| 1. |
- Alme, Tomas Nordheim, et al.
(författare)
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Chronic fatigue syndromes: real illnesses that people can recover from
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD. - 0281-3432 .- 1502-7724. ; 41:4, s. 372-376
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Oslo Chronic Fatigue Consortium consists of researchers and clinicians who question the current narrative that chronic fatigue syndromes, including post-covid conditions, are incurable diseases. Instead, we propose an alternative view, based on research, which offers more hope to patients. Whilst we regard the symptoms of these conditions as real, we propose that they are more likely to reflect the brains response to a range of biological, psychological, and social factors, rather than a specific disease process. Possible causes include persistent activation of the neurobiological stress response, accompanied by associated changes in immunological, hormonal, cognitive and behavioural domains. We further propose that the symptoms are more likely to persist if they are perceived as threatening, and all activities that are perceived to worsen them are avoided. We also question the idea that the best way to cope with the illness is by prolonged rest, social isolation, and sensory deprivation.Instead, we propose that recovery is often possible if patients are helped to adopt a less threatening understanding of their symptoms and are supported in a gradual return to normal activities. Finally, we call for a much more open and constructive dialogue about these conditions. This dialogue should include a wider range of views, including those of patients who have recovered from them.
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| 2. |
- Andreasson, Anna Nixon, et al.
(författare)
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Inflammation and positive affect are associated with subjective health in women of the general population
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Health Psychology. - : SAGE Publications. - 1359-1053 .- 1461-7277. ; 18:3, s. 311-320
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Poor subjective health has been associated with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines. We investigated whether such an association would apply to women of the general population. Levels of cytokines, affect and subjective health were assessed in 347 women of the general population aged 45 to 90 years. Higher levels of interleukin-6 were associated with poor subjective health, especially in participants over 65 years of age. Positive affect was a more robust determinant of subjective health than negative affect. The presence of low-grade inflammation and absence of positive affect, rather than presence of negative affect, may be important determinants of subjective health.
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| 3. |
- Nixon Andréasson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Associations between leptin and self-rated health in men and women
- 2010
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Ingår i: Gender Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 1550-8579 .- 1878-7398. ; 7:3, s. 261-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: As an important mediator by which the brain receives information about the body's energy state, leptin may be associated with subjectively perceived health. OBJECTIVE: The main aim of the present study was to investigate concurrent and prospective associations between leptin and self-rated health (SRH), a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality, in a random population sample. An additional aim was to examine whether sick leave was associated with leptin and poor SRH. METHODS: In a prospective, population-based cohort study in Sweden, men and women underwent a medical examination in 1998, at which time blood was drawn and participants were asked to respond to a questionnaire concerning demographics, health behavior, and psychosocial factors. In 2000, the participants responded to a second questionnaire sent by postal mail. Spearman rank correlations were used to investigate the relationships between leptin, SRH, sick leave, and background variables. Partial Spearman coefficients were then calculated to investigate the patterns of association between leptin, SRH, and sick leave independent of age, body mass index (BMI), presence of diagnosis, and testosterone or estradiol. RESULTS: A total of 98 men and 104 women, aged 23 to 76 years, and 91 men and 96 women at follow-up, participated in the study. In men, relatively higher levels of leptin were prospectively associated with relatively worse SRH (rho = 0.20; P = 0.05), but the relationship was not significant in the cross-sectional analysis (rho = 0.18; P = 0.07). This association was not found in women. When controlling for age, BMI, presence of diagnosis, and testosterone, higher levels of leptin were associated with poor SRH in men in cross-sectional analysis (rho = 0.27; P < 0.01) but not prospectively. In women, leptin was not associated with SRH in cross-sectional analysis, but relatively higher levels were prospectively associated with better SRH when adjusted for background factors and estradiol (rho = -0.26; P < 0.05). SRH was independently associated with future sick leave in both men (rho = 0.34; P < 0.01) and women (rho = 0.30; P < 0.05), whereas no association between leptin and future sick leave was found. CONCLUSIONS: Contrasting associations were found between men and women in the relationship between leptin and SRH. Based on the finding that higher leptin levels were associated with better SRH in women than in men, along with corroboration from recent studies, we propose that leptin may serve different psychobiological functions in men than in women.
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| 4. |
- Syk, Jörgen, et al.
(författare)
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Anti-inflammatory Treatment of Atopic Asthma Guided by Exhaled Nitric Oxide : A Randomized, Controlled Trial
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0091-6749 .- 1097-6825 .- 2213-2198 .- 2213-2201. ; 1:6, s. 639-648
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundAtopic asthma is characterized by Th2 cytokine–driven inflammation of the airway mucosa, which is signaled by the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO).ObjectiveWe tested whether an FENO-guided anti-inflammatory treatment algorithm could improve asthma-related quality of life and asthma symptom control, and reduce exacerbations in atopic asthmatics within primary care.MethodsAltogether, 187 patients with asthma and who were nonsmokers (age range, 18-64 years) with perennial allergy and who were on regular inhaled corticosteroid treatment were recruited at 17 primary health care centers, randomly assigned to 2 groups and followed up for 1 year. For the controls (n = 88), FENO measurement was blinded to both operator and patient, and anti-inflammatory treatment was adjusted according to usual care. In the active group (n = 93), treatment was adjusted according to FENO. Questionnaires on asthma-related quality of life (Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire) and asthma control (Asthma Control Questionnaire) were completed, and asthma events were noted.ResultsThe Asthma Control Questionnaire score change over 1 year improved significantly more in the FENO-guided group (–0.17 [interquartile range {IQR}, −0.67 to 0.17] vs 0 [−0.33 to 0.50]; P = .045), whereas the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score did not (0.23 [IQR, 0.07-0.73] vs 0.07 [IQR, −0.20 to 0.80]; P = .197). The change in Asthma Control Questionnaire was clinically important in subpopulations with poor control at baseline (P = .03). Furthermore, the exacerbation rate (exacerbations/patient/y) was reduced by almost 50% in the FENO-guided group (0.22 [CI, 0.14-0.34] vs 0.41 [CI, 0.29-0.58]; P = .024). Mean overall inhaled corticosteroid use was similar in both groups (P = .95).ConclusionUse of FENO to guide anti-inflammatory treatment within primary care significantly reduced the exacerbation rate and improved asthma symptom control without increasing overall inhaled corticosteroid use.
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| 5. |
- Syk, Jörgen, et al.
(författare)
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Parallel reductions of IgE and exhaled nitric oxide after optimized anti-inflammatory asthma treatment
- 2016
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Ingår i: Immunity, Inflammation and Disease. - : Wiley. - 2050-4527. ; 4:2, s. 182-190
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is crucial for the development of airway inflammation in atopic asthma, and inhibition of IgE using monoclonal antibodies is now part of asthma therapy. However, the impact of ordinary anti-inflammatory treatment on IgE is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate if optimization of treatment with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and leukotriene-receptor antagonist (LTRA) according to symptoms or exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) levels over a one-year period affects IgE concentrations. Altogether, 158 relatively well-controlled but multi-sensitized asthmatics (age 18-65 years), with ongoing ICS treatment at baseline, were included in this post hoc analysis of data from a randomized, controlled trial on FENO-guided asthma therapy. Asthma control and quality of life (Juniper ACQ and mAQLQ), FENO, and serum IgE were measured at baseline and after one year. Concentrations of IgE antibodies to six common perennial aeroallergens were summed up (perennial IgE). We found that perennial and total IgE decreased by 10.2% and 16.0% (P<. 001 both comparisons). This was not related to allergen exposure, whereas the total use of ICS and LTRA during the year correlated with the reduction in perennial IgE (P = .030 and P = .013). The decrease in perennial and total IgE correlated significantly with the reduction in FENO (P<. 003 and P<. 001), and with improvements in ACQ and mAQLQ scores (P< 0.05, all comparisons). We conclude that one year of optimization of treatment with ICS and LTRA in patients with persistent atopic asthma resulted in significant decreases in total IgE and IgE antibodies; these decreases correlated with a reduction in FENO and improvements in asthma control and quality of life. Thus, IgE is reduced by ordinary asthma controller medications and the effect on IgE seems to be clinically important.
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| 6. |
- Undén, Anna-Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Inflammatory cytokines, behaviour and age as determinants of self-rated health in women
- 2007
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Ingår i: Clinical Science. - 0143-5221 .- 1470-8736. ; 112:5-6, s. 363-373
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Self-rated health is a powerful and independent predictor of long-term health, but its biological basis is unknown. We have shown previously that self-rated health is associated with increased levels of circulating cytokines in women. The main aim of the present study was to increase the understanding of the association between markers of wellbeing, such as self-rated health, and cytokines and to investigate the impact of age on these associations. In 174 female consecutive primary health care patients divided into three age groups, we examined subjective ratings of health and aspects of wellbeing and circulating levels of IL (interleukin)-1beta, IL-1ra (IL-1 receptor antagonist), IL-6 and TNF-alpha (tumour necrosis factor-alpha). Poor self-rated health was significantly associated with higher levels of TNF-alpha in all of the age groups. For IL-1beta and IL-1ra, the correlations with self-rated health were significant only in the oldest age group. Lower ratings of other measurements of health and wellbeing were related to higher levels of cytokines, most pronounced for TNF-alpha and IL-1beta, and in the middle and olderst age groups. More symptoms resembling a sickness response induced by inflammation were implicated to be associated with lower self-rated health. The strength of the association between inflammatory cytokines and poor health perception increased with advanced age, indicating an increased vulnerability for inflammatory activity during aging. It is suggested that higher levels of TNF-alpha are connected to a sickness response that, in turn, is connected to self-rated health. The results provide a possible psychobiological basis to understand better diffuse subjective symptoms and poor subjective health in women.
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| 7. |
- Andreasson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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A global measure of sickness behaviour : Development of the Sickness Questionnaire
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Health Psychology. - : SAGE Publications. - 1359-1053 .- 1461-7277. ; 23:11, s. 1452-1463
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Symptoms after inflammatory activation, so-called sickness behaviour, overlap with trans-diagnostic complaints. As no self-report questionnaire to assess sickness behaviour exists, we aimed to develop such an instrument, the Sickness Questionnaire. Items responsive to experimentally induced inflammatory activation (randomized double-blind study endotoxin (0.6 ng/kg) versus placebo, n = 52) were selected and the statistical properties were examined in 172 primary care patients. A principal component analysis indicated a one-factor solution (Cronbach's alpha = .86). This 10-item scale correlated with depression ( β = .41, p < .001), anxiety ( β = .36, p < .001), self-rated health ( β = .28, p < .001) and a single item of feeling sick ( β = .55, p < .001). The results support the adequacy of Sickness Questionnaire as a brief assessment instrument of perceived sickness behaviour.
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| 8. |
- Andreasson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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A putative role for cytokines in the impaired appetite in depression
- 2007
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Ingår i: Brain Behavior and Immunity. - : Elsevier BV. - 1090-2139 .- 0889-1591. ; 21:2, s. 147-152
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Impaired appetite and weight changes are commonly seen in patients with depression, but the pathophysiology behind this imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure remains largely unknown. The aim of this paper is to review the literature regarding a possible role for cytokines in the regulation of appetite and body weight, with special emphasis on depression. There now exists a substantial amount of evidence that depressed patients show signs of immune activation including increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Cytokines, which by themselves have anorectic properties, stimulate the release of the cytokine-like anorexogenic peptide leptin. In addition to their anorectic properties, both proinflammatory cytokines and leptin interact with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the immune system. In turn, these systems regulate energy balance as well as they are dysfunctional in depression. Furthermore, both proinflammatory cytokines and leptin can induce anhedonia, one of the cardinal symptoms of depression. In view of the different effects on appetite and/or body weight observed in melancholic versus atypical depression, we suggest that cytokines are differentially altered in these subtypes of depression, and that this may explain some of the inconsistency in the reported findings of cytokine as well as leptin levels in depressed patients. Finally, we propose that the immune system uses the interoceptive pathway projecting to the insular cortex, a brain region where cytokine-induced changes in appetite could be partly mediated, and that this pathway is activated in depression. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Andreasson, Anna, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing sickness behavior in the French : Validation of the French translation of the sickness questionnaire (SicknessQ) in a non-clinical French population
- 2023
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Ingår i: Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health. - 2666-3546. ; 34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Sickness Questionnaire (SicknessQ) is a questionnaire developed to assess symptoms of sickness behavior, including somatic, behavioral, and affective dimensions. To promote cross-cultural assessments of sickness behavior, we aim to expand the use of this questionnaire to other populations and languages. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the French translation of SicknessQ in a French-speaking general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. One hundred and thirty-nine individuals completed the SicknessQ online, along with the construct criteria measures of self-rated health, state anxiety (STAI-S), and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9). The principal component analyses revealed two components: the first component included seven items concerning mood, motivation and experiences of fatigue and pain; the second component included three items concerning somatic sickness symptoms. Higher scores on the total scale and the two component subscales were associated with poorer self-rated health and higher STAI-S and PHQ-9 scores. Since the associations with construct criteria variables were relatively similar between the single- and the two-dimensional solutions, both the total scale and the subscales of the two components of the French SicknessQ can be used in future studies to measure sickness behavior in French-speaking populations.
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| 10. |
- Andreasson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Brief report : Contemplate your symptoms and re-evaluate your health. A study on working adults
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Health Psychology. - : SAGE Publications. - 1359-1053 .- 1461-7277. ; 24:11, s. 1562-1567
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigated whether self-ratings of health are affected by a symptom rating. A diary including a one-item self-rating of health ("pre-self-rated health"; 1 = excellent, 7 = very poor), a subsequent 26-item rating of symptoms, and thereafter a second (identical) health rating ("post-self-rated health") was completed by 820 persons 21 times. Self-rated health worsened significantly ( p < .0001) after the symptom rating, from 2.72 pre-self-rated health (95% confidence interval: 2.70-2.74) to 2.77 post-self-rated health (95% confidence interval: 2.75-2.79) and more so in persons who reported more symptoms ( b = .058, p < .05). The results support the notion that subjective health perception is influenced by attending to symptoms, especially so in persons with a high symptom burden.
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