RESEARCH. For the eleventh time, the H70 and H85 population studies have been filled in with new probands, as the study participants are called. Akademiliv was there when Ulf Lundin went through the intensive examination day.
On this day, Ulf Lundin was examined for the fourth time within the population study of the elderly at the University of Gothenburg. He was here and examined at 70, 75 and 79 years of age, and is, therefore, something of a veteran in this context. Fifteen years ago, when he was asked to participate in the H70 population study, he did not hesitate to volunteer, despite the examination taking the entire day. The only reimbursement he gets is being invited to a coffee break and lunch.
“I actually believe that you are somewhat obligated to support research. And then, I get a thorough health examination, and for that, I am extremely grateful,” says Ulf Lundin, who during his working life, was a dentist in Gothenburg.
On this morning, he was busy answering questions from a large questionnaire, questions about everything between heaven and earth – family relationships, disease histories and if he knows who the prime minister is. He has also been given different memory tests.
“They placed about ten items in a row and then you had to remember them afterwards. I did quite well. I think that my memory has actually improved from my using a computer so much,” Ulf observes.
He is one of nearly 500 85-year-olds invited to the Geriatric Psychiatric Clinic on Wallinsgatan in Mölndal to undergo a comprehensive examination, at this time. At the same time, a study of approximately 1,200 70-year-olds born in 1944, who are the last birth cohort in the comprehensive H70 population study, in ending. Like Ulf, they will be followed up later at 75, 79 and 85 years of age.
Research nurse, Bosse Svenningsson, is responsible for the physical examination that follows lunch. A lot has to get done in the afternoon, there is not much time for planning. EKG, blood pressure, lung function, spirometry. New for this year’s examinations of 85-year-olds is a comprehensive examination with an MRI scan of the brain that takes about 40 minutes. The study has also been extended by several other elements, while the examinations that were previously conducted are repeated for this generation.
“It is important that each examination is done in the same way as before, otherwise, the results cannot be compared between the generations,” explains Bosse and notes that Ulf’s blood pressure looks good, but that his heart rhythm is a bit uneven.
The first H85 study resulted in more than 80 articles and several theses. Among other things, the research has included psychosis in the elderly, suicidal thoughts, what significance white matter damage has on the brain, depression, the significance of amyloid and tau levels in spinal fluid on the incidence of dementia as well as sexuality among the elderly.
“Through H70 and H85, we were able to show, for the first time, that high blood pressure and overweight increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The first H85 study also showed that cerebral vascular disease is a more common cause of dementia than what was previously believed,” says Ingmar Skoog, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of AgeCap, that was recently broadened within the framework of the University’s investment UGOT Challenges.
By the fall, the results based on the latest cohort in H70 will be released, and in approximately two years, the researchers at AgeCap (Centre for Ageing and Health) will be able to report the results from the latest examinations from H85, among which Ulf Lundin’s examination is included.
TEXT: ELIN LINDSTRÖM CLESSEN
PHOT: JOHAN WINGBORG
