Prev Med

Consumption of alcohol in the presence of hepatitis C virus is an additive risk for liver damage.

Year 1998
Ohta S. Watanabe Y. Nakajima T.
Department of Public Health, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
BACKGROUND: Whether alcohol consumption influences the development of hepatitis C in the presence of a latent infection needs to be determined. METHODS: The interaction between alcohol intake and hepatitis C virus infection with regard to development of liver injury was cross-sectionally investigated for 399 inhabitants of a town in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. In this town, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection is 32.4%. RESULTS: The levels of indicators of liver function were significantly higher among subjects of both sexes who carried the antibody to hepatitis C virus than among those without the antibody. Among men, higher levels of liver function were more frequent among alcohol drinkers than among nondrinkers, suggesting that alcohol consumption may aid in the development of liver injury, even among subjects with a latent hepatitis C virus infection. gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase activity was more sharply increased in relation to alcohol intake among subjects with hepatitis C virus infection than among those without it, suggesting that the presence of infection will influence alcohol-induced liver damage. CONCLUSION: Alcohol consumption and a concomitant hepatitis C virus infection apparently facilitate the development of hepatitis.

Intention to screen for colorectal cancer among white male employees.

Year 1998
Myers RE. Vernon SW. Tilley BC. Lu M. Watts BG.
Department of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA.
BACKGROUND: This study identifies factors associated with employee intention to participate in a company-sponsored program of continuous screening for colorectal cancer. Automobile industry pattern and model makers who had been offered screening for over a decade were included in the study. METHODS: Data were collected at the outset of a randomized trial of screening and nutrition interventions. A baseline survey was mailed to 4,490 white men without a history of colorectal cancer. This mailing generated complete responses from 2,693 (60%) individuals. Survey data obtained for these men, including measures of cognitive and psychological representations related to colorectal screening, social influence, and intention to screen, were supplemented by background information gathered from employment records of these men. Workplace screening services were documented via a survey of plant health care professionals. RESULTS: Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported a high level of intention to screen. Multivariate analyses showed that intention to screen was positively associated with employee past participation in screening, belief in the salience and coherence of screening, belief in screening efficacy, perceived self-efficacy, belief that polyp removal prevents colorectal cancer, perceived personal susceptibility to colorectal cancer or polyps, receptivity to family member support for screening, and workplace scheduling of screening examinations. CONCLUSIONS: Factors associated with intention to screen may contribute to participation in continuous screening programs. Research is needed to assess the impact of interventions that facilitate appointment scheduling, provide tailored education about screening, and encourage lay support.