The degree of protection from moderate doses of alcohol should be reconsidered. Further research investigating the effect of drinking patterns on the risk of coronary heart disease should be performed. Caution in making general recommendations is needed.

Mental disorders and their comorbidities are distributed unevenly between sexes and age groups, are particularly associated with marital and employment status, and vary by region. There appears to be no single population subgroup at high risk for all mental disorders, but rather several different subgroups at risk for particular disorders or comorbidity patterns.

No abstract

This study was designed to estimate the relative cancer risk of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, with reference to different treatments. A cohort of 5687 hospitalized patients with psoriasis obtained from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register in 1973-84 was linked with the records of the Finnish Cancer Registry. Standardized incidence ratios for cancer were calculated by dividing the observed number of cases by the expected cases, which were based on the national sex-specific and age-specific cancer incidence rates. By the end of 1995, 533 cancer cases were observed in the cohort. The overall cancer incidence was increased (standardized incidence ratio 1.3, 95% confidence interval 1.2-1.4). The estimated relative risks were highest for Hodgkin's disease (standardized incidence ratio 3.3, 95% confidence interval 1.4-6.4), squamous cell skin carcinoma (standardized incidence ratio 3.2, 95% confidence interval 2.3-4.4), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (standardized incidence ratio 2.2, 95% confidence interval 1.4-3.4), and laryngeal cancer (standardized incidence ratio 2.9, 95% confidence interval 1.5-5.0). The role of prior oral antipsoriatic medications or phototherapy on the development of these cancers was assessed in a nested case-control study, for which 67 cases and 199 sex and age matched controls were selected from the psoriasis cohort. The relative risks were estimated using conditional logistic regression analysis. Oral 8-methoxy-psoralen plus ultraviolet-A radiation therapy and the use of retinoids were associated with an increased risk of squamous cell skin carcinoma (relative risk adjusted for the other treatment variables 6.5, 95% confidence interval 1.4-31, and 7.4, 95% confidence interval 1.4-40, respectively), whereas none of the treatments could be linked with the occurrence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

cases.-Undoubtedly, therefore, the main factor contributing to the inferior quality of coronary arteriograms in the district general hospital was the imaging and recording equipment itself, which was unable to compete with the purpose built system in the catheter laboratory.Thus quality of image is the main constraint on coronary arteriography using the conventional facilities of a radiology department in a district general hospital. As Main outcome measures-Results of clinical examination and self administered questionnaire assessing lifestyle and alcohol intake during two specified periods-namely, 12 months before the onset of skin disease and 12 months before the date of examination.Results -Recalled mean alcohol intake before the onset of skin diseases was 42-9 g/day among the patients with psoriasis and 21-0 g/day among the controls. In logistic regression analysis psoriasis was associated with alcohol intake but not with coffee consumption, smoking, age, marital state, or social group. The odds ratio for psoriasis at an alcohol intake of 100 g/day compared with no intake was 2-2 (95% confidence interval 1-3 to 3.9). The controls decreased their alcohol intake after the onset of the disease but the group with psoriasis did not. Analysis of serum enzyme values showed that y-glutamyltransferase activity was significantly correlated with alcohol intake (r=0-35), the mean activity being 75-0 U/l among patients with psoriasis and 41-9 U/l among controls.Conclusions -Alcohol is a risk factor for psoriasis in young and middle aged men, and psoriasis may sustain drinking.