Surgical removal of tonsils and risk of COVID-19: a nested case-control study using data from UK Biobank and AMORIS Cohort.

Background: To investigate the association between surgical removal of tonsils and risk of COVID-19 with different severity.

Methods: Through a nested case-control study during January 31st to December 31st 2020, including 58,888 participants of the UK Biobank, we investigated the association of tonsillectomy with the future risk of mild and severe COVID-19, using binomial logistic regression. We further examined the associations of such surgery with blood inflammatory, lipid and metabolic biomarkers to understand potential mechanisms.

Dispensed prescription medications and short-term risk of pulmonary embolism in Norway and Sweden.

Scandinavian electronic health-care registers provide a unique setting to investigate potential unidentified side effects of drugs. We analysed the association between prescription drugs dispensed in Norway and Sweden and the short-term risk of developing pulmonary embolism. A total of 12,104 pulmonary embolism cases were identified from patient- and cause-of-death registries in Norway (2004-2014) and 36,088 in Sweden (2005-2014).

Parity, infertility, age at first birth, and risk of atrial fibrillation: data from the HUNT study.

Aims: Although parity, infertility, and age at first birth are important for later development of cardiovascular disease, research on their association with atrial fibrillation (AF) is limited.

Methods And Results: We linked data from the population-based HUNT study and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) and validated medical records from local hospitals. A total of 24 015 women aged 45 years or older were followed for verified incident AF.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms and risk of atrial fibrillation in a population-based cohort study (the HUNT study).

Aims: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may influence the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). We investigated the association between symptoms of GERD and AF in the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT).

Methods: The study cohort comprised 34,120 adult men and women initially free of AF with information on GERD symptoms.

Association of age at menarche, reproductive lifespan and age at menopause with the risk of atrial fibrillation: The HUNT study.

Background: Age at menarche, reproductive lifespan, and age at menopause are associated with several cardiovascular diseases, but their relationship with atrial fibrillation (AF) is uncertain.

Methods: We linked information on all women who participated in the third survey of the population-based, longitudinal HUNT study in Norway with medical records from all local hospitals. A total of 14,632 women aged 60 or more were followed for validated incident AF.

Prenatal Exposure to Severe Stress and the Risk of Heart Failure Up to Middle-Age.

Background: Prenatal stress is a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but its association with heart failure (HF) is unknown.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether prenatal stress, defined as maternal bereavement, was associated with HF risk up to middle-age.

Methods: This cohort study included 6,758,560 live singleton births from the Danish (1973-2016) and the Swedish (1973-2014) Medical Birth Registers.

Insomnia symptoms and risk for atrial fibrillation - The HUNT study.

Studies on the effect of insomnia on atrial fibrillation risk in the general population are limited, therefore we investigated the association between insomnia and the risk of atrial fibrillation in a large-scale population-based study with valid atrial fibrillation measure. A total of 33,983 participants (55% women) reported their insomnia symptoms in the third wave of the HUNT study (between 2006 and 2008) in Norway, and they were followed for their first atrial fibrillation diagnosis until 2020 using hospital registers. Atrial fibrillation diagnoses were validated by physicians based on medical records and electrocardiograms.

Prenatal Exposure to Severe Stress and Risks of Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke in Offspring.

Importance: Prenatal stress is associated with increased risks of several cardiovascular risk factors later in life. However, knowledge regarding the role of prenatal stress in the development of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke is very limited.

Objective: To examine prenatal stress, defined as maternal bereavement, and risks of IHD and stroke in the offspring.

Nondental Invasive Procedures and Risk of Infective Endocarditis: Time for a Revisit: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association.

There have been no published prospective randomized clinical trials that have: (1) established an association between invasive dental and nondental invasive procedures and risk of infective endocarditis; or (2) defined the efficacy and safety of antibiotic prophylaxis administered in the setting of invasive procedures in the prevention of infective endocarditis in high-risk patients. Moreover, previous observational studies that examined the association of nondental invasive procedures with the risk of infective endocarditis have been limited by inadequate sample size. They have typically focused on a few potential at-risk surgical and nonsurgical invasive procedures.

Preterm Birth, Small for Gestational Age, and Large for Gestational Age and the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation Up to Middle Age.

Importance: Adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), and large for gestational age (LGA) are associated with increased risks of hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and heart failure, but knowledge regarding their associations with atrial fibrillation (AF) is limited and inconsistent.

Objective: To investigate whether preterm birth, SGA, or LGA are associated with increased risks of AF later in life.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multinational cohort study included Danish, Swedish, and Finnish national health registries.

Body Mass Index Measured Repeatedly over 42 Years as a Risk Factor for Ischemic Stroke: The HUNT Study.

Background: Higher BMI in middle age is associated with ischemic stroke, but little is known about BMI over adulthood, and the risk for ischemic stroke as most studies relied on a single measurement of BMI.

Methods: BMI was measured four times over a period of 42 years. We calculated average BMI values and group-based trajectory models and related these to the prospective risk of ischemic stroke after the last examination in Cox models with a follow-up time of 12 years.

Loss of a child and the risk of atrial fibrillation: a Danish population-based prospective cohort study.

Background: Several studies suggest that bereavement is associated with increased risks of ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, stroke and cardiovascular mortality. Knowledge regarding the link between bereavement and the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) is limited. We investigated whether the death of a child, one of the most severe forms of bereavement, is associated with AF.

Risk of myocardial infarction after invasive outpatient procedures.

Objective: To assess the short-term risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) associated with procedures performed at outpatient specialised hospital clinics.

Methods: In this case-crossover, population-based study, we identified first-time AMI cases aged ≥40 years via patient registries and linked them to their surgical intervention in Norway (2008-2016) and Sweden (2001-2014), respectively. The number of individuals with AMI who underwent procedures 0-7 days (hazard period) prior to the AMI diagnosis was compared with cases who were exposed 29-36 days (control period) before the AMI.

Blood pressure, hypertension and the risk of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Elevated blood pressure and hypertension have been associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation in a number of epidemiological studies, however, the strength of the association has differed between studies. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between blood pressure and hypertension and atrial fibrillation. PubMed and Embase databases were searched for studies of hypertension and blood pressure and atrial fibrillation up to June 6th 2022.

Bereavement in childhood and young adulthood and the risk of atrial fibrillation: a population-based cohort study from Denmark and Sweden.

Background: Adverse childhood life events are associated with increased risks of hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and stroke later in life. Limited evidence also suggests that stress in adulthood may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether childhood adversity may lead to the development of AF is unknown.

Association of Maternal Preeclampsia With Offspring Risks of Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke in Nordic Countries.

Importance: An association between maternal preeclampsia and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the offspring is plausible, but evidence in this area is limited.

Objective: To investigate (1) the association between maternal preeclampsia and risks of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke in the offspring, (2) whether the association varies by severity or timing of onset of preeclampsia, and (3) the role of preterm birth and small for gestational age (SGA) birth, both of which are related to preeclampsia and cardiovascular diseases, in this association.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multinational population-based cohort study obtained data from Danish, Finnish, and Swedish national registries.

Bereavement and Prognosis in Heart Failure: A Swedish Cohort Study.

Background: The role of stress in the prognosis of heart failure (HF) is unclear. This study investigated whether the death of a close family member, a severe source of stress, is associated with mortality in HF.

Objectives: This study assessed whether the death of a close family member is associated with mortality in HF.

Bereavement and Prognosis After a First Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Swedish Register-Based Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND Despite accumulating evidence suggesting that bereavement is associated with increased risks of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, the association between bereavement and prognosis after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not been well documented. We investigated the association by using Swedish register data. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 266 651 patients with a first AMI included in the SWEDEHEART (Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies) quality register from 1991 to 2018.

Death of a Parent and the Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke in Denmark and Sweden.

Importance: Increasing evidence suggests that parental death is associated with unhealthy behaviors and mental ill-health. Knowledge regarding the link between parental death and the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke remains limited.

Objectives: To investigate whether parental death is associated with an increased risk of IHD and stroke and whether these associations differ by the characteristics of the loss.

High ward occupancy, bedspacing, and 60 day mortality for patients with myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure.

Aims: To study the consequences of crowded wards among patients with cardiovascular disease.

Methods And Results: This is a cohort study among 201 801 patients with 258 807 admissions who were acutely admitted for myocardial infarction (N = 107 895), stroke (N = 87 336), or heart failure (N = 63 576) to any Norwegian hospital between 2008 and 2016. The ward admitting most patients with the given clinical condition was considered a patient's home ward.