Læknablađiđ
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High blood pressure (HT) is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases which in 2010 caused one third of all mortality in the world. Untreated, HT can cause stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, dementia, kidney failure, atherosclerosis and eye diseases. The main aim of this study was to find out how HT is treated in primary care in the capital area of Iceland. ⋯ As has recently been shown in epidemiologic studies hypertension in Iceland is both underdiagnosed and undertreated although the country ranks high on both counts in international comparison. Furthermore, the fact that under half of hypertensive patients in general practice in the capital area reach the targeted treatment goals, cannot be considered an acceptable. Thus, it is of immense importance to improve both the diagnosis and the treatment of HT.
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Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CSVT) is the cause of 0.5%-1% of all strokes. CSVT can cause haemorrhage, cerebral infarction and increased intracranial pressure. Due to a variety of symptoms, CSVT can be difficult to diagnose. The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of CSVT in Iceland 2008-2020, risk factors, symptoms, treatment and outcome. ⋯ The incidence of CSVT in Iceland is in accordance with other studies. Headache was the most common symptom and oral contraceptives the most common risk factor among women. Most patients made a good recovery, which suggests a timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment for CSVT in Iceland.
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During 2004-2020 in total 18 anisakid larvae (Nematoda) were sent in to the Laboratory of Parasitology at Keldur for investigation and species identification. Fourteen had temporarily lived within the human body and were alive when detected, three were noticed alive in food just before being consumed, one larva was found dead. Pseudoterranova decipiens was found í 16 instances (89%), Anisakis simplex in two (11%). ⋯ In one case either sushi or plaice was believed to be the infection source, one person presumably got the larva participating in a sushi feast. In four cases the fish source remained unknown. Most often the larva was consumed in private homes, three persons believed to have gotten the larva when dining in a restaurant, a harbour worker got the worm when eating raw fish and the same baby got a larva on two different occasions in the kindergarten.
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A genetic counselling unit at Landspitali hospital (LSH) was established in 2006. Meanwhile, genetic testing has become an integral part of general health care. In this article we detail the outcome of genetic testing at the Department of Genetic and Molecular Medicine (DGM) at Landspitali over a five year period (2012-2017). Factors that were analyzed for the time period were: Number of patients, reason for referral, reason for genetic testing without genetic counselling and yield (proportion of positive tests) of genetic testing. ⋯ The number of individuals coming for genetic counselling increased every year over the time period. Reasons for referral were cancer-related in two-thirds of cases. Other reasons for referral included various other familial disorders. Most common were autosomal dominant disorders like myotonic dystrophy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and autosomal recessive disorders like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and GM1-gangliosidosis. Most common reasons for genetic testing outside of the LSH GC unit was because of managable diseases like hemochromatosis and F5/Prothrombin-related thrombophilia. Yield of genetic testing was assessed for a) known mutation testing / carrier testing, b) single gene testing, c) gene panel testing and d) whole genome and whole exome sequencing. Known mutation testing was positive in 33% of cases and single gene testing in 46% of cases. The yield of gene panel testing for cancer was found to be lower (20%) than gene panel testing for other disorders (40%). The yield of whole exome and whole genome sequencing was 46%.
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Lung cancer is the second and third most common cancer in Iceland for females and males, respectively. Although the incidence is declining, lung cancer still has the highest mortality of all cancers in Iceland. Symptoms of lung cancer can be specific and localized to the lungs, but more commonly they are unspecific and result in significant diagnostic delay. ⋯ Finally, and most importantly, recent advances in targeted chemotherapeutics and development of immunomodulating agents have made individual tailoring of treatment possible. Recent screening-trials with low-dose computed tomography show promising results in lowering mortality. This evidence-based review focuses on the most important developments in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, and includes Icelandic studies in the field.