NEW STUDY. Introducing copayment elimination in primary care for the over-85s has not caused a rise in the number of health care visits. In terms of achieving the intended effect, the reform thus appears to have failed, a University of Gothenburg study shows. The study, published in the Journal of Health Economics, is based on register data from 2014–2018 in Region Stockholm and Region Västra Götaland. Nationwide, primary care has…
New prostate cancer diagnostic pathway paves way for general screening
NEW STUDY. In screening for prostate cancer, the risk of overdiagnosis can be halved, a University of Gothenburg study shows. With the diagnostic pathway that has now been tried out, considerably fewer harmless tumors are found. This solves a big problem and makes general screening feasible. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, part of Gothenburg University, and Sahlgrenska University Hospital performed the present study, which is now published in The New England…
Light physical activity linked to milder symptoms from intracerebral hemorrhage
NEW STUDY. Four hours of light physical activity per week can now be linked to milder symptoms from intracerebral hemorrhage, and also to better survival rates, a University of Gothenburg study shows. Intracerebral hemorrhage is the most serious type of stroke with few treatment options. About one in ten cases of stroke is an intracerebral hemorrhage, a condition caused by bleeding within the brain tissue, with high risk of death…
Severe obesity in youth a risk factor for early atrial fibrillation
NEW STUDY. Severe or morbid obesity at age 18 may be linked to an elevated risk of atrial fibrillation in younger middle age. This is shown by a University of Gothenburg study comprising data on roughly 1.7 million men in Sweden. The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, is based on analysis of nationwide register data on 1,704,467 men who signed up military service in Sweden…
Adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with inactive inflammatory bowel disease
NEW STUDY. Inflammatory bowel disease is a risk factor for giving birth preterm even when in apparent disease remission, a University of Gothenburg study shows. If corroborated, the results may eventually affect recommendations for women with ulcerative colitis who tries to conceive. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is chronic inflammatory disease with a prevalence of approximately 0.5 percent. IBD, which includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, and – unlike irritable bowel…