[Primary prevention of hypertension in the general population. The Lyon Action for the Prevention of Hypertension and Atherosclerosis]. / Prévention primaire de l'hypertension artérielle dans la population. L'action lyonnaise de prévention de l'hypertension et de l'athérosclérose.

UNLABELLED: The aim of ALPHA (1976-1982) was to realize an action of cardiovascular prevention in a professional population, by combining a) an education of the general population and b) an individual managing of the high risk people. The "Study" (S) population originated from Lyon; the "Reference" (R) population originated from two smaller cities. There was no randomization. The plan of the study included: A baseline cross study, dealing respectively with 9,598 and 9,558 subjects in S and R; The educational intervention, aiming chiefly at reducing caloric and sodium intakes, and at increasing the potassium intake; The evaluation was done after five years, by re-examining the subjects seen at the baseline study and still present in the enterprises. Mainly because of the economic crisis, the re-examination rates were only about 45%. RESULTS: at the baseline, BP's were not significantly different: 137/77 S vs 132/75 R for men, and 129/74 S vs 126/73 R for women. The final comparisons about primary prevention of hypertension were computed after adjustment for age and sex, after exclusion of the subjects who were hypertensive at baseline. The knowledges about hygiene were significantly but moderately better in S. The urinary Na/K and Na/Creatinine ratios did not differ significantly. The alcohol intake was lower in S (p less than 0.001). The incidence of HT was greater in S (p less than 0.001). The means of the individual variations of systolic and diastolic BP were computed: the adjusted differences S-R were respectively + 1.53 and 2.19 mmHg for systolic and diastolic (p less than 0.001 for both). CONCLUSION: the feasibility of the intervention was moderate. The failure to demonstrate any prevention of HT might indicate that the hypothesis was wrong, and/or that the methodology was inadequate.

[South-Eastern France, a high risk area for multiple sclerosis?]. / Le Sud-Est français, zone "à haut risque" de sclérose en plaques?

A questionnaire-based prevalence study was conducted in the Chalon-sur-Saône and Avignon areas, in the Rhône-Saône valley, France, to determine the frequency of multiple sclerosis. These areas are 300 km apart and lie on the 47 degrees and 44 degrees North parallels respectively. Age-adjusted prevalence rates on March 20, 1984 were 58.5 and 48.6 per 100,000 inhabitants respectively. There was no significant difference between the two areas. These preliminary data suggest that south-eastern France, as represented by Avignon, may fall within the high risk area for multiple sclerosis.

[Evolution of the mortality rate of newborn infants transferred to a Parisian intensive care service from 1969 to 1978]. / Evolution du taux de mortalité chez les nouveau-nés transférés dans un service parisien de soins intensifs de 1969 à 1978.

This study reports on the trend in neonatal death rates in a Paris intensive care unit between 1969 and 1978. Three time-periods were compared: 1969-1971, 1972-1974, and 1975-1978. These limits were chosen to take into account the introduction of continuous airway positive pressure in the unit in 1972, and the gradual implementation, from 1972 onwards, of a new perinatal care policy in France. The mortality rate was significantly lower in the second period than in the first, after adjustment on birthweight and type of disease. This trend varied according to type of disease: the death decreased significantly in case of membrane disease or foetal distress, but not in case of admission for amniotic inhalation or congenital anomalies. The gradual improvement in newborn's condition on arrival in the unit played a part in the improvement in survival, as well as the use of the continuous airway positive pressure.