stroke Register (n=13 155) and assessed death and functional outcome at 3 months after ICH in prestroke functionally independent patients (n=10 014). Functional outcome was estimated among 3-month survivors on the basis of self-reported activities of daily living scores. Risks of outcomes were estimated using Poisson regression. In 13 155 patients, 14.5% used direct oral anticoagulant, 10.1% vitamin K antagonists, and 21.6% antiplatelets at ICH onset. Among 10 014 pre-stroke activities of daily living-independent patients, oral anticoagulants and antiplatelets were associated with increased mortality risk (adjusted risk ratio, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.13-1.43]; P<0.001; and adjusted risk ratio, 1.23 [95% CI, 1.13-1.34]; P<0.001 respectively). Mortality risk did not statistically differ between antiplatelets and oral anticoagulants nor between direct oral anticoagulant and vitamin K antagonists. Among 5126 patients with nonmissing functional outcome (69.1% of survivors), antiplatelets (adjusted risk ratio, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.99-1.13]; P=0.100) and oral anticoagulants (adjusted risk ratio, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.92-1.12]; P=0.768) were not statistically significantly associated with functional dependence.

CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference in mortality risk between direct oral anticoagulant and vitamin K antagonists in prestroke functionally independent patients (unadjusted for oral anticoagulant class indication). Furthermore, mortality risk in antiplatelet and oral anticoagulant users might differ less than previously suggested.

Background: Viral infections, particularly Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), have been linked with risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). Given the evidence that SARS- CoV-2 infection can have consequences for the central nervous system (CNS) and autoimmune disorders, it might increase risk of MS and other demyelinating diseases of the CNS.

Objectives: We aimed to assess whether SARS- CoV-2 infection is associated with subsequent diagnoses of non-MS demyelinating CNS diseases, MS, and infectious mononucleosis (IM) due to EBV—an important MS risk factor.

Methods: All residents of Sweden aged 3–100 years were followed between 1st January 2020 and 30th November 2022, excluding those with demyelinating disease prior to 2020, resulting in 9,981,915 individuals. Exposure was classified as SARS- Cov-2 uninfected or infected, the latter divided by severity, and mod-elled as a time-varying covariate (uninfected, infection without hospital admission and infected with hospital admission). Cox regression assessed the risk of three separate outcomes: hospital-diagnosed non-MS demyelinating diseases; MS; and IM due t oEBV, adjusting for sex, year of birth (age), Charlson comorbidity index, healthcare region and country of birth.

Results: Hospital admission for COVID-19 was associated with raised risk of subsequent non-MS demyelinating disease. Rates per 100 000 person years (and 95% confidence intervals [CI]) were 3.8 (3.6– 4.1) among those without a COVID-19 diagnosis and 9.0 (5.1–15.9) among those admitted to hospital for COVID-19, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) and 95% CI of 2.31 (1.30– 4.10). Equivalent associations with MS were rates of 9.5 (9.1–9.9) and 21.0 (14.5–30.5) per 100,000, and an aHR of 2.48 (1.70–3.61). For subsequent IM due to EBV, hospital admission for COVID-19 was associated with a rate of 10.5 (6.2–17.8) per 100,000 compared with 4.7 (4.4–5.0) for those without COVID-19, and an aHR of 5.63 (3.29–9.66).

Conclusions: There was increased risk of CNS demyelinating diseases among people admitted to hospital for COVID-19. COVID-19 was also associated with a raised risk of IM due to EBV, an established risk factor for MS. It is possible that at least a proportion of these associations is due to surveillance or referral bias (due to a previous hospital admission for infection), so future research should continue to follow the population that had COVID-19 for development of MS and other demyelinating diseases, which can have long asymptomatic and prodromal phases.

Demyelinating diseases including multiple sclerosis are associated with prior infectious exposures, so we assessed whether SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with subsequent diagnoses of non-multiple sclerosis demyelinating diseases and multiple sclerosis. All residents of Sweden aged 3-100 years were followed between 1 January 2020 and 30 November 2022, excluding those with demyelinating disease prior to 2020, comprising 9 959 818 individuals divided into uninfected and those who were infected were categorized into those with and without hospital admission for the infection as a marker of infection severity. Cox regression assessed the risk of two separate outcomes: hospital diagnosed non-multiple sclerosis demyelinating diseases of the CNS and multiple sclerosis. The exposures were modelled as time-varying covariates (uninfected, infection without hospital admission and infected with hospital admission). Hospital admission for COVID-19 was associated with raised risk of subsequent non-multiple sclerosis demyelinating disease, but only 12 individuals had this outcome among the exposed, and of those, 7 has an unspecified demyelinating disease diagnosis. Rates per 100 000 person-years (and 95% confidence intervals) were 3.8 (3.6-4.1) among those without a COVID-19 diagnosis and 9.0 (5.1-15.9) among those admitted to hospital for COVID-19, with an adjusted hazard ratio and (and 95% confidence interval) of 2.35 (1.32-4.18, P = 0.004). Equivalent associations with multiple sclerosis (28 individuals had this outcome among the exposed) were rates of 9.5 (9.1-9.9) and 21.0 (14.5-30.5) and an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.48 (1.70-3.61, P < 0.001). Only a small number of non-multiple sclerosis demyelinating disease diagnoses were associated with hospital admission for COVID-19, and while the number with multiple sclerosis was somewhat higher, longer duration of follow-up will assist in identifying whether the associations are causal or due to shared susceptibility or surveillance bias, as these diseases can have long asymptomatic and prodromal phases.

PURPOSE: Time management skills are essential for handling daily life in a modern society. People with ADHD, Autism spectrum disorder or mental disorders may have affected time management, which for example might lead to poor occupational balance, low self-efficacy and difficulites to maintain family and working life. Let’s Get Organized’(LGO) is a manual-based group intervention to improve time management skills. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the efficiency of the Swedish version of LGO (LGO-S) compared to treatment as usual (individual occupational therapy) to improve time management for adults with impaired time management skills due to neurodevelopmental or mental disorders.

DESIGN: Multi-center two-armed open parallel randomized controlled trail (RCT). Participants (n=88) from nine out-patient psychiatric or habilitation care units were randomized into 1) Let’s Get Organized (LGO-S) and 2) individual occupational therapy (treatment as usual).

METHOD: Both groups received intervention for 10 weeks. Data was collected pre-, post- and three months post intervention. Primary outcome measure was self-assessed time management skills. Secondary outcome measures were self assessed planning and organisational skills, regulation of emotions, satisfaction with daily occupations and self-efficacy.

RESULTS: Both LGO and Individual occupational therapy showed statistically significant improvements in time management skills after intervention (p<0.001 in both groups). The results were maintained at the three month follow-up. There were no statistically significant differences between groups. Analyzes of secondary outcomes are ongoing and will be presented at the conference.

CONCLUSION: Both LGO and individual occupational therapy had a positive effect on the participants’ time management skills. Conclusions about secondary outcomes and possible correlations will be presented at the conference.

BACKGROUND: Androgens may play a role in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and host responses as the virus is dependent on the androgen-regulated protein transmembrane serine protease 2 for cell entry. Studies have indicated that prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) are at reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and serious complications compared with patients without ADT, but data are inconsistent.

METHODS: A total of 655 prostate cancer patients who were under surveillance at two urology departments in Sweden on April 1, 2020 were included in the study as well as 240 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). At follow-up early in 2021, the participants completed a questionnaire containing information about symptoms compatible with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Blood samples were also collected for the assessment of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies (SARS-CoV-2 Total; Siemens). We used multivariable logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between ADT and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was 13.4% among patients receiving ADT and 10.4% among patients without ADT. After adjusting for potential confounders, we observed no differences in symptoms or risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection between patients with and without ADT (OR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.52-1.85). Higher body mass index, Type 1 diabetes, and prostate cancer severity, defined by high Gleason score (8-10; OR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.04-4.09) or elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen (>20 µg/l; OR: 2.15; 95% CI: 1.13-4.07) were associated with increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Overall, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection was not higher among men with prostate cancer than among men with BPH.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not support the hypothesis that ADT use in prostate cancer patients reduces the risk or symptom severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection or that prostate cancer patients are at increased risk of COVID-19 compared with men without prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune liver disease that may progress into liver cirrhosis. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is known to prevent or delay the disease progression, but little is known about work incapacity in PBC patients. We aimed to compare clinical outcomes (transplantation-free survival; cirrhosis development) and sick leave in patients with PBC with and without UDCA therapy.

METHODS: The medical records of 526 patients with PBC diagnosed from 2004 to 2016 were reviewed retrospectively. Sick leave data retrieved from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency were analysed for a sub-cohort of patients and matched controls. Cox regression was used for analysis of clinical outcomes. Logistic and conditional logistic regressions were used for sick leave analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 10.6% of patients died and 3.4% received liver transplantation over a median follow-up time of 5.7 years. UDCA-untreated patients (HR 3.62 (95%CI 2.02-6.49)) and UDCA non-responders (HR 3.78 (95% CI 1.87-7.66)) had higher mortality or transplantation rates than UDCA responders. Patients with PBC had higher odds of sick leave (OR 2.50; 95% CI 1.69-3.70) than matched controls. Untreated patients were more likely to be on sick leave (OR 3.22; 95% CI 1.12-9.25) two years after diagnosis than UDCA responders.

CONCLUSION: Both untreated patients and UDCA non-responders had lower liver transplantation-free survival rates than UDCA responders. Patients with PBC were more likely to be on sick leave compared to matched controls from the general population.

Background Population-based studies have indicated an increase in bone turnover in hyperthyroidism with a subsequent decrease in bone mineral density and an increased risk of fractures, especially in postmenopausal women. However, heterogeneity between studies prevents a definitive conclusion. Graves' disease (GD) is an autoimmune disease, and it is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. The aim of this study was to investigate fracture risk in patients with GD. Methods A total of 2134 patients with incident GD and 21261 age, sex- and county-matched controls were included 16-18 years after diagnosis in a retrospective cohort study. Drug and patient national registries in Sweden were used to assess the risk of developing skeletal complications. Up to ten age, sex- and county-matched controls per patient were selected from databases from The National Board of Health and Welfare and Statistics Sweden. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals. Results There were no significant differences in fracture rates between GD and controls but after adjustment for co-morbidities, the data showed higher vertebral fracture rates in male GD patients aged >52 years compared to male controls, HR=2.83 (1.05-7.64). The rates of osteoporosis treatments as well as treatment with corticosteroids were higher in patients with GD. However, HR for the association between GD and fractures remained largely unchanged after adjustment for osteoporosis treatments and treatments with corticosteroids. Conclusions There were no significant differences in total fracture rate between GD and the general population. However, men older than 52 years had a higher vertebral fracture rate. This study also shows that patients with treated GD receive more osteoporosis treatments compared to the general population.

Background: Recent observational studies linked beta-adrenergic receptor blocker use with improved survival in patients with several cancer types, but there is no information on the potential effects of beta-blockers in patients with bladder cancer. Literature from pre-clinical studies is also limited, but urothelial cancer can exhibit significant overexpression of beta-adrenergic receptors relative to normal urothelial tissue, suggesting that urothelial cancer may benefit from beta-blockade therapy. We thus aimed to explore the possible association between beta-blocker use and bladder cancer-specific mortality (BCSM) among patients with urothelial bladder cancer.

Material and methods: Patients diagnosed during 2006-2014 and identified from the Swedish Cancer Register (n = 16,669) were followed until 31 December 2015. Cox regression was used to evaluate the association of beta-blockers dispensed within 90 days prior to cancer diagnosis with BCSM (primary outcome) and all-cause mortality, while controlling for socio-demographic factors, tumor characteristics, comorbidity, other medications and surgical procedures. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported.

Results: Overall, beta-blocker use was associated with lower BCSM [HR 0.88 (95%CI 0.81-0.96)]. Especially use of nonselective beta-blockers showed a clear inverse association in comparison with both nonuse [0.66 (0.50-0.86)] and use of other antihypertensive medications [0.72 (0.54-0.95)]. The inverse association was most pronounced among patients with locally advanced/metastatic disease: [0.35 (0.18-0.68)]. A lower-magnitude inverse association was observed for selective beta-blocker use [0.91 (0.83-0.99)]. Largely similar inverse associations were observed for hydrophilic [0.82 (0.70-0.95)] and lipophilic [0.91 (0.83-1.00)] beta-blocker use.

Conclusion: beta-blocker use, particularly of the nonselective type, was associated with lower BCSM, especially in patients with locally advanced/metastatic urothelial bladder cancer.

Swedish guidelines recommend cervical screening with primary HPV for women ≥ 30 years of age. The aim of this study was to compare an implemented HPV cervical screening programme in the Region of Örebro County from September 1, 2016, with the former cytology-based screening programme.

The clinical effectiveness by means of number of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) and cervical cancer cases detected in histology within 12 months after the screening test, together with cost implications were the main outcomes. Data were retrieved from the Swedish National Cervical Screening Registry between the years 2014-2015 (cytology based screening) and 2017-2018(HPV based screening), including screening information such as invitations and cytology and histology diagnoses.

The detection rate of HSIL + among women ≥ 30 years of age was 1.2 times higher with HPV screening, but data revealed an increase in direct colposcopy referral rate by 54% and a higher percentage of irrelevant findings (≤LSIL). Screening based on HPV for women ≥ 30 has increased yearly cost from 1 to 1.3 million EUR, while increasing the number of HSIL + identified. Two thirds of the total costs are from visits for screening samples in the programme.

HPV screening detected more cases of HSIL + compared to cytology screening among women ≥ 30 although high colposcopy rate, high rate of clinical irrelevant findings and higher costs were shown in the HPV-based screening programme, which implies that alterations in the screening programme in the future are important to consider.