Læknablaðið : fylgirit - 01.05.2002, Side 20

ABSTRACTS / 33RD SNC & 2ND SCNN
L05 - Cortical pathology in multiple sclerosis
Ba L
Department of Neurology, Haukeland Hospital, Bergen, Norway
Previous studies indicate that cortical plaques may constitute a
significant proportion of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions in the
brain. In a systematic immunohistochemical autopsy study of 4
different brain regions in MS we found that the percentage demye-
linated area was significantly higher in the cerebral cortex than in
subcortical white matter. Five of 20 MS brains contained extensive
subpial demyelination in all areas studied, indicating a general
subpial demyelination. Purely cortical lesions accounted for 85,6%
of the total demyelinated area in cerebral cortex. We have found
that the number of T cells detected in intracortical demyelinated
lesions is low, and equal to in nondemyelinated cerebral cortex in
MS patients and in controls. In a recent study transected neurites
were detected in cortical lesions, although at lower density than in
white matter lesions in the same MS patients. Apoptotic neurons
were significantly increased in demyelinated cortex compared to in
myelinated cortex. The data of these and previous studies indicate
that the cerebral cortex is a predilection site for MS lesions, and that
the pathogenesis of demyelination within different regions of the
brain may be heterogeneous. Cortical lesions may contribute to the
sensory and motor deficits of MS, as well as to cognitive impairment
and epilepsy.
L06 - Scandinavian Co-Operation between Neurologic Nurses
Jámsá T
Nursing Officer, Oulu University Hospital, Finland
I am very happy that Iceland and Ingibjörk Kolbeins with her co-
workers have arranged this Second Scandinavian Congress of
Neurological Nursing.
I will first tell you briefly about the organization of public health
care in Finland and then describe the questionnaire survey I carried
out among the nursing officers and ward nurses in the clinics of
neurology of Finnish university hospitals. The topic of the
questionnaire was Scandinavian co-operation. Finally, I will suggest
some ways in which we could promote Scandinavian co-operation
in the future.
In Finland, public health has been organized at three levels -
primary health care (health centres operated by municipalities or
intermunicipal boards), regional and central hospitals and univer-
sity hospitals. Only university hospitals have separate outpatienl
clinics and one or two inpatient wards for neurologic patients. The
nurses working in central hospitals and health centres have to
concentrate on many patient groups apart from neurologic patients.
Being a nursing officer in a university hospital, I also feel
concern for the ability of nur'ses in primary health care to take care
of neurologic patients. I hope that all nurses providing care to
neurologic patients would be able, if they so wish, to participate in
Scandinavian co-operation.
I presented a questionnaire to the nursing officers and head
nurses (N=23) working in clinics of neurology in the Finnish
university hospitals (5) concerning Scandinavian co-operation in
February 2002. The respondents had a long experience as nursing
officers. All of them considered Scandinavian co-operation either
extremely important or important. Despite this, few are engaged in
such co-operation at the present.
FIow would Scandinavian co-operation between neurologic
nurses affect the quality of life of neurologic patients? Culture and
living conditions are notably similar in the Scandinavian countries.
The countries also share the public demand for cost efficiency and
efficacy of health care. Exchange of knowledge concerning new and
different nursing practices in Scandinavian educational pro-
grammes would improve the quality or neurologic nursing.
Scandinavian research projects in nursing science would be both
extensive and interesting. The results of research and development
projects could be presented in Scandinavian educational pro-
grammes. We could even outline disease-specific nursing recom-
mendations for Scandinavian nurses to facilitate their work.
Neurologic patient organizations are engaged in Scandinavian
co-operation. The Parkinson Association, for example, arranges
Scandinavian meetings and facilitates exchange of patient educa-
tion materials.
What does Scandinavian co-operation mean for neurologic
nurses? The following things were considered important: profes-
sional growth, exchange of information, increasing internationali-
zation and improvement of language skills. The high cost of travel-
ling to international congresses was considered a problem. The
nurse associations specializing in certain neurologic diseases co-
operate at the international level.
The First Scandinavian Congress of Neurological Nursing was
arranged in Oulu, Finland, in June 1998. We had lecturers from
Norway, Sweden and Finland in that congress. My aim was to
recruit lecturers from each Scandinavian country. Altogether 122
nurses participated. The participants came from Sweden (12),
Norway (15), Denmark (8) and Finland (87). They expressed their
hope to have such congresses arranged at regular intervals.
It is obvious that we need Scandinavian co-operation. It should
be systematic and organized rather than merely co-operation moti-
vated by interpersonal contacts. I sincerely hope that Scandinavian
Congresses of Neurological Nursing would continue to be arranged
regularly and, whenever possible, concurrently with congresses of
neurologists. This would help to enhance co-operation between
nurses and medical specialists. The organization of a congress
requires a lot of work. To facilitate this work, I suggest that a
Scandinavian co-operative committee should be set up, which could
decide about the topics of the each congress, help to invite the
lecturers and co-ordinate the presentation of research papers. The
organizing committee could also help to co-ordinate Scandinavian
research in nursing science.
L07 - Quality of life in Parkinson’s disease
Hagell P
Section of Restorative Neurology, Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, University
Hospital, Lund, Sweden
Quality of life (QoL) has a long history; it has been debated for
centuries and under scientific scrutiny for decades. In terms of the
impact of ill health on people’s QoL, measurement attempts have
typically been made using the health-related QoL (FIRQoL)
approach. The term FIRQoL has largely come to substitute what
earlier was described as health status, and the two are typically
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