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Ludvigsson JF, Berglind D, Sundquist K, Sundström J, Tynelius P, Neovius M. The Swedish military conscription register: opportunities for its use in medical research. Eur J Epidemiol 2022; 37:767-777. [PMID: 35810240 PMCID: PMC9329412 DOI: 10.1007/s10654-022-00887-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In Sweden, conscription around age 18y was mandatory for young men until June 30, 2010. From July 1, 2017, it became mandatory again for both sexes but the proportion of summoned people for standardised testing has so far been low. This paper describes the history, structure and content of the Swedish Military Conscription Register (SMCR). We retrieved information about the SMCR from written sources and through e-mail interviews with key personnel at the Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment Agency. We also analysed data from the SMCR between 1969 and 2018. Between 1969 and 2018 the SMCR contains digital data on approximately 2 million individuals (98.6% men). Most conscripts were born between 1951 and 1988 (n = 1,900,000; tested between 1969 and 2006). For the 1951-1987 birth cohorts, the register has a population coverage of approximately 90% for men. Conscripts underwent written tests focusing on verbal, spatial, logical and technical ability, medical, physical, and psychological tests. The medical assessment included hearing, vision, muscle and exercise capacity, height, weight, blood pressure and resting heart rate. The SMCR has been widely used to study, e.g., obesity, cardiovascular disease, mental health, crime, cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, sick leave and disability pension. Severe disease could qualify for exemption from military service. Thus, the prevalence of such diseases is underestimated in the SMCR population. Between 1990 and 2018, about 25,000 women also volunteered for testing. The SMCR contains population-based data on physical and psychological health in about 90% of all men born between 1951 and 1987 (corresponding to testing between 1969 and 2006), and can be used to address a host of research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas F Ludvigsson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Paediatrics, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden.,Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.,Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniel Berglind
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Centre for Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kristina Sundquist
- Center for Primary Health Care Research, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Johan Sundström
- Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Per Tynelius
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Centre for Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Neovius
- Clinical Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden.
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The patterns of family genetic risk scores for eleven major psychiatric and substance use disorders in a Swedish national sample. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:326. [PMID: 34045441 PMCID: PMC8160183 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01454-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
To clarify the structure of genetic risks for 11 major psychiatric disorders, we calculated, from morbidity risks for disorders in 1st-5th degree relatives controlling for cohabitation effects, in the Swedish population born between 1932 and 1995 (n = 5,830,014), the family genetic risk scores (FGRS) for major depression (MD), anxiety disorders (AD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder (BD), schizophrenia (SZ), bulimia (BUL), anorexia nervosa (AN), alcohol use disorder (AUD), drug use disorder (DUD), ADHD, and autism-spectrum disorder (ASD). For all affected individuals, we calculated their mean standardized FGRS for each disorder. The patterns of FGRS were quite similar for MD and AD, and for AUD and DUD, but substantially less similar for BUL and AN, BD and SZ, and ADHD and ASD. While OCD had high levels of FGRS for MD and AD, the overall FGRS profile differed considerably from MD and AD. ADHD FGRS scores were substantially elevated in AUD and DUD. FGRS scores for BD, OCD, AN, ASD, ADHD, and especially SZ were relatively disorder-specific while genetic risk for MD and AD had more generalized effects. The levels of FGRS for BMI, coronary artery disease, and educational attainment across our disorders replicated prior associations found using molecular genetic methods. All diagnostic categories examined had elevated FGRS for many disorders producing, for each condition, an informative FGRS profile. Using a novel method which approximates, from pedigree data, aggregate genetic risk, we have replicated and extended prior insights into the structure of genetic risk factors for key psychiatric illnesses.
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