Publications by authors named "Thomas Halvorsen"

Introduction: Exercise- Induced Laryngeal Obstruction (EILO) can lead to disabling exercise related dyspnea and hamper participation in physical activity. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of a standardized speech therapy protocol as treatment for EILO.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with EILO at our institution were invited to participate.

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Article Synopsis
  • Advances in perinatal medicine from 1980 to 2000 improved survival rates for extremely preterm (EP) neonates, but the long-term effects on adult lung function remain uncertain.
  • A study assessed lung function in three cohorts of 18-year-olds born extremely preterm, comparing their results to term-born peers and analyzing changes across different time periods.
  • Overall, EP-born individuals demonstrated decreased lung function compared to term-born individuals, but there were improvements in certain lung function measures for those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) over the decades.
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Background: Transnasal fiberoptic laryngoscopy (TFL) has revealed that laryngeal obstruction can hamper assisted ventilation. TFL may be considered invasive, and laryngeal ultrasound (US) could be a noninvasive alternative. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using laryngeal US to study laryngeal movements in healthy adult volunteers undergoing noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and to compare the observations with those of simultaneous TFL.

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Background: Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) uses positive and negative pressures to assist weak cough and to help clear airway secretions. Laryngeal visualization during MI-E has revealed that inappropriate upper airway responses can impede its efficacy. However, the dynamics of pressure transmission in the upper airways during MI-E are unclear, as are the relationships among anatomic structure, pressure, and airflow.

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Background: Exercise induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is a common cause of exertional breathing problems in young individuals, relevant to 5%-7% of young people. It is caused by paradoxical inspiratory adduction of laryngeal structures and diagnosed by continuous visualization of the larynx during high intensity exercise. Empirical data suggest that EILO consists of different subtypes that require different therapeutic approaches.

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Objective: Body temperature for a known ambient temperature is not known for infants born at term. We aimed to determine the normal range and the incidences of hypothermia and hyperthermia during the first 24 hours of life in healthy term-born infants nursed according to WHO recommendations.

Design: Prospective observational study.

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Introduction: Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is a common cause of exertional breathing problems. The current diagnostic approach rests on evaluation of laryngeal obstruction visualised by laryngoscopy performed continuously throughout a maximal exercise test (continuous laryngoscopy exercise (CLE) test) in patients who present with compatible symptoms. Laryngeal responses to high-intensity exercise in endurance athletes are not well described, potentially leading to inaccurate reference values and increasing the risk of misdiagnosing EILO.

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Extreme preterm (EP) birth, denoting delivery before the onset of the third trimester, interrupts intrauterine development and causes significant early-life pulmonary trauma, thereby posing a lifelong risk to respiratory health. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate adult lung function following EP birth (gestational age <28 weeks); comparing forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV/FVC to reference values. Subgroup differences were explored based on timing of birth relative to surfactant use (1991) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) status.

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Aim: Investigate potential long-term cohort influences on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults born extremely preterm (EP) during the 1980-90s, in view of advancements in neonatal care within that timeframe.

Methods: Two cohorts of EP-born adults (82-85 cohort and 91-92 cohort) enrolling matched term controls, were compared. Participants were assessed at 18 years and again in their mid-twenties using the Child Health Questionnaire Children Form-87 (CHQ-CF87) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).

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Many survivors of preterm birth will have abnormal lung development, reduced peak lung function and, potentially, an increased rate of physiological lung function decline, each of which places them at increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across the lifespan. Current rates of preterm birth indicate that by the year 2040, around 50 years since the introduction of surfactant therapy, more than 700 million individuals will have been born prematurely-a number that will continue to increase by about 15 million annually. In this Personal View, we describe current understanding of the impact of preterm birth on lung function through the life course, with the aim of putting this emerging health crisis on the radar for the respiratory community.

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Background: Vocal cord dysfunction/inducible laryngeal obstruction (VCD/ILO) is characterized by breathing difficulties in association with excessive supraglottic or glottic laryngeal narrowing. The condition is common and can occur independently; however, it may also be comorbid with other disorders or mimic them. Presentations span multiple specialties and misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis is commonplace.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aims to explore how common exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is among asthma patients, as well as the effectiveness of its treatments and other related health conditions.
  • - Conducted in Norway with 80-120 asthma patients and 40 controls, the research will assess laryngeal function during high-intensity exercise over a 1-year period, starting from November 2020 to March 2024.
  • - Ethical approval has been granted, and findings will be published in academic journals and shared at conferences, ensuring participants give informed consent.
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Background: Histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA) is most often caused by ascending bacterial infection originating from the cervicovaginal tract.

Objectives: To investigate whether HCA with a fetal inflammatory response (FIR) has a worse clinical outcome than HCA alone. Further, if FIR or a positive maternal microbiologic culture obtained prior to birth were related to adverse neonatal outcomes in a cohort of extremely preterm (EP) neonates.

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Background: Children hospitalized for bronchiolitis have increased risk of asthma and low lung function persisting into adulthood, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Body mass index (BMI) and adipokines are associated with respiratory morbidity. We aimed to investigate if associations between BMI and adipokines and the outcomes asthma, atopy, and lung function differed between young adults previously hospitalized for bronchiolitis and control subjects.

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Introduction: Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is a common cause of exertional breathing problems in young adults. Current management generally consists of breathing advice, speech therapy, inspiratory muscle training or supraglottoplasty in highly motivated subjects with supraglottic collapse. Inhaled ipratropium bromide (IB) is a muscarinic receptor antagonist used to treat asthma that is suggested in a few reports to improve EILO symptoms.

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Aim: To study if blood eosinophils during bronchiolitis were associated with atopy, asthma and lung function in young adults and if these associations differed between respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis and non-RSV bronchiolitis.

Methods: This historical cohort enrolled 225 subjects. Blood eosinophils were measured during bronchiolitis in infancy, and the subjects were invited to a follow-up at 17-20 years of age including questionnaires for asthma and examinations of lung function and atopy.

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Background: Survival of extremely preterm (EP) birth is increasing, but long-term consequences are still largely unknown as their high survival rates are recent achievements.

Aims: To examine self-reported mental health, and health related quality of life (HRQoL) in a cohort of adults born EP in the early 1990s and individually matched term-born controls, and to describe development through the transition from teenager to adults.

Methods: Thirty-five eligible subjects were born at gestational age ≤ 28 weeks or with birth weight ≤ 1000 g during 1991-1992 in this population-based cohort from Western Norway.

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The aim of this study was to examine lung function, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and exercise-induced respiratory symptoms in elite athletes performing different sports. Norwegian national-team athletes (30 swimmers, 32 cross-country skiers, 16 speed-skaters, 11 rowers/paddlers, 17 handball players and 23 soccer players) completed a validated questionnaire, measured exhaled nitric oxide (FE), spirometry, methacholine provocation (PD) and skin prick test. Three cut-off levels defined BHR; i.

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Purpose: To study development trajectories to 34 years of age of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and subjective health complaints in extremely preterm (EP) born subjects with and without disability, and to compare with term-born controls.

Methods: A Norwegian longitudinal population-based cohort of subjects born in 1982-85 at gestational age ≤ 28 weeks or with birth weight ≤ 1000 g and matched term-born controls completed the Norwegian version of the Short Form Health Survey-36 at ages 24 and 34 and the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children-Symptom Checklist at ages 17, 24 and 34 years. Data were analysed by unadjusted and adjusted mixed effects analyses with time by subject group as interaction term.

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Background: The use of psychotropics is high among the older population and may have detrimental effects on their physical and mental health. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a strong and modifiable measure of health and declines with age. We aimed to study the association of change in CRF with use of psychotropics in community-dwelling older adults.

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