Theodor Abelin

• Md, MPH
• Professor Emeritus at University of Bern

Starting in 1990, an increasing number of children in regions adjacent to the site of the Chernobyl nuclear accident have been diagnosed as suffering from thyroid cancer. Using available data up to 1994, the geographical distribution, time and cohort trends, age distribution and other characteristics of this epidemic are reviewed. The results show...

The Swiss health system results from a balance between federal and cantonal (state) legislation. Federal laws were instituted to combat infectious disease, certain other severe or widespread diseases, and alcohol and drug abuse; for the protection against harmful agents or substances; and on health and accident insurance. Cantonal implementation pe...

This paper describes the results of a unique "natural experiment" of the operation and cessation of a broadcast transmitter with its short-wave electromagnetic fields (6-22 MHz) on sleep quality and melatonin cycle in a general human population sample. In 1998, 54 volunteers (21 men, 33 women) were followed for 1 week each before and after shut-dow...

Objectives: The studies reported here investigated the association between health complaints and the vicinity to the short wave transmitter Schwarzenburg, and looked for evidence for a relationship between magnetic field exposure and sleep disturbances. Subjects and Methods: Between 1992 and 1998 two cross-sectional and two panel studies were perfo...

Examples from Switzerland: In Switzerland, as in other countries, several studies have demonstrated social inequality in health. The aim of this study is to demonstrate practical approaches to reducing these differences, as they offer themselves on the local level, and to analyse the implications for the functioning of local departments of Public H...

Over 500 cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed in Belarus between 1986 and 1995 among persons exposed as children (under 15 years of age) to radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl nuclear accident. There is little doubt that radioactive iodine isotopes emitted during the nuclear explosion and subsequent fire were instrumental in causing mali...

A pilot study was conducted to investigate the influence of electromagnetic fields in the short-wave range (3-30 MHz) radio transmitter signals on salivary melatonin concentration in dairy cattle. The hypothesis to be tested was whether EMF exposure would lower salivary melatonin concentrations, and whether removal of the EMF source would be follow...

Based on a sample of 623 employed men from the Berne Workplace Health Project ("Härz-As-Project") we studied the relationship between the occupational status and prevalence of cardiovascular risk indicators. Besides "biological" risk indicators, like high total cholesterol, low HDL-cholesterol, hypertension, and overweight, we also studied two beha...

Based on a sample of 623 employed men from the Berne Workplace Health Project (“Härz-As-Project”) we studied the relationship between the occupational status and prevalence of cardiovascular risk indicators. Besides “biological” risk indicators, like high total cholesterol, low HDL-cholesterol, hypertension, and overweight, we also studied two beha...

The aim of this study was to obtain an overview of the weight control programmes advertised in the Swiss press and to explore them in terms of their scientific basis and success rates. 875 advertisements and questionnaires from 507 patients and 52 advertisers were analyzed. Scientifically questionable methods usually remained ineffective. In contra...

There is debate on whether the reported increase in the number of cases of childhood thyroid cancer in Belarus is real and attributable to radiation released following the Chernobyl nuclear accident, or rather an artefact due to incorrect histological diagnosis, more complete case reporting and mass screening of children after the accident. We have...

The aim of this study was to obtain an overview of the weight control programmes advertised in the Swiss press and to explore them in terms of their scientific basis and success rates. 875 advertisements and questionnaires from 507 patients and 52 advertisers were analyzed. Scientifically questionable methods usually remained ineffective. In contra...

Both public health and social and preventive medicine are characterised by the common goal of promoting, maintaining and improving health and preventing disease, and both are concerned with a population-related, preventive and environmental perspective. But whereas public health is interdisciplinary and goes far beyond the medical focus, social and...

Recently, an impressive increase in malignant thyroid tumours has been observed among children less than 15 years of age living in the Republic of Belarus at the time of the nuclear accident of Chernobyl in 1986. More than half of these patients lived in the region of Gomel, nearest to Chernobyl. Because of the very short time interval between the...

In 1986, at the start of their training, 6877 male recruits were screened for the presence of anti-rubella IgG antibodies. 595 (9%) were seronegative. Of the latter group, 475 (80%) were retested in the week prior to discharge. During their four months of training, 113 (24%) exhibited seroconversion which proved acquisition of a rubella virus infec...

The german speaking countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland) are not the most advanced in the world when it comes to the control of tobacco related diseases. The medical system in these countries has yet to be convinced that smoking cessation is not only necessary but feasible. In order to provide a basic document for further activities, a consens...

The german speaking countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland) are not the most advanced in the world when it comes to the control of tobacco related diseases. The medical system in these countries has yet to be convinced that smoking cessation is not only necessary but feasible. In order to provide a basic document for further activities, a consens...

Salt with 3.75 mg iodide per kg was introduced in Switzerland stepwise in the individual cantons between 1922 and 1952. The iodide content was raised to 7.5 mg in 1962 and to 15 mg per kg in 1980. 92% of retail salt and 78% of all salt for human consumption (including salt used in industrial food processing) was iodized in 1989. Under this measure,...

Knowledge about the effects of smoking on the development of cardiovascular disease is constantly growing. As an example, we know today that myocardial infarction is more frequent among smokers, also among monozygous twins, and that the relative risk of women who smoke is comparable to that of male smokers. The mechanisms of action are in atherogen...

5 to 7% of adults in Switzerland are consumers of health damaging quantities of alcohol, and some 10% are drinkers at elevated risk of becoming alcoholics. The 7% of the adults who are the heaviest drinkers account for about half of the total alcohol consumed in Switzerland. Among middle-aged men and women, alcohol-related diseases are among the le...

The transdermal administration of nicotine by means of a transdermal nicotine system (TNS) affords a novel way of nicotine replacement to alleviate smoking cessation. The plasma levels of nicotine maintained with the TNS are in the range of the footpoint concentrations observed in smokers. The efficacy of the TNS was investigated in two placebo-con...

The smoking habits of workers were registered on occasion of chest-x-ray screening over the eleven years period from 1977 to 1987 in Berne, Switzerland. In 1977 about 52% of the males were smoking. During the eleven years a decrease in prevalence of smoking can be observed in the male population. The decrease is more pronounced among older than amo...

Cette étude a été conduite par l'Institut universitaire de médecine sociale et préventive à Lausanne, avec le financement de neuf administrations sanitaires cantonales. Son but a été d'examiner comment les DRG pourraient être utilisés en Suisse. La base de données utilisée provient essentiellement de la statistique médicale VESKA. La première étape...

Afin de tenir compte de ces recommandations pour notre alimentation quotidienne, il faut adapter aussi bien les menus domestiques destinés à la famille que les menus des cantines sur les lieux de travail, et ceci de façon simultanée. Ce but peut être atteint sans modifier nos traditions alimentaires, ni même notre approvisionnement. Le respect de c...

To investigate the effectiveness and tolerability of a transdermal nicotine system (TNS) as an aid towards easing smoking cessation, two double-blind placebo-controlled randomized field studies were performed. The TNS was available in sizes of 10, 20 and 30 cm2, delivering 7, 14 and 21 mg of nicotine per 24 h. A first study was undertaken in genera...

In this review of new developments in the field of "smoking and health", three questions are more closely analyzed. The first concerns the health consequences of passive smoking. Based on the example of bronchial carcinoma, evidence is shown on which independent expert committees have come to the conclusion that a causal relationship has to be acce...

A transdermal nicotine patch, which delivers 0.7 mg/cm2 per 24 h and is available in sizes of 10, 20, and 30 cm2 was tested in subjects from 21 general medical practices in a 3-month, placebo-controlled randomised double-blind study. The nicotine group (n = 100) and the placebo group (n = 99) were similar at entry. Participants who smoked more than...

The purpose of the present article is to describe the situation in which informal help is no longer sufficient, and thus to contribute to the understanding needed for the planning of organized services. Interviews were conducted with a stratified random sample of 480 over 65-year-olds in two urban areas of Switzerland representing a 80.4% response...

Using a survey questionnaire design, we investigated the incidence, site, and nature of jogging injuries among all participants of a popular 16 km race. The response rate was 83.6%. Of 4,358 male joggers, 45.8% had sustained jogging injuries during the 1 year study period, 14.2% had required medical care, and 2.3% had missed work because of jogging...

To investigate running activity, life-style, and endurance capacity of joggers, all competitors of a popular 16-km race were surveyed by questionnaire. The response rate was 83.6%, yielding a study population of 4358 male runners over age 16. In univariate analysis, there were significant associations between 16-km running time and weekly training...

Using a survey questionnaire design, we investigated the incidence, site, and nature of jogging injuries among all participants of a popular 16 km race. The response rate was 83.6%. Of 4,358 male joggers, 45.8% had sustained jogging injuries during the 1 year study period, 14.2% had required medical care, and 2.3% had missed work because of jogging...

Using data from two Swiss studies, a 20% random sample (n = 6,592) of all 19-year-old army conscripts and all male participants in a 16-km popular race (n = 4,358), we studied the relationships among smoking, alcohol consumption, and endurance capacity using univariate and multivariate analyses. Alcohol was significantly correlated with endurance c...

Résumé Analysée sur la base de la Statistique médicale VESKA, montre, pour la première fois, des indices sérieux pour une diminution de la morbidité par IM chez les hommes de moins de 65 ans en Suisse.

Hospitalization trends for Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) since 1974 have been analyzed on the basis of the Swiss Hospital Discharge Data Base. There are indications for a reduction of morbidity of AMI for men below 65 years.

As the number of old people increases, the need for a reliable statistical basis for socio-medical planning becomes more and more evident. Results of a representative survey in two cities of German-speaking Switzerland are presented, including correlations between the extent of need for assistance and predisposing factors. About half of the elderly...

In a sample of 4358 male joggers (= 76.1% of the participants in a popular 16 km race in Berne 1984) 45.8% of joggers sustained running-related injuries during a one year period. 14.2% sought medical help and 2.3% missed work because of jogging injuries. The most important factor in running-related injuries is (average) weekly mileage. Joggers see...

20 runners with wide range of endurance, competitors of a 10 miles popular race, performed a treadmill-test in the laboratory 19 to 13 days before the competition. The maximum aerobic capacity correlates highly (r = 0.91) with the real endurance, set as mean running speed during the competition. The running-speed-estimates derived from the fixed th...

When interviewing 480 people over 65 years, datas concerning diseases and functional disorders of internal organs as well as risk factors could be raised. According to this study, about 20% of the older population suffer from a heart disease. 6,6% of males and 2,7% of females suffer from cough with expectoration for more than three months per year....

Résumé Parmi les élèves du “Staatliches Lehrerseminar Biel” le nombre de fumeurs était plus bas en 1984 qu'en 1977. Tel fut le résultat de deux enquêtes par questionnaire consécutives. Etant donné que 80% des élèves sont des filles, cette observation représente la première documentation d'une diminution du taux des fumeurs parmi des jeunes filles e...

Résumé Le travail présente la méthode et les résultats d'une étude sur la qualité des données de la Statistique médicale VESKA. Au moins 95% des hospitalisations sont relevées par les participants à cette statistique. Les taux de concordance entre la fiche VESKA et la codification de côntrole varient sous l'influence de plusieurs facteurs. Les résu...

The National Research Program 1 A on "Primary Prevention of cardiovascular disease in Switzerland' was designed to determine whether community health education can reduce cardiovascular risk factors in the population. Two communities (12,000 inhabitants each) in the French speaking and two (16,000 inhabitants each) in the German speaking part of th...

A new multiple risk factor intervention program, combining a comprehensive, stepwise and health education-based approach, was tested in an outpatient setting. In the first 47 patients (aged 17-55, referred by their physicians) total cardiovascular risk (estimated by Framingham index) was reduced within the first 12 months by an average of 32.5%. Th...

The National Research Program 1 A on "Primary Prevention of cardiovascular disease in Switzerland' was designed to determine whether community health education can reduce cardiovascular risk factors in the population. Two communities (12,000 inhabitants each) in the French speaking and two (16,000 inhabitants each) in the German speaking part of th...

Zusammenfassung Eine Methode zur Hochrechnung gesamtschweizerischer Hospitalisationsraten anhand der VESKA-Diagnosenstatistik und der Betriebsstatistik der Spitäler wird vorgestellt. Am Beispiel der chronisch-obstruktiven Lungenkrankheiten wird die Methode für das Jahr 1982 angewendet. Es ergeben sich 33'430 Hospitalisationen mit dieser Diagnose.

Résumé Cette enquête compare la fréquence d'handicaps fonctionnels et la manière dont les personnes âgées reçoivent l'aide dont ils ont besoin, dans la population âgée d'une région montagnarde et celle d'une région urbanisée. Les handicaps fonctionnels sont plus fréquents dans la région montagnarde, où l'aide est prêtée par l'époux (épouse) ou par...

A method is presented for extrapolating the hospitalization rates for all Switzerland, using both VESKA diagnostic statistics and hospital administration data. The method is applied to chronic and obstructive lung diseases for the year 1982. A total of 33,430 hospitalizations is estimated with this diagnosis.

Based on identical interviews, the frequency of functional disability and the type of help for the handicapped is compared between the aged populations of a Swiss mountain valley and of an urban area. Functional disabilities are more frequent in the mountain population. When help is needed, the aged in the mountain area receive it from their spouse...

Sans résumé

Based upon two investigations involving a sample of the elderly in Basle and Berne and a sample of physicians in private practice throughout the country, a description of the ambulatory health care of the population of Switzerland aged 65 and over is presented. Significant results include the role of the family physician, home visits, the kind of t...

Résumé Un programme combiné — radiophotographie et mesure de la pression artérielle — pour le dépistage précoce des cas d'hypertension, qui sont adressés pour traitement au médecin de famille, a été soumis à une étude prospective. La cohorte examinée comportait 9493 sujets âgés de plus de 30 ans, actifs professionnellement. Le premier examen a déce...

There are very few reports in the literature on mass seroepidemiological studies of the prevalence of Q fever antibodies. Those to be found are mostly concerned with focal epidemics of Q fever. Out of more than 2000 serum specimens from blood donors analyzed at random in Switzerland in 1982 for Q fever antibodies, 3.5% gave seropositive results (CB...

In den Jahren 1975 und 1981 wurden in der deutsch- und der französischsprachigen Schweiz methodologisch vergleichbare Repräsentativerhebungen über das Rauchverhalten und die Einstellungen zum Rauchen durchgeführt. Bei den Männern von 15 bis 74 Jahren ist auf der Basis von 1975 eine Abnahme des Anteils der Raucher um 12% von zirka 52 auf 46% zu beob...