Mortality and cardiovascular disease outcomes among 740 patients with new-onset Type 2 diabetes detected by screening or clinically diagnosed in general practice.

AIM: Screening for Type 2 diabetes among people at high risk is recommended by many organizations. The aim of this study was to analyse all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes in patients with Type 2 diabetes detected by screening or diagnosed clinically. METHODS: A diabetes register was established at the primary healthcare centre in Laxå, Sweden beginning in 1972. The register was based on data from clinical records with information on medical treatment and laboratory data, as well as all-cause mortality, CVD, myocardial infarction and stroke events from national registers until 31 December 2013. A total of 740 patients with new-onset Type 2 diabetes were registered between 1972 and 2001. In addition, an opportunistic diabetes-screening programme involving people aged 35-79 years started in 1983 and was repeated onwards in 5-year cycles. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics showed a significantly higher CVD risk, mainly depending on more prevalent CVD events in the screened compared with the clinically detected group (propensity score 0.59 vs. 0.46, P < 0.0001). After mean follow-up periods of 12.9 and 13.6 years for screening detected vs. clinically detected patients, respectively, hazard ratios were as follows: all-cause mortality, 0.99 (P = 0.89); CVD, 1.17 (P = 0.10); myocardial infarction, 1.08 (P = 0.49); and stroke, 1.03 (P = 0.83). CONCLUSIONS: No reduction in total mortality or CVD outcomes was found in patients with Type 2 diabetes that was detected by screening compared with those diagnosed clinically.

Prevalence and incidence of diabetes mellitus: a nationwide population-based pharmaco-epidemiological study in Sweden.

AIM: To investigate the changes in prevalence and incidence of pharmacologically and non-pharmacologically treated diabetes in Sweden during 2005 to 2013. METHODS: We obtained data on gender, date of birth and pharmacologically and non-pharmacologically treated diabetes from national registers for all Swedish residents. RESULTS: During the study period a total of 240 871 new cases of pharmacologically treated diabetes was found. The age-standardized incidence during the follow-up was 4.34 and 3.16 per 1000 individuals in men and women, respectively. A decreasing time trend in incidence for men of 0.6% per year (0.994, 95% CI 0.989-0.999) and for women of 0.7% per year (0.993, 95% CI 0.986-0.999) was observed. The age-standardized prevalence increased from 41.9 and 29.9 per 1000 in 2005/2006 to 50.8 and 34.6 in 2012/2013 in men and women, respectively. This corresponds to an annually increasing time trend for both men (1.024, 95% CI 1.022-1.027) and women (1.019, 95% CI 1.016-1.021). The total age-standardized prevalence of pharmacologically and non-pharmacologically treated diabetes (2012) was 46.9 per 1000 (55.6 for men and 38.8 for women). This corresponds to an annually increasing time trend (2010-2012) for both men (1.017, 95% CI 1.013-1.021) and women (1.012, 95% CI 1.008-1.016). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of pharmacologically treated diabetes increased moderately during 8 years of follow-up, while the incidence decreased modestly. This is in contrast to the results reported by most other studies. The total prevalence of diabetes (both pharmacologically and non-pharmacologically treated) in Sweden is relatively low, from a global viewpoint.

Health-related quality of life in children with objectively diagnosed staple food allergy assessed with a disease-specific questionnaire.

AIM: Among Swedish children of 0-12 years old, we investigated various food allergy-related exposures associated with health-related quality of life using a food allergy-specific questionnaire among children allergic to the staple foods cow's milk, hen's egg and/or wheat, and contextualised worse food allergy-associated health-related quality of life using a generic questionnaire versus controls. METHODS: In total, 85 children with objectively diagnosed allergy to the staple foods were included as cases, and 94 children matched for age and sex were included as controls. We administered a food allergy-specific parent-completed questionnaire originally developed by EuroPrevall to cases only, and a generic health-related quality of life questionnaire (EuroQol Health Questionnaire, 5 Dimensions; EQ 5-D); to both cases and controls. RESULTS: Hen's egg was the most common offending staple food, affecting 76% of cases. Approximately 7% of cases were allergic to all three staple foods. Parent-reported respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms were associated with worse health-related quality of life. Elements of disease severity [previous anaphylaxis (p < 0.001); epinephrine autoinjector prescription (p < 0.003)] were negatively associated with health-related quality of life. Cases had worse health-related quality of life measured by the EQ-5D compared to controls (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The use of a disease-specific questionnaire revealed that disease severity in children with objectively diagnosed allergy to the staple foods cow's milk, hen's egg and/or wheat is associated with worse health-related quality of life. The use of a generic questionnaire confirmed that cases have worse health-related quality of life than controls.

Socioeconomic evaluation of well-characterized allergy to staple foods in adults.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate if total, direct, indirect, and intangible costs differ between a cohort of adults with well-characterized allergy to staple foods ('cases') and controls. METHODS: Swedish adults with objectively diagnosed food allergy to cow's milk, hen's egg, and/or wheat were recruited at an outpatient allergy clinic. Controls age- and sex-matched to cases were recruited from the same geographic area. For assessing the household costs of food allergy, a disease-specific socioeconomic questionnaire, developed within EuroPrevall, was utilized. RESULTS: Overall annual total costs at the household level were significantly higher among adults with food allergy compared with controls (the difference amounted to 8164 €), whereas direct costs did not differ between cases and controls. However, household healthcare costs and costs for medicines were significantly higher for cases vs controls. Furthermore, indirect costs were significantly higher for households with food-allergic adults vs households without food-allergic adults. Specifically, more time was spent on performing domestic tasks due to a family member's food-allergy-related illness, as well as shopping and preparing food, and seeking food-allergy-related information. Presence of food allergy also affected intangible costs. Adults with food allergy experienced overall lower health status compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: Swedish adults with allergy to staple foods have higher total costs determined as direct, indirect, and intangible costs using the disease-specific socioeconomic questionnaire. Thus, total costs were 8164 € higher per year in households with at least one adult allergic to staple foods compared with controls.

Effects of fasting blood glucose levels and blood pressure and treatment of diabetes and hypertension on the incidence of cardiovascular disease: a study of 740 patients with incident Type 2 diabetes with up to 30 years' follow-up.

AIMS: To analyse the effects of hyperglycaemia and hypertension and treatment of diabetes and hypertension on cardiovascular disease incidence in patients with Type 2 diabetes with up to 30 years of follow-up. METHODS: A total of 740 patients with incident Type 2 diabetes were registered at the Laxå Primary Health Care Centre, Sweden between 1972 and 2001. Annual data on mean fasting blood glucose, systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure, and type of diabetes and hypertension treatment were obtained from patient records, and information on cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction and stroke events was obtained from national registers. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, cumulative cardiovascular disease incidence increased significantly with male sex (hazard ratio 1.48, 95% CI 1.21-1.82), number of previous cardiovascular disease events (hazard ratio 1.13, 95% CI 1.08-1.18), age, per year (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.04-1.07), mean fasting blood glucose, per mmol/l (hazard ratio 1.05, 95% CI 1.00-1.10) BMI (hazard ratio 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.06), mean arterial blood pressure, per mmHg (hazard ratio 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03), and decreased significantly with metformin treatment (hazard ratio 0.58, 95% CI 0.38-0.90) and sulfonylurea (hazard ratio 0.73, 95% CI 0.55-0.97). Cumulative myocardial infarction incidence increased significantly with male sex, number of previous myocardial infarction events, mean fasting blood glucose level, BMI, age and mean arterial blood pressure, and decreased with metformin treatment. Cumulative stroke incidence increased with number of previous stroke events, age and mean arterial blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: The cumulative incidence of cardiovascular disease and myocardial infarction increased with number of previous events and presence of hyperglycaemia and hypertension and decreased with pharmacological treatment of diabetes. A higher number of previous stroke events increased the cumulative incidence of stroke but no protective effect of pharmacological treatment was observed.

Effects of fasting blood glucose, diabetes treatment, blood pressure and anti-hypertension treatment on cardiovascular disease incidence: a 30-year follow-up study of 740 incident patients with Type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: To analyse the effects of hyperglycaemia and blood pressure, diabetes and anti-hypertension treatment on total and various types of cardiovascular disease incidence in patients with Type 2 diabetes followed for 30 years. METHODS: A total of 740 incident patients with Type 2 diabetes were registered at the Laxå Primary Health Care Centre, Sweden between 1972 and 2001. Information on systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure, mean fasting blood glucose, type of diabetes and anti-hypertension treatment was obtained from the patient records, and information on cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction and stroke events from National Registers. RESULTS: During the follow-up period the cumulative incidence of cardiovascular disease increased significantly with male sex (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.25-1.85), age (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.04-1.07), year of diabetes onset (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05), BMI, (HR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.07), mean arterial blood pressure (HR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.05) and number of previous cardiovascular disease events (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.10-1.21), and decreased significantly with sulfonylurea treatment (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.49-0.84), insulin (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.33-0.98) and calcium channel blocker treatment (HR, 0.69, 95% CI 0.48-0.99). Cumulative incidence of myocardial infarction increased significantly with male sex, age, BMI, mean arterial blood pressure, number of previous myocardial infarction events and diuretic treatment, and decreased with metformin treatment. Cumulative incidence of stroke increased with age, year of diabetes onset, mean arterial blood pressure, and previous number of stroke events. CONCLUSIONS: Cumulative cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction and incidence of stroke increased with number of previous events and presence of hypertension and decreased with pharmacological anti-diabetic treatment and, to a lesser extent, with anti-hypertension treatment.

2022 update to the position statement by Primary Care Diabetes Europe: a disease state approach to the pharmacological management of type 2 diabetes in primary care.

Type 2 diabetes and its associated comorbidities are growing more prevalent, and the complexity of optimising glycaemic control is increasing, especially on the frontlines of patient care. In many countries, most patients with type 2 diabetes are managed in a primary care setting. However, primary healthcare professionals face the challenge of the growing plethora of available treatment options for managing hyperglycaemia, leading to difficultly in making treatment decisions and contributing to treatment and therapeutic inertia. This position statement offers a simple and patient-centred clinical decision-making model with practical treatment recommendations that can be widely implemented by primary care clinicians worldwide through shared-decision conversations with their patients. It highlights the importance of managing cardiovascular disease and elevated cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes and aims to provide innovative risk stratification and treatment strategies that connect patients with the most effective care.

Health effects of reduced occupational sedentary behaviour in type 2 diabetes using a mobile health intervention: a study protocol for a 12-month randomized controlled trial-the ROSEBUD study.

BACKGROUND: Short-term trials conducted in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) showed that reducing sedentary behaviour by performing regular short bouts of light-intensity physical activity enhances health. Moreover, support for reducing sedentary behaviour may be provided at a low cost via mobile health technology (mHealth). There are a wide range of mHealth solutions available including SMS text message reminders and activity trackers that monitor the physical activity level and notify the user of prolonged sitting periods. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a mHealth intervention on sedentary behaviour and physical activity and the associated changes in health in adults with T2DM. METHODS: A dual-arm, 12-month, randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted within a nationwide Swedish collaboration for diabetes research in primary health care. Individuals with T2DM (n = 142) and mainly sedentary work will be recruited across primary health care centres in five regions in Sweden. Participants will be randomized (1:1) into two groups. A mHealth intervention group who will receive an activity tracker wristband (Garmin Vivofit4), regular SMS text message reminders, and counselling with a diabetes specialist nurse, or a comparator group who will receive counselling with a diabetes specialist nurse only. The primary outcomes are device-measured total sitting time and total number of steps (activPAL3). The secondary outcomes are fatigue, health-related quality of life and musculoskeletal problems (self-reported questionnaires), number of sick leave days (diaries), diabetes medications (clinical record review) and cardiometabolic biomarkers including waist circumference, mean blood pressure, HbA1c, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. DISCUSSION: Successful interventions to increase physical activity among those with T2DM have been costly and long-term effectiveness remains uncertain. The use of mHealth technologies such as activity trackers and SMS text reminders may increase awareness of prolonged sedentary behaviour and encourage increase in regular physical activity. mHealth may, therefore, provide a valuable and novel tool to improve health outcomes and clinical management in those with T2DM. This 12-month RCT will evaluate longer-term effects of a mHealth intervention suitable for real-world primary health care settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04219800 . Registered on 7 January 2020.

Exposure to candesartan during the first trimester of pregnancy in type 1 diabetes: experience from the placebo-controlled DIabetic REtinopathy Candesartan Trials.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The teratogenic consequences of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy are well described. However, the consequences of exposure during the first trimester are unclear, especially in diabetes. We report the experience from DIRECT (DIabetic REtinopathy and Candesartan Trials), three placebo-controlled studies designed to examine the effects of an ARB, candesartan, on diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Over 4 years or longer, 178 normotensive women with type 1 diabetes (86 randomised to candesartan, 32 mg once daily, and 92 assigned to placebo) became pregnant (total of 208 pregnancies). RESULTS: More than half of patients were exposed to candesartan or placebo prior to or in early pregnancy, but all discontinued it at an estimated 8 weeks from the last menstrual period. Full-term pregnancies (51 vs 50), premature deliveries (21 vs 27), spontaneous miscarriages (12 vs 15), elective terminations (15 vs 14) and other outcomes (1 vs 2) were similar in the candesartan and placebo groups. There were two stillbirths and two 'sick babies' in the candesartan group, and one stillbirth, eight 'sick babies' and one cardiac malformation in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The risk for fetal consequences of ARBs in type 1 diabetes may not be high if exposure is clearly limited to the first trimester. Long-term studies in fertile women can be conducted with ARBs during pregnancy, provided investigators diligently stop their administration upon planning or detection of pregnancy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov DIRECT-Prevent 1 NCT00252733; DIRECT-Protect 1 NCT00252720; DIRECT-Protect 2 NCT00252694. FUNDING: The study was funded jointly by AstraZeneca and Takeda.

Can sulphonylurea addition to lifestyle changes help to delay diabetes development in subjects with impaired fasting glucose? The Nepi ANtidiabetes StudY (NANSY).

The Nepi ANtidiabetes StudY (NANSY) is a 5-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Swedish primary care, examining whether the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and retinopathy (separately reported) would be delayed in 40- to 70-year-old subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) who, in addition to lifestyle changes, were treated with either placebo or low-dosage sulphonylurea (SU) (1-mg glimepiride; Amaryl). Of 274 subjects (163 men, 111 women), 138 were allocated to placebo (46.0% men, 56.8% women) and 136 to glimepiride (54.0% men, 43.2% women). The primary endpoint was conversion to diabetes. Average follow-up time was 3.71 years; 96 subjects converted to diabetes, 55 allocated to placebo and 41 to glimepiride (absolute difference 9.8%; p = 0.072). In conclusion, the study failed to support the notion that low-dose SU added to lifestyle changes in IFG subjects would help to delay the conversion to diabetes.

Incidence, detection and outcome of differentiated thyroid cancer in Western Sweden.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) due to increased diagnosis of small and indolent tumours might mask a real increase of clinically significant cancers. The aim of this study was to correlate surgery, pathology and outcome data of individual patients to the mode of primary detection (palpation, by imaging or incidental) to assess if TC incidence has increased. METHODS: The Swedish Cancer Registry identified all patients with TC in Västra Götaland County representing approximately 1.6 million inhabitants. Clinical information was retrieved from medical records of patient cohorts from three study intervals (2001-2002, 2006-2007 and 2011-2014) comprising 60 per cent of all TC patients. Data were also obtained from the NORDCAN registry to compare of TC incidence with other Nordic countries. RESULTS: Between 2001 and 2014, the annualized standard incidence rate/100 000 population (ASR) of TC increased from 3.14 to 10.71 in women and from 1.12 to 3.77 in men. This was higher than the mean incidence for Sweden but similar to that in Norway and Finland. Differentiated TC (DTC) increased more than threefold. The majority of tumours (64 per cent) were detected by palpation. Larger tumours (10-20, 21-40 and greater than 40 mm) increased as much as microcarcinomas (less than 10 mm). Only 5 per cent of the tumours were detected by imaging. All disease-specific deaths (8.5 per cent of DTC in the first two cohorts) and most patients with recurrent or persistent disease (6.6 per cent of DTC cases) were diagnosed due to tumour-related symptoms. CONCLUSION: DTC in Western Sweden gradually increased between 2001 and 2014. The majority of tumours were detected by palpation suggesting a real increase in the incidence of clinically significant thyroid malignancies.

A disease state approach to the pharmacological management of Type 2 diabetes in primary care: A position statement by Primary Care Diabetes Europe.

Type 2 diabetes and its associated comorbidities are growing more prevalent, and the complexity of optimising glycaemic control is increasing, especially on the frontlines of patient care. In many countries, most patients with type 2 diabetes are managed in a primary care setting. However, primary healthcare professionals face the challenge of the growing plethora of available treatment options for managing hyperglycaemia, leading to difficultly in making treatment decisions and contributing to therapeutic inertia. This position statement offers a simple and patient-centred clinical decision-making model with practical treatment recommendations that can be widely implemented by primary care clinicians worldwide through shared-decision conversations with their patients. It highlights the importance of managing cardiovascular disease and elevated cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes and aims to provide innovative risk stratification and treatment strategies that connect patients with the most effective care.

Long-term results of surgery for lithium-associated hyperparathyroidism.

BACKGROUND: Lithium therapy for affective bipolar disease is frequently associated with hyperparathyroidism (HPT), but the results of surgical treatment are virtually unknown. The aim of this retrospective review was to analyse the long-term outcome after surgery for lithium-induced HPT in a large series of patients. METHODS: Seventy-one patients on chronic lithium therapy who underwent surgery in three university and three district hospitals in Sweden were followed for a median of 6.3 years. Histopathology, complications of surgery and normocalcaemia at 6 months after surgery and last follow-up were analysed. RESULTS: The primary histopathological diagnoses were adenoma (45 per cent), double adenomas (3 per cent) and hyperplasia (52 per cent). No permanent paresis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve was recorded but 13 per cent of the patients suffered from permanent hypoparathyroidism. At follow-up, the rate of persistent and recurrent HPT was 42 per cent regardless of the histopathological diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The results of conventional surgery for lithium-associated HPT are poor. The surgical approach should be adjusted for the multiglandular disease that is usually the cause of HPT in patients on chronic lithium therapy.

In for the long haul: knowledge translation between academic and nonprofit organizations.

Although scientists are continually refining existing knowledge and producing new evidence to improve health care and health care delivery, far too little scientific output finds its way into the tool kits of practitioners. Likewise, the questions that clinicians would like to be answered all too rarely get taken up by researchers. In this article we focus on knowledge translation challenges accompanying a longitudinal research program with nonprofit organizations providing direct and indirect health and social services to disadvantaged groups in one region of Canada. Three essential factors influencing authentic and reciprocal knowledge transfer and utilization between nonprofit service providers and researchers are discussed: strong institutional partnerships, the use of skilled knowledge brokers, and the meaningful involvement of frontline personnel.

Impact on guidelines: The general practitioner point of view.

Primary care physicians are uniquely placed to offer holistic, patient-centred care to patients with T2DM. While the recent FDA-mandated cardiovascular outcome trials offer a wealth of data to inform treatment discussions, they have also contributed to increasing complexity in treatment decisions, and in the guidelines that seek to assist in making these decisions. To assist physicians in avoiding treatment inertia, Primary Care Diabetes Europe has formulated a position statement that summarises our current understanding of the available T2DM treatment options in various patient populations. New data from recent outcomes trials is contextualised and summarised for the primary care physician. This consensus paper also proposes a unique and simple tool to stratify patients into 'very high' and 'high' cardiovascular risk categories and outlines treatment recommendations for patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Special consideration is given to elderly/frail patients and those with obesity. A visual patient assessment tool is provided, and a comprehensive set of prescribing tips is presented for all available classes of glucose-lowering therapies. This position statement will complement the already available, often specialist-focused, T2DM treatment guidelines and provide greater direction in how the wealth of outcome trial data can be applied to everyday practice.

Prolonged survival after hepatic artery embolization in patients with midgut carcinoid syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic artery embolization (HAE) is a palliative treatment for patients with liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumours. HAE reduces hormonal symptoms, but its impact on survival has been questioned. METHODS: Biochemical responses and survival in consecutive patients with disseminated liver metastases from midgut carcinoid tumours were studied after HAE. Repeat HAE was performed in selected patients with radiological and biochemical signs of progression. RESULTS: Of 107 patients who had HAE, the median survival from the first procedure was 56 (range 1-204) months. Prolonged survival showed a strong correlation with reduction of urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (P = 0.003) and plasma chromogranin A (P = 0.001) levels. The biochemical response to repeat HAE was similar to that for the first procedure (P = 0.002). The complication rate was low (7.5 per cent), as was the mortality rate (1.9 per cent) within 1 month of HAE. CONCLUSION: HAE is safe, provides good control of hormonal symptoms, and prolongs survival in biochemically responsive patients. It is a valuable palliative option for patients with midgut carcinoid syndrome due to liver metastases and can be repeated in patients with a favourable response to the first procedure.

Rab17, a novel small GTPase, is specific for epithelial cells and is induced during cell polarization.

The rab subfamily of small GTPases has been demonstrated to play an important role in the regulation of membrane traffic in eukaryotic cells. Compared with nonpolarized cells, epithelial cells have distinct apical and basolateral transport pathways which need to be separately regulated. This raises the question whether epithelial cells require specific rab proteins. However, all rab proteins identified so far were found to be equally expressed in polarized and nonpolarized cells. Here we report the identification of rab17, the first epithelial cell-specific small GTPase. Northern blot analysis on various mouse organs, revealed that the rab17 mRNA is present in kidney, liver, and intestine but not in organs lacking epithelial cells nor in fibroblasts. To determine whether rab17 is specific for epithelial cells we studied its expression in the developing kidney. We found that rab17 is absent from the mesenchymal precursors but is induced upon their differentiation into epithelial cells. In situ hybridization studies on the embryonic kidney and intestine revealed that rab17 is restricted to epithelial cells. By immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy on kidney sections, rab17 was localized to the basolateral plasma membrane and to apical tubules. Rab proteins associated with two distinct compartments have been found to regulate transport between them. Therefore, our data suggest that rab17 might be involved in transcellular transport.

Nonsuicidal self-harm in youth: a population-based survey.

BACKGROUND: Nonsuicidal self-harm includes cutting, scratching, burning and minor overdosing. There have been few studies that have examined the rate of self-harm and mental-health correlates among community-based youth. We performed a population-based study to determine the prevalence of nonsuicidal self-harm, its mental-health correlates and help-seeking behaviour. METHODS: We used data from the Victoria Healthy Youth Survey, a population-based longitudinal survey of youth aged 14-21 in Victoria, British Columbia. The survey included questions about the history, method, frequency, age of onset and help-seeking for nonsuicidal self-harm. Youth were interviewed between February and June 2005. Univariable group differences were analyzed using students t test for continuous data and chi2 for binary or categorical data. Multivariate analyses were conducted by use of multivariate analysis of variance and logistic regression. RESULTS: Ninety-six of 568 (16.9%) youth indicated that they had ever harmed themselves. Self-injuries such as cutting, scratching and self-hitting were the most common forms of nonsuicidal self-harm (83.2%). The mean age of onset was 15.2 years. Of those who reported nonsuicidal self-harm, 56% had sought help for this behaviour. Participants who reported 5 or more symptoms (out of 6) in a given symptom category were more likely than those who reported less than 5 symptoms to report nonsuicidal self-harm for the following categories: depressive mood (odds ratio [OR] 2.18, confidence interval [CI] 1.28-3.7) and problems with regulation of attention, impulsivity and activity (OR 2.24, CI 1.33-3.76). INTERPRETATION: We found a high lifetime prevalence of nonsuicidal self-harm. Many mental-health symptoms were associated with this behaviour, particularly those with depressive mood and attention-related problems. Just over half of youth reported seeking help for nonsuicidal self-harm. Clinicians who encounter youth should be vigilant to assess for this behaviour in youth who present with mental health issues.