IntroductionThe aim of the present multicenter study was to assess long term (36 months) health related quality of life in patients after critical illness, compare ICU survivors health related quality of life to that of the general population and examine the impact of pre-existing disease and factors related to ICU care on health related quality of life.MethodsProspective, longitudinal, multicentre trial in three combined medical and surgical intensive care units of one university and two general hospitals in Sweden. By mailed questionnaires, health related quality of life was assessed at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after the stay in ICU by EQ-5D and SF-36, and information of pre-existing disease was collected at the 6 months measure. ICU related factors were obtained from the local ICU database. Comorbidity and health related quality of life (EQ-5D; SF-36) was examined in the reference group. Among the 5306 patients admitted, 1663 were considered eligible (>24 hrs in the intensive care unit, and age ≥ 18 yrs, and alive 6 months after discharge). At the 6 month measure 980 (59%) patients answered the questionnaire. Of these 739 (75%) also answered at 12 month, 595 (61%) at 24 month, and 478 (47%) answered at the 36 month measure. As reference group, a random sample (n = 6093) of people from the uptake area of the hospitals were used in which concurrent disease was assessed and adjusted for.ResultsOnly small improvements were recorded in health related quality of life up to 36 months after ICU admission. The majority of the reduction in health related quality of life after care in the ICU was related to the health related quality of life effects of pre-existing diseases. No significant effect on the long-term health related quality of life by any of the ICU-related factors was discernible.ConclusionsA large proportion of the reduction in the health related quality of life after being in the ICU is attributable to pre-existing disease. The importance of the effect of pre-existing disease is further supported by the small, long term increment in the health related quality of life after treatment in the ICU. The reliability of the conclusions is supported by the size of the study populations and the long follow-up period.

IntroductionThe aim of the present prospective multicenter cohort study was to examine the prevalence of sleep disturbance and its relation to the patient's reported health-related quality of life after intensive care. We also assessed the possible underlying causes of sleep disturbance, including factors related to the critical illness.MethodsBetween August 2000 and November 2003 we included 1,625 consecutive patients older than 17 years of age admitted for more than 24 hours to combined medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs) at three hospitals in Sweden. Conventional intensive care variables were prospectively recorded in the unit database. Six months and 12 months after discharge from hospital, sleep disturbances and the health-related quality of life were evaluated using the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-form Health Survey, respectively. As a nonvalidated single-item assessment, the quality of sleep prior to the ICU period was measured. As a reference group, a random sample (n = 10,000) of the main intake area of the hospitals was used.ResultsThe prevalence of self-reported quality of sleep did not change from the pre-ICU period to the post-ICU period. Intensive care patients reported significantly more sleep disturbances than the reference group (P < 0.01). At both 6 and 12 months, the main factor that affected sleep in the former hospitalised patients with an ICU stay was concurrent disease. No effects were related to the ICU period, such as the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation score, the length of stay or the treatment diagnosis. There were minor correlations between the rate and extent of sleep disturbance and the health-related quality of life.ConclusionThere is little change in the long-term quality of sleep patterns among hospitalised patients with an ICU stay. This applies both to the comparison before and after critical care as well as between 6 and 12 months after the ICU stay. Furthermore, sleep disturbances for this group are common. Concurrent disease was found to be most important as an underlying cause, which emphasises that it is essential to include assessment of concurrent disease in sleep-related research in this group of patients.

Background and Purpose-Stroke mortality is decreasing in Sweden, as is the case in other Western European countries.However, both decreases and increases have been reported in Sweden for persons younger than age 65 years. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of stroke in Sweden between the periods 1989 and 1991 and 1998 and 2000 in persons aged 30 to 65 years. Methods-All first-ever stroke patients aged 30 to 65 years in the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register between 1989 and 2000 were included. Results-The age-standardized, 3-year average incidence increased by 19%, from 98.9 to 118.0 per 100 000 among men, and by 33%, from 48.4 to 64.4 among women, between 1989 and 1991 and 1998 and 2000. The largest increase was seen among those younger than 60 years. On a county level, the change in age-standardized stroke incidence varied from small decreases (Ϫ3%) to large increases (82%). Conclusion-Stroke incidence increased in Sweden for both men and women between 1989 and 2000. The increase was larger among women. This calls for action when it comes to studying risk factors and planning for prevention and health promotion and indicates the need for gender-specific studies.

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Preexisting diseases significantly affect the extent of the decline of health-related quality of life after critical care, and this effect may have been underestimated in the past. As most patients who are admitted to an intensive care unit have at least one preexisting disease, it is important to account for these effects when examining outcome.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of aluminum-formulated intralymphatic glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD-alum) therapy combined with vitamin D supplementation in preserving endogenous insulin secretion in all patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) or in a genetically prespecified subgroup. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, 109 patients aged 12–24 years (mean ± SD 16.4 ± 4.1) with a diabetes duration of 7–193 days (88.8 ± 51.4), elevated serum GAD65 autoantibodies, and a fasting serum C-peptide &gt;0.12 nmol/L were recruited. Participants were randomized to receive either three intralymphatic injections (1 month apart) with 4 μg GAD-alum and oral vitamin D (2,000 IE daily for 120 days) or placebo. The primary outcome was the change in stimulated serum C-peptide (mean area under the curve [AUC] after a mixed-meal tolerance test) between baseline and 15 months. RESULTS Primary end point was not met in the full analysis set (treatment effect ratio 1.091 [CI 0.845–1.408]; P = 0.5009). However, GAD-alum–treated patients carrying HLA DR3-DQ2 (n = 29; defined as DRB1*03, DQB1*02:01) showed greater preservation of C-peptide AUC (treatment effect ratio 1.557 [CI 1.126–2.153]; P = 0.0078) after 15 months compared with individuals receiving placebo with the same genotype (n = 17). Several secondary end points showed supporting trends, and a positive effect was seen in partial remission (insulin dose–adjusted HbA1c ≤9; P = 0.0310). Minor transient injection site reactions were reported. CONCLUSION Intralymphatic administration of GAD-alum is a simple, well-tolerated treatment that together with vitamin D supplementation seems to preserve C-peptide in patients with recent-onset T1D carrying HLA DR3-DQ2. This constitutes a disease-modifying treatment for T1D with a precision medicine approach.

Perceived participation and problems in participation are determinants of life satisfaction in people with SCI. The results emphasize the importance to focus on severe problems with participation in order to optimize life satisfaction during the rehabilitation after SCI.

This study indicates that cognitive functions important for safe driving may be influenced after cardiac surgery.