Publications by authors named "Catarina Almqvist"
Aims/hypothesis: The potential impact of childhood bereavement-a severe psychological stressor-on childhood type 1 diabetes development remains unclear. Here, we aimed to bridge this knowledge gap and assess whether bereavement characteristics influenced any impact.
Methods: We conducted a register-based cohort study encompassing 3,598,159 children born in Sweden between 1987 and 2020.
Background: Underlying immunological mechanisms in children with moderate-to-severe asthma are complex and unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between blood inflammatory parameters and asthma burden in children with moderate-to-severe asthma.
Methods: Blood inflammatory parameters (eosinophil and neutrophil counts and inflammatory mediators using multiplex immunoassay technology) were measured in children (6-17 years) with moderate-to-severe asthma from the SysPharmPediA cohort across four European countries.
Article Synopsis
- * The study used data from Swedish patients with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes and compared different levels of glycaemic control using statistical methods to see its impact on final adult height and short stature risks.
- * Results showed that poor glycaemic control leads to shorter adult height, especially in males and prepubertal females, indicating that managing diabetes effectively is crucial for growth during key developmental stages.
The aim is to investigate the evidence for shared genetic architecture between each of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema with gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Structural equation models (SEM) and polygenic risk score (PRS) analyses are applied to three Swedish twin cohorts (n = 46,582) and reveal a modest genetic correlation between GERD and asthma of 0.18 and bidirectional PRS and phenotypic associations ranging between OR 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To study school achievement in grade 9 of compulsory school in children with congenital hypothyroidism (CH), both those detected by the national screening program and those with a normal screening result and thus diagnosed later.
Study Design: Nationwide study of children in the Swedish Medical Birth Register (n = 1 547 927) from 1982 through 1997, linked to the neonatal screening CH cohort and the National School Register. Dried blood spot (DBS) samples are collected from all newborn infants, according to the neonatal screening program.
Objectives: Although most countries recommend amoxicillin for paediatric pneumonia, there is a long tradition of treatment with penicillin V (PcV) in Sweden, thus not empirically covering Haemophilus influenzae. There are, however, large regional differences in treatment practice. The aim was to compare clinical outcomes (treatment failure and severe complications), in children aged 1-59 months treated with PcV vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study explores the link between asthma and anxiety, noting that their overlapping symptoms can lead to increased perception of asthma severity and reduced quality of life.
- Researchers will conduct a randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (Internet-CBT) to standard treatment plus medical education (TAU+ME) in reducing anxiety and improving asthma control.
- A total of 90 participants will be involved, with results intended for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and the study has ethical approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority.
Exhaled Volatile Organic Compounds for Asthma Control Classification in Children with Moderate to Severe Asthma: Results from the SysPharmPediA Study.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med
November 2024
Article Synopsis
- Early identification of poorly controlled asthma in children is crucial for improving treatment methods, and analyzing exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) shows promise for this task.
- A study evaluated the effectiveness of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to distinguish between controlled and uncontrolled pediatric asthma, using data from multiple research phases.
- Key findings revealed that specific VOCs, such as acetophenone and ethylbenzene, could differentiate asthma control levels, achieving strong accuracy in predicting outcomes based on the collected data from 196 children.
Background: Little is known about shared origins between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema). We aimed to expand current knowledge on the etiological sources of comorbidities between these disorders using a range of genetically informed methods.
Methods: Within-individual and familial co-aggregation analysis was applied to 2 873 445 individuals born in Sweden from 1987 to 2014 and their first- and second-degree relatives.
Objective: To use machine learning methods to develop prediction models of pregnancy complications in women who conceived with assisted reproductive techniques (ART).
Design: A nation-wide register-based cohort study with prospectively collected data.
Setting: Swedish national registers and nationwide quality IVF register.
Background: Maternal psychological stress during pregnancy and postnatally has been shown to be associated with offspring atopic diseases (asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis). The aim of this study was to assess whether this association may be attributable to the child's own mental health disorders.
Method: The study population included 15,092 twin children born 2002-2010 in Sweden.
Background: Largely unexplored, we investigated if lower lung function, impaired skin barrier function by transepidermal water loss (TEWL), eczema, and filaggrin (FLG) mutations in infancy were associated with asthma in early childhood.
Methods: From the factorially designed randomized controlled intervention study PreventADALL, we evaluated 1337/2394 children from all randomization groups with information on asthma at age 3 years, and at age 3 months either lung function, TEWL, eczema, and/or FLG mutations. Lower lung function was defined as the time to peak tidal expiratory flow to expiratory time (t /t ) <0.
Although major depression, characterized by a pro-inflammatory profile, genetically overlap with autoimmune disease (AD) and the perinatal period involve immune system adaptations and AD symptom alterations, the bidirectional link between perinatal depression (PND) and AD is largely unexplored. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the bidirectional association between PND and AD. Using nationwide Swedish population and health registers, we conducted a nested case-control study and a matched cohort study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The potential association between the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and the risk of pneumonia among adults is disputed and paediatric-specific evidence is scarce.
Aim: To assess the potential association between ICS, use and the risk of hospitalisation for pneumonia among children (age 2-17 years) with asthma.
Methods: This was a cohort study based on nationwide data from routine clinical practice in Sweden (January 2007 to November 2021).
Article Synopsis
- * A meta-analysis of 37 studies revealed that higher MEA is linked to different DNA methylation patterns in offspring at birth, childhood, and adolescence, with significant findings at 473 specific sites associated with maternal factors like smoking and nutrition.
- * The research underscores the connection between socio-economic status and biological processes, enhancing our understanding of how maternal education impacts health through genetic mechanisms and emphasizing the role of social determinants in health disparities.
Background: Hypospadias is a common genital malformation among boys. Studies indicate that hypospadias is associated with a higher risk of testicular cancer. Other forms of urological cancer may be linked to hypospadias via a mutual aetiology, hormonal dysfunction, or hypospadias complications, but this has not yet been studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Novel immunisation methods against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are emerging, but knowledge of risk factors for severe RSV disease is insufficient for optimal targeting of interventions against them. Our aims were to identify predictors for RSV hospital admission from registry-based data and to develop and validate a clinical prediction model to guide RSV immunoprophylaxis for infants younger than 1 year.
Methods: In this model development and validation study, we studied all infants born in Finland between June 1, 1997, and May 31, 2020, and in Sweden between June 1, 2006, and May 31, 2020, along with the data for their parents and siblings.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin condition and prior genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 71 associated loci. In the current study we conducted the largest AD GWAS to date (discovery N = 1,086,394, replication N = 3,604,027), combining previously reported cohorts with additional available data. We identified 81 loci (29 novel) in the European-only analysis (which all replicated in a separate European analysis) and 10 additional loci in the multi-ancestry analysis (3 novel).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Seasonal variations at birth can influence DNA methylation, which may affect health outcomes over a person’s lifetime.
- A study involving multiple cohorts discovered specific DNA methylation patterns linked to different birth seasons, revealing 26 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) at birth and 32 in childhood.
- Results suggested that geographic latitude plays a role in these associations, linking certain genes to conditions like schizophrenia and asthma, particularly in infants born in higher latitudes (≥50°N).
Objective: This study aims to evaluate the neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and the diagnosis CH in the national health registers and to study the effects of lowering screening thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) threshold on the incidence of CH and birth characteristics of screening positive and negative CH children.
Design: This is a nationwide register-study of all children (n = 3 427 240) in the Swedish Medical Birth Register (MBR) and national cohort for screening positive infants (n = 1577) in 1980-2013.
Methods: The study population was further linked to several other Swedish health registers.