Agneta Hilding

Bio: Agneta Hilding is an academic researcher from Karolinska Institutet. The author has contributed to research in topics: Type 2 diabetes & Diabetes mellitus. The author has an hindex of 30, co-authored 53 publications receiving 2814 citations. Previous affiliations of Agneta Hilding include Karolinska University Hospital.

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and incidence of cerebrovascular events: results from 11 European cohorts within the ESCAPE project.

Abstract: Background: Few studies have investigated effects of air pollution on the incidence of cerebrovascular events.Objectives: We assessed the association between long-term exposure to multiple air poll...

Psychological distress and risk of pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes in a prospective study of Swedish middle-aged men and women.

Abstract: Aims To determine the role of psychological distress as a predictor of pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Methods This cohort study comprised 2127 Swedish middle-aged men and 3100 women with baseline normal glucose tolerance measured by oral glucose tolerance test. At follow-up 8–10 years later, 245 men and 177 women had pre-diabetes [impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and IFG + IGT] and Type 2 diabetes was detected in 103 men and 57 women. Baseline psychological distress was measured by an index of five questions concerning anxiety, apathy, depression, fatigue and insomnia. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated for pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes in association with total psychological distress. In addition, ORs of the single-item questions were calculated. Results In men, adjusted ORs (95% confidence interval) in the highest index group of psychological distress compared with the lowest group were 1.9 (1.2–2.8) and 2.2 (1.2–4.1) for pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, respectively. Corresponding estimates in women were 1.2 (0.7–2.1) and 0.5 (0.2–1.2). In the middle symptoms groups, adjusted ORs in men were 1.1 (0.8–1.4) for pre-diabetes and 1.2 (0.7–2.0) for Type 2 diabetes and in women 1.8 (1.1–3.0) and 0.7 (0.3–1.4). When analysed separately, the associations with each of the five single factors were similar. Conclusions The results indicate that psychological distress, including symptoms of anxiety, apathy, depression, fatigue and insomnia, increases the risk of pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes in Swedish middle-aged men. Increased risks were not present in women, except for pre-diabetes in the middle index group.

Serum levels of insulin-like growth factor I in 152 patients with growth hormone deficiency, aged 19-82 years, in relation to those in healthy subjects.

Abstract: Serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels within normal range for age have been reported to be common in adults with GH deficiency (GHD). Therefore, serum IGF-I levels were determined in 152 consecutive patients (71 women and 81 men) with evidence of hypothalamic-pituitary disorders or previous cranial radiation, who fulfilled the presently used criteria for GHD i.e. peak GH response below 3μ g/L at stimulation test. Patients treated for acromegaly were excluded. Forty-three patients, aged 19–63 yr, had childhood onset GHD, and 109, aged 23–82 yr, had adult-onset GHD. Their IGF-I levels were expressed in sd scores in relation to normal reference values based on 448 healthy subjects, aged 20–96 yr (247 women and 201 men). In healthy subjects a linear inverse correlation, without gender difference, was found between logarithmic transformed IGF-I levels and age (r = −0.774; P < 0.001). In contrast, no age dependency was found in GHD patients. All patients with childhood-onset GHD had IGF-I values bel...

Aircraft noise and incidence of hypertension

Abstract: BACKGROUND: An association between aircraft noise exposure and hypertension prevalence has been suggested but there are no longitudinal studies of this association. Our aim was to investigate the influence of aircraft noise on the incidence of hypertension. METHODS: A cohort of 2754 men in 4 municipalities around Stockholm Arlanda airport was followed between 1992-1994 and 2002-2004. The cohort was based on the Stockholm Diabetes Preventive Program; half of the study subjects had a family history of diabetes. Residential aircraft noise exposure (expressed as time-weighted equal energy and maximal noise levels) was assessed by geographical information systems techniques among those living near the airport. Incident cases of hypertension were identified by physical examinations, including blood pressure measurements, and questionnaires in which subjects reported treatment or diagnosis of hypertension and information on cardiovascular risk factors. Analyses were restricted to 2027 subjects who completed the follow-up examination, were not treated for hypertension, and had a blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg at enrollment. RESULTS: For subjects exposed to energy-averaged levels above 50 dB(A) the adjusted relative risk for hypertension was 1.19 (95% CI = 1.03-1.37). Maximum aircraft noise levels presented similar results, with a relative risk of 1.20 (1.03-1.40) for those exposed above 70 dB(A). Stronger associations were suggested among older subjects, those with a normal glucose tolerance, nonsmokers, and subjects not annoyed by noise from other sources. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that long-term aircraft noise exposure may increase the risk for hypertension. Language: en

Metabolic profile and body composition in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome and severe obesity.

Abstract: Previous investigations of adults with the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) are few and have demonstrated severe obesity with increased morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular disease. It is, thus, important to identify risk factors and, if possible, start prevention. We studied the clinical, genetic, endocrinological, and metabolic findings in 19 adult PWS patients (10 men; mean age, 25 yr). The PWS karyotype was demonstrated in 13 patients. The mean body mass index was 35.6 kg/m(2), and total body fat was increased. Two thirds were biochemically hypogonadal. Fifty percent had severe GH deficiency (GHD). Four were hypertensive. One patient had heart failure and diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance was seen in 4 patients, elevated homeostasis model assessment index in 9 patients, and modest dyslipidemia in 7. IGF-binding protein-1 correlated negatively with insulin levels. Four patients had osteoporosis, and 11 had osteopenia. There was no significant difference between the group with the PWS karyotype and the group without the karyotype in age, body mass index, waist/hip ratio, percent body fat, insulin values, homeostasis model assessment index, or lipid profile, except for lipoprotein(a), which was significantly higher in the group with the negative karyotype. IGF-I and lumbar spine bone mineral density were significantly lower in patients with genetic alteration, indicating a more severe GHD. The risk factors found in this study predicting cardiovascular disease are interpreted as secondary to GHD. These findings point to the importance of evaluating treatment of GHD in adults with PWS.

Prolactin: Structure, Function, and Regulation of Secretion

Abstract: Prolactin is a protein hormone of the anterior pituitary gland that was originally named for its ability to promote lactation in response to the suckling stimulus of hungry young mammals. We now know that prolactin is not as simple as originally described. Indeed, chemically, prolactin appears in a multiplicity of posttranslational forms ranging from size variants to chemical modifications such as phosphorylation or glycosylation. It is not only synthesized in the pituitary gland, as originally described, but also within the central nervous system, the immune system, the uterus and its associated tissues of conception, and even the mammary gland itself. Moreover, its biological actions are not limited solely to reproduction because it has been shown to control a variety of behaviors and even play a role in homeostasis. Prolactin-releasing stimuli not only include the nursing stimulus, but light, audition, olfaction, and stress can serve a stimulatory role. Finally, although it is well known that dopamine of hypothalamic origin provides inhibitory control over the secretion of prolactin, other factors within the brain, pituitary gland, and peripheral organs have been shown to inhibit or stimulate prolactin secretion as well. It is the purpose of this review to provide a comprehensive survey of our current understanding of prolactin's function and its regulation and to expose some of the controversies still existing.

The Epidemiology of Obesity: A Big Picture

Abstract: The epidemic of overweight and obesity presents a major challenge to chronic disease prevention and health across the life course around the world. Fueled by economic growth, industrialization, mechanized transport, urbanization, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, and a nutritional transition to processed foods and high-calorie diets over the last 30 years, many countries have witnessed the prevalence of obesity in its citizens double and even quadruple. A rising prevalence of childhood obesity, in particular, forebodes a staggering burden of disease in individuals and healthcare systems in the decades to come. A complex, multifactorial disease, with genetic, behavioral, socioeconomic, and environmental origins, obesity raises the risk of debilitating morbidity and mortality. Relying primarily on epidemiologic evidence published within the last decade, this non-exhaustive review discusses the extent of the obesity epidemic, its risk factors-known and novel-, sequelae, and economic impact across the globe.