A major decline in cardiovascular disease risk factors has been observed in the last 20 years in Finland. This decline was associated with the launch of the national demonstration project in North Karelia in the 1970s and with subsequent major national activities thereafter.

Counting of IELs is recommended in borderline cases where the histology is difficult to interpret. An increase especially in gammadelta+ cells strengthens the probability of CD. However, IELs are not invariably increased in CD.

Study objective-The aim was to examine (1) whether health habits are associated with body fat distribution, as measured by the waist/hip girth ratio, and (2)

This cross-sectional analysis examined associations between alcohol intake and subjective health in a random sample (n = 6,040) drawn from the general population aged 25-64 years in Finland in 1992. Self-reported health was good for 3,375 persons and average or poor (suboptimal) for 2,665 persons. Crude odds ratios suggested a U-shaped pattern between alcohol intake and suboptimal health. The pattern took more of a J-shape after data were controlled for sex, age, education, marital status, lack of close friends, being on a disability pension, smoking, being an ex-drinker, and having decreased one's alcohol intake during the past 12 months because of health problems. An interaction was found between alcohol and smoking. The pattern of alcohol odds ratios showed a J-shaped association among never smokers, and a similar pattern was suggested among ex-smokers and current smokers. Among never smokers, the lowest risk was found at the alcohol consumption level of 100-199 g/week (odds ratio (OR) = 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38-0.89). The highest risk was found among persons who regularly smoked > or = 20 cigarettes per day and drank > or = 300 g/week (OR = 4.44, 95% CI 2.36-8.36). The risk for ex-drinkers did not differ from that for lifelong abstainers (OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.62-1.28), but persons who had decreased their alcohol intake during the past 12 months because of health problems had a higher risk (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.05-1.39). The authors conclude that moderate alcohol intake is related to a self-perception of good health.

No abstract