Maud Hagman

• Karolinska Institutet

Background Disability pension has increased in recent decades and is seen as a public health and socioeconomic problem in Western Europe. In the Nordic countries, the increase has been particularly steep among young women. Purpose The aim was to analyze the influence of low social integration, socioeconomic risk conditions and different measures of...

The influence of family structure on the risk of going on disability pension (DP) was investigated among young women by analysing a short-term and long-term effect, controlling for potential confounding and the 'healthy mother effect'. This dynamic cohort study comprised all women born in Sweden between 1960 and 1979 (1.2 million), who were 20-43 y...

Sickness absence in Sweden is high, particularly in young women and the reasons are unclear. Many Swedish women combine parenthood and work and are facing demands that may contribute to impaired health and well-being. We compared mothers and women without children under different conditions, assuming increased sickness absence in mothers, due to ti...

To identify risk indicators for high stress and low mental energy as well as to describe psychosocial working conditions at different types of call centres. Participants: 1183 operators from 28 call centres in Sweden, both external and internal, with different levels of task complexity, ownership and geographical location. A cross sectional questio...

The authors studied self-reported health in women with and without children in relation to their work status (employed, student, job seeker or homemaker), work hours and having an employed partner. The study group comprised of 6515 women born in 1960-1979 who were interviewed in one of the Swedish Surveys of Living Conditions in 1994-2003. Self-rat...

To assess the influence of working conditions and individual factors on the incidence of neck and upper limb symptoms among professional computer users. The study is a prospective cohort study with an observation period of 10 months. A baseline questionnaire about symptoms in the neck, shoulder and arm/hand during previous month, individual factors...

The aim of the present analysis was to study health and well-being in mothers compared to women without children, and to analyze potential interactions with age and socioeconomic conditions. The study comprised 5,368 Swedish women born in 1960-1979 who were interviewed in any of the population-based Surveys of Living Conditions during the period 19...

Call centres (CCs) are one of the most rapidly growing types of workplaces in Sweden. The purpose of the study was to assess associations between exposures at CC work and symptoms in the Neck/shoulders and Arm/hand. Comparisons were made between internal and external CCs. An internal CC is a department or separate unit within a larger company with...

The musculoskeletal health among 57 operators at 1 call centre in Sweden was studied with 10 monthly follow-ups, parallel to a reference group of 1,226 professional computer users in other occupations. Operators at this call centre were more symptom-loaded than the other professional computer users in spite of their younger age and shorter exposure...

The aim of the present study was to describe working conditions and the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among male and female VDU operators, and to assess associations between work-related physical and psychosocial exposures and neck and upper limb symptoms by gender. The study population comprised a variety of occupations from both private...

To investigate possible neurotoxic effects in groups of aluminium pot room and foundry workers, aluminium welders, and a small group of workers exposed to aluminium in the production of flake powder. Exposure to aluminium was evaluated with aluminium concentrations in blood and urine as well as a questionnaire. The groups exposed to aluminium were...

The effect of a subchronic (4-week) exposure to low concentrations of toluene (40 or 80 parts per million, ppm) on the brain dopaminergic system has been examined in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. A unilateral lesion of the substantia nigra (SN) dopamine (DA) nerve cells was performed by injection of a low dose of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OH DA)....

The potential neurotoxicity of the solvent toluene to the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system was assessed in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Rats, 1 day after a unilateral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OH DA) into the substantia nigra, inhaled air or different concentrations of toluene (80, 300 or 1000 ppm), 6 h/day for 3 days. The animals w...

Electrocortical responses were assessed using two simulated aspects of visual signals encountered in traffic: the Glare Pressor Test (GPT) and Event-Related Potential Avoidance Task (ERPAT) among four groups of male professional drivers: 12 with ischemic heart disease (IHD), 12 hypertensives, 10 borderline hypertensives, 34 who were apparently heal...

The purpose was to study the effects on the nervous system in welders exposed to aluminium and manganese. The investigation included questionnaires on symptoms, psychological methods (simple reaction time, finger tapping speed and endurance, digit span, vocabulary, tracking, symbol digit, cylinders, olfactory threshold, Luria-Nebraska motor scale),...

Male pigmented rats (n = 36) were exposed to toluene and/or ethanol (1000 p.p.m. toluene in the inhaled air 21 hr/day, and 5.7-8.0% ethanol in the drinking water continuously) during 8 weeks. Electrophysiological recordings were made 1 week after the exposure. Auditory sensitivity (auditory brainstem response) was reduced only after exposures inclu...

Rats were exposed to xylene, to n-hexane, or to xylene together with n-hexane, each solvent 1000 p.p.m. (1000 + 1000 p.p.m. in mixed exposure), 18 hr/day, 7 days/week during 61 days. Neurophysiological recordings were made 2 days, 4 months, and 10 months after the end of exposure. Exposure to n-hexane alone, or xylene alone, caused a slight loss of...

Rats were exposed to n-hexane, toluene, or toluene together with n-hexane, each solvent 1000 p.p.m. (1000+ 1000 p.p.m. in combined exposure), 21 hr/day, 7 days/week during 28 days. Neurophysiological recordings were made 2 days, 3 months, and one year after end of exposure. A reduction in auditory sensitivity, recorded by click evoked auditory brai...

Albino (Sprague-Dawley) and pigmented (Norwegian Brown) male rats were exposed to 2,5-hexanediol (H; 1%) in their drinking water for 5 or 8 weeks, respectively. Half of the rats of each strain were housed in light (average 30 cd/cm2 inside cage, 12 h/day); the other half was kept in constant darkness. Control groups were studied in parallel under i...

Male albino (Sprague Dawley) and pigmented (Norwegian Brown) rats received 1% 2,5-hexanediol (H) in their drinking water for 5 or 8 weeks, respectively. The rats were housed either in 12 h light (average 30 cd/cm2 inside cage) and 12 h darkness (group LH) or in total darkness (group DH). Two control groups (Light only, LC; Darkness only, DC) were s...

To study the effects from low level exposure to manganese, 30 men at steel smelting works and 60 nonexposed reference subjects, were neurophysiologically examined using: (i) Electroencephalogram (EEG), Event related auditory evoked potential (AEP/P300), Brain stem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) and diadochokinesometry. No group differences concer...

In a study of the effects of low-level exposure to manganese (0.19-1.39 mg/m3 for 1-45 years) 30 men (aged 20-64 years) from two steel smelting works and 60 unexposed referents (aged 22-65 years) were examined with the use of a general health inquiry, electroencephalography, event-related auditory evoked potentials, brain-stem auditory evoked poten...