Linnea Hedman

Umeå University | UMU · Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine

The advent of heated tobacco products (HTPs) has introduced new variables in the study of nicotine delivery systems and their health implications. Amidst concerns over cardiovascular effects, this study aims to elucidate the acute impact of HTP inhalation on extracellular vesicles (EV) levels in young, healthy individuals. In this controlled, acute...

Background Obesity, assessed by body mass index (BMI), is an established risk factor for 13 cancers. We aimed to identify further potential obesity-related cancers and to quantify their association with BMI relative to that of established obesity-related cancers. Methods Using Cox regression models on 4,142,349 individuals in Sweden (mean age 27.1...

Purpose The Obesity and Disease Development Sweden (ODDS) study was designed to create a large cohort to study body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and changes in weight and WC, in relation to morbidity and mortality. Participants ODDS includes 4 295 859 individuals, 2 165 048 men and 2 130 811 women, in Swedish cohorts and national reg...

Background The advent of heated tobacco products (HTPs) has introduced new variables in the study of nicotine delivery systems and their health implications. Amidst concerns over cardiovascular effects, this study aims to elucidate the acute impact of HTP inhalation on extracellular vesicles (EV) levels in young, healthy individuals. Methods In thi...

Background In the present study, we describe prevalence trends of asthma and investigate the association with asthma symptoms, use of asthma medication, and asthma severity among 8‐year‐old children in Norrbotten, Sweden in 1996, 2006, and 2017. Methods Within the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) studies, three pediatric cohorts...

Background and Aim The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), asthma and mortality is complex and multifaceted, and it is not established if educational level modifies the association between asthma and mortality. The aim was to study the association between asthma and mortality in Sweden and Norway and to what extent educational level mo...

Introduction In epidemiological studies, the age at asthma onset is often defined by patients’ self-reported age at diagnosis. The reliability of this report might be questioned. Our objective was to evaluate the agreement between self-reported and registered age at asthma diagnosis and assess features contributing to the agreement. Methods As par...

Background Chronic airway obstruction (CAO) and restrictive spirometry pattern (RSP) are associated with mortality, but sex-specific patterns of all-cause and specific causes of death have hardly been evaluated. Objectives To study the possible sex-dependent differences of all-cause mortality and patterns of cause-specific mortality among men and...

Background Respiratory symptoms are a common public health issue that can partly be attributed to preventable risk factors, such as tobacco smoking and occupational exposure, which are more common in individuals with lower socioeconomic status. Objective Our aim was to evaluate the social gradient in respiratory symptoms in Nordic countries. Meth...

Background: The prevalence of asthma has increased both among children and adults during the latter half of the 20th century. The prevalence among adults is affected by the incidence of asthma in childhood but also in adulthood. Time trends in asthma incidence are poorly studied. The aim was to study the incidence of asthma among adults from 1996-2...

Objectives The aim was to examine if a diagnostic intervention set up to assess current food allergy to cow’s milk, hen’s egg, fish, or wheat among teenagers had an impact on generic and disease specific health-related quality of life (HRQL). The study compared HRQL scoring before and two years after the intervention, and in relation to age matched...

Background During several decades the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) has increased and now affects about one fifth of all children in high-income countries. While the increase continues in lower income countries, the AD prevalence might have reached a plateau in high-income countries. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate trend...

Introduction In epidemiological studies, the age at asthma onset is often defined by patients’ self-reported age at diagnosis. The reliability of this report might be questioned. Our objective was to evaluate the agreement between self-reported and registered age at asthma diagnosis and assess features contributing to the agreement. Methods As part...

Electronic cigarette (EC) vaping is increasingly popular, despite growing evidence of adverse health effects. To further evaluate the impact of EC use on vascular health, we investigated the effects of brief EC inhalation on flow-dependent thrombus formation and microcirculation in healthy volunteers. The study was performed with a randomised doubl...

Rationale: Spirometry is essential for diagnosis and assessment of prognosis in COPD. Objectives: To identify FEV1 trajectories and their determinants, based on annual spirometry measurements among individuals with and without airway obstruction. Furthermore, to assess mortality in relation to trajectories. Methods: In 2002-04, individuals wit...

Objective: Adult-onset asthma is a recognized but heterogeneous phenotype and has been described to associate with poor asthma control. Knowledge about associations between clinical characteristics including comorbidities and control of adult-onset asthma is limited, especially in older populations. We aimed to study how clinical biomarkers and co...

Introduction: The prevalence of COPD tends to level off in populations with decreasing prevalence of smoking but the extent of underdiagnosis in such populations needs further investigation. Aim: To investigate underdiagnosis and misclassification of COPD with a focus on socio-economy, lifestyle determinants and healthcare utilization. Method:...

Objective: Asthma control is of importance when assessing the risk of severe outcomes of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to explore associations of clinical characteristics and the effect of multiple manifestations of uncontrolled asthma with severe COVID-19. Methods: In 2014-2020, adult patients with uncontrolled asthma, defined as Asthma C...

Background: Asthma and obesity are prevalent conditions that are increasing worldwide. Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation and bronchial variability, while obesity is a complex metabolic disorder that poses significant morbidity and mortality risks. Obesity is a risk factor for asthma and a plethora of other non-communicable diseases....

Background: Evidence abounds on the independent roles of social class and smoking in relation to obstructive airway diseases, but data are sparse on the impact of their interaction. We evaluated whether and to what extent social class and smoking interact in relation to risk of respiratory diseases in adults. Methods: Data from the population-ba...

Background Over the last decade, computational sciences have contributed immensely to characterization of phenotypes of airway diseases, but it is difficult to compare derived phenotypes across studies, perhaps as a result of the different decisions that fed into these phenotyping exercises. We aim to perform a systematic review of studies using co...

Background : With increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, it is important to study how BMI change may affect lung function among subjects with asthma. There are few prospective studies on this topic, especially with separate analyses of those with normal and high BMI. Aim : To prospectively study the association between annual BMI change...

Aim To estimate the incidence rate of asthma from age 8 to 28 years and evaluate early-life risk factors for asthma onset at different ages. Methods In 1996, within the Obstructive Lung disease In Northern Sweden studies, a cohort of 3430 schoolchildren (97% of invited) was recruited at age 8 years to a prospective study about asthma. The cohort w...

Background: Restrictive lung function may indicate various underlying diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of different restrictive spirometry patterns (RSPs) to identify restrictive lung function (total lung capacity [TLC] < lower limit of normal [LLN]) according to reference values by the Global Lung Function Initiative (...

Low socioeconomic status based both on educational level and income has been associated with asthma and respiratory symptoms, but changes over time in these associations have rarely been studied. The aim was to study the associations between educational or income inequality and asthma and respiratory symptoms among women and men over a 20-year peri...

Background Risk factors for severe asthma are not well described. The aim was to identify clinical characteristics and risk factors at study entry that are associated with severe asthma at follow-up in a long-term prospective population-based cohort study of adults with asthma. Methods Between 1986 and 2001, 2055 adults with asthma were identified...

Background: Allergic sensitization increases the risk of and asthma and allergic rhinitis, but the impact of age at onset of sensitization is less studied. Objective: To examine the cumulative incidence of asthma and rhinitis up to age 19 years in relation to age at onset of sensitization to airborne allergens. Method: All children in grade on...

Introduction: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the association between e-cigarette use and subsequent smoking cessation in cohort studies and randomized controlled trials (RCT). Methods: A systematic literature search was finalized 11 November 2019 using EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, PubMed Health, NICE evide...

Background The prevalences of obstructive and restrictive spirometric phenotypes, and their relation to early-life risk factors from childhood to young adulthood remain poorly understood. The aim was to explore these phenotypes and associations with well-known respiratory risk factors across ages and populations in European cohorts. Methods We stu...

Background Asthma is a common disease and a major public health concern. Respiratory symptoms are related to its prognosis, which in turn associates with lung function. Still this association on a long-term basis is not entirely understood. Aim To study the association of the type and number of respiratory symptoms with FEV 1 and FEV 1 decline in...

Objective The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the association between e-cigarette use and subsequent initiation or recurrence of cigarette smoking. Data sources A systematic literature search was finalised November 11, 2019 using PubMed incl. Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, PubMed Health, NICE evidence sear...

Background: Asthma is associated with low socioeconomic status among both children and adults, and adolescents with asthma report more school absenteeism than those without. However, it is unclear whether asthma in childhood and adolescence affects socioeconomic status in adulthood. Methods: Within the Obstructive Lung disease In Northern Sweden...

Background The prevalence of asthma has increased both among children and adults during the latter half of the 20th century. The prevalence among adults is affected by the incidence of asthma in childhood but also in adulthood. Time trends in asthma incidence are poorly studied. Aim The aim was to study the incidence of adult-onset asthma from 199...

Objectives The aim was to identify predictors of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among teenagers. Design and setting A prospective population-based cohort study of schoolchildren in northern Sweden. Participants In 2006, a cohort study about asthma and allergic diseases among schoolchildren started within the Obstructive Lung Disease in No...