Long COVID in the Long Run-23-Month Follow-up Study of Persistent Symptoms.

Symptoms of long coronavirus disease (COVID) were found in 38% of 170 patients followed for a median of 22.6 months. The most prevalent symptoms were fatigue, affected taste and smell, and difficulties remembering and concentrating. Predictors for long COVID were older age and number of symptoms in the acute phase. Long COVID may take many months, maybe years, to resolve.

Omicron Outbreak at a Private Gathering in the Faroe Islands, Infecting 21 of 33 Triple-Vaccinated Healthcare Workers.

There are concerns that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron variant evades immune responses due to an unusually high number of mutations on the spike protein. Here, we report a superspreading event of Omicron infections among 21 of 33 triple-vaccinated healthcare workers who attended a private gathering.

Fever in pregnancy and offspring mortality - a longitudinal study of a cohort from 1927 to 1937 on the Faroe Islands.

In a birth cohort from 1927 to 1937 consisting of 4,208 individuals, we examined the relation between complications in pregnancy and offspring adult mortality. Patterns of increased mortality were observed in the group of males whose mothers had experienced fever during pregnancy, i.e. with all-cause mortality (rate ratio 1.505; 95% CI 1.084-1.926; p=0.057), premature death (rate ratio 1.943; 95% CI 1.486-2.400; p=0.004), and with cancer (rate ratio 2.625; 95% CI 1.845-3.405; p=0.015). To our knowledge, this is the first study to report an association between fever in pregnancy and offspring mortality.

Birthweight and blood pressure in five European birth cohort studies: an investigation of confounding factors.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the association between birthweight and blood pressure has been overstated as a result of publication bias and, within studies, a lack of adjustment for potentially important maternal and socioeconomic confounding factors and 'overadjustment' for current body size. This study investigates the impact of potential confounding variables on the birthweight-blood pressure association in birth cohort studies from different time periods and geographical locations in Europe. METHODS: Data from five European birth cohort studies (from Finland, the UK, and the Faroe Islands) taking part in the European Birth-Lifecourse-Studies (EURO-BLCS) project were analysed. Birthweight was measured at birth in all cohorts and confounding variable information was collected prospectively at subsequent follow-ups in all cohorts. Regression models were used to assess the unadjusted association between birthweight and blood pressure and then to assess the impact of potential maternal and socioeconomic confounding variables and adjustment for later body size. Analyses were carried out in the same way across all five cohorts. RESULTS: Birthweight was consistently negatively associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) across all cohorts. Gestational age and possibly maternal pre-pregnancy weight, but not socioeconomic status, may be important confounding factors of the relationship between birthweight and SBP. The size of the birthweight-SBP association in adulthood may be larger than in childhood before adjustment for current body size, although a cohort effect cannot be ruled out. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the value of future cross-cohort comparisons in the investigation of the foetal origins of adult disease.

Relationship between birthweight and blood lipid concentrations in later life: evidence from the existing literature.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that there is a link between fetal growth and chronic diseases later in life. Several studies have shown a negative association between birthweight and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Far fewer studies have focused on the association between size at birth and blood lipid concentrations. We have conducted a qualitative assessment of the direction and consistency of the relationship between size at birth and blood lipid concentrations to see whether the suggested relationship between intrauterine growth and cardiovascular diseases is mediated by lipid metabolism. METHODS: A literature search covering the period January 1966 to January 2003 was performed using Medline, Embase, and Web of Science. All papers written in English and reporting the relationship between size at birth and lipid levels in humans were assessed. Bibliographies were searched for further publications. RESULTS: From an initial screen of 1198 references, 39 papers were included involving 28 578 individuals. There was no consistent relationship between size at birth and blood lipid levels; the one exception being triglyceride concentration, which showed statistically significant negative or U-shaped, but not positive, relationships with birthweight. CONCLUSION: This review does not strongly support a link between birthweight and blood lipid levels in later life. However, the research in this area is limited and in order to make any definitive conclusions, longitudinal studies with sufficient power, data, and prospective follow-up are needed.