A connection between alcoholism and cerebral damage as assessed by computed tomography (C-T scan) and neuropsychological tests has been reported in several studies on alcoholic patients (Carlen et al. 1976, Fox et al. 1976, Myrhed et al. 1976, Epstein et al. 1977, Cala et al. 1978, Hill 1978, Gotze et al. i978, Bergman et al. 1979a. However, relationships between changes of the brain as assessed by C-T scan, neuropsychological deficits, drinking habits and alcohol-related complications in the general population have not hitherto been presented.Some authors have tried to assess the cerebral morphological status among persons without alcohol problems by investigating various control groups. However, by the selection criteria of the groups they cannot be considered representative of a general population. Fox et al. investigated C-T scans from outpatients attending a department of internal medicine for symptoms such as headache, dizziness and nervousness. Hill used an unspecified group of 12 sexmatched subjects as controls to 30 abusers of either alcohol or opiates.Gyldensted (1977) reporte'd results of C-T scanning in 100 adults, 54 of whom, however, were inpatients at a neurological department. Elofsson et ul. (1900) investigated a group of industrial workers as controls for their investigation of industrial painters.The purpose of the present interdisciplinary study was to investigate a random sample of men from the general population with regard not only to the incidence and localization of morphological cerebral changes but also to neuropsychological performance in relation to drinking habits.
THE SUBJECT GROUPThe sample from the general population consisted of a group of 200 males living in the catchment area of the Karolinska Hospital, north of Stockholm. The sample was drawn randomly from the National Register covering all Swedish inhabitants and was stratified with regard to age. Forty men in each of the age groups 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60-65 years were sampled in order to achieve the same degree of precision for all age groups in the estimation of different parameters.
The purpose of this randomized, double-blind study was to examine the effect of GaAs laser therapy for tendinitis and myofascial pain in a sample from the general population of Åkersberga in the northern part of Greater Stockholm. 176 patients (of an original group of 200) completed the scheduled course of treatment. The patients were assigned randomly to either a laser group (92 patients, of whom 74 had tendinitis, completed the study) or a placebo group (84 patients, of whom 68 had tendinitis, completed the study). All 176 patients received six treatments during a period of 3-4 weeks. Their pain was estimated objectively using a pain threshold meter, and subjectively with a visual analogue scale before, at the end of, and four weeks after the end of treatment. Laser therapy had a significant, positive effect compared with placebo measured from the first assessment to the third assessment, four weeks after the end of treatment. Laser treatment was most effective on acute tendinitis.
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