Some people are more prone to blood poisoning than others. Gry Hege was affected, and lost her hands and feet. A tiny cut on your finger or having your wisdom teeth pulled can have serious consequences if you get blood poisoning, more properly called sepsis. Researchers say health care providers need better awareness of the disease.
Stomach cancer in deep decline The incidence of most cancers has increased since Norway first began collecting cancer statistics in the 1950s. But the incidence of stomach cancer has remarkably plummeted.
Health trends over the last 45 years: We’re getting fatter — but healthier Norway's most comprehensive population survey shows some surprising contradictions. The average Norwegian has gotten heavier over the last 45 years, while at the same time their overall physical health has improved.
What’s the lasting effect of surgical knee repair? For the first time, a researcher has looked at how different surgical methods affect knee function 5-10 years after treatment.
Online contact with the doctor’s office shortens the patient queue Fewer patients have to wait in the telephone queue and at the doctor's office, as more people book their consultation and renew their prescriptions online.
Norwegian researchers find link between ALS and body weight A Norwegian study shows that overweight and obese individuals have a lower risk for ALS than those who are of normal weight and underweight.
The magic behind the medals The most successful winter Olympian ever opened nearly two decades of training logs to researchers to shed light on how she achieved her goals. Now researchers have looked at two methods she used for her high-intensity training sessions to see how they compare.
Asthma or EILO: Are misdiagnosed breathing difficulties making children and adolescents less active? EILO is a breathing problem that can be confused with asthma. Doctor believes many people don’t know they can get help.
Migrants not particularly prone to depression Migrants are doing well generally, but experience higher rates of depressive symptoms than the population at large in some European countries. One country stands out as an exception.
New medicine for multiple myeloma shows promising results A new drug reduced the risk of relapse and increased survival by five months, according to a recent study. The results were presented at a cancer conference in Chicago in June.
Few physical differences found between healthy individuals and those afflicted by chronic fatigue syndrome Norwegian researchers studied adolescents who developed chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and chronic fatigue (CF) after having mononucleosis.
Many diagnosed with asthma may actually have EILO EILO, or Exercise-Induced Laryngeal Obstruction, is a condition where the voice box closes down during vigorous exercise. Norwegian researchers believe many people with this condition are misdiagnosed and are given the wrong treatment.
Today's elite football matches require more targeted training The pace of football matches has become faster and more varied in recent years. Football coaches need to craft more individualized training for players so they can handle the challenge, a new study finds.
Modern-day Vikings (and their neighbours) eat dinner at home How have the eating habits of the Nordic countries changed over the decades? Mostly for the better, but with a few exceptions, a new study has shown.
Cancer drug doesn’t work for chronic fatigue Cancer drug rituximab has no effect on chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), according to a Norwegian study.
Why do schizophrenia patients die earlier than other people? The average life expectancy of Norwegians with schizophrenic disorders is 62 years. If you also have a drug problem, it goes down to 47 years. “It’s difficult to understand why this isn’t prioritized by the health services,” says a veteran psychiatric researcher.
Men are stricter than women when it comes to sick leave More men than women find it unacceptable to stay home when work is stressful or they’ve just had a breakup, a new study shows. Other studies suggest the opposite.
People are less afraid of flying now than in the 1980s Despite several recent major accidents and terrorist attacks, Norwegians are less afraid of flying than they were 30 years ago. The biggest risk from flying comes from our imagination, one researcher says.
Higher weight increases risk of psoriasis The higher a person’s BMI, the greater the chance of getting psoriasis. But researchers are still uncertain as to why.
Doping scandal covered very differently by Swedish and Norwegian media There’s a long-standing rivalry between Sweden and Norway that plays out in sports competitions, such as Nordic skiing. When one of Norway’s biggest cross-country skiing stars tested positive for doping, the Swedish press covered the matter much more aggressively than Norwegian journalists.
Common cell type found in autoimmune diseases Immune cells at the centre of coeliac disease have been found in patients with other autoimmune diseases. These results give hope of finding the cause of a number of diseases.
Water containing ozone disinfects hands as well as hand sanitizer Water that contained ozone removed bacteria from hands as well as an alcohol-based disinfectant.
Drinking during pregnancy is probably not the cause of children’s behavioural problems But a Norwegian alcohol researcher believes the new findings have some limitations.
Video works best when it is adapted The patients' needs determine whether video use in hospital treatment is sustainable. Sometimes it is easier to make a phone call than talk to the doctor on video, research shows.
Youth are inactive for too long Children and adolescents have not become more active, despite the clear goal to increase physical activity. The World Health Organization’s goal of more physical activity to curb many diseases is facing failure.
New Hope for the Captain`s Gouty Big Toe A new treatment for gout lowers the urinary acid level in the body. This can protect podagra patients against new outbreaks.
Can Reduce Groin Injuries by Half, if the Players are Willing One simple strength exercise could almost halve one of the most common injuries in ball sports. But even if the injury puts many out of both match play and training, the players seem reluctant to use it.
Men are more often than women fooled by placebo It was not until the 1990s that researchers fully began to include both genders in health research. Sara Magelssen Vambheim has contributed with valuable new insights in her study of gender differences in pain experiences.
Well-known drug has less risk for preterm delivery in PCOS Metformin significantly reduces the risk of late miscarriages and preterm births for women with PCOS. But the drug does not work to prevent gestational diabetes, according to a large Nordic study from NTNU and St. Olavs hospital.
C-sections by trained health officers a safe alternative Sierra Leone has few doctors and even fewer surgeons to serve its seven million people. Since 2011, a non-profit group called CapaCare has been training community health officers to perform basic lifesaving surgeries. A new study shows the programme is working well when it comes to the most common surgery in the country — Caesarean sections.
Tick-borne encephalitis-virus found in unpasteurized cow milk in Norway A tick-borne virus that can infect humans and potentially cause a serious infection of the central nervous system has been found for the first time in milk from Norwegian dairy cows. A study of this virus in cervids may help us understand how this virus is spreading in Norway.
Tromsø researchers have found the connection between atrial fibrillation and dementia Those who exercise the least and those who exercise the most have an increased risk of atrial fibrillation. If this condition is not treated, it can also affect the brain.
Health personnel struggle when interacting with patients with suicidal thoughts Healthcare staff feel insecure when faced with talking about life's big questions with patients who are considering taking their own life, a new study indicates.
Preemies given extra nutrition grew faster but got more infections Premature, very low birth weight babies often have lower IQs and more learning disabilities than their normal-weight peers. But more nutrition early on may help, new research suggests.
Acute psychiatric help via video conference The psychiatrist in Tromsø can talk to the patient as well as health professionals, even if the specialist is miles away.
Internet therapy for sleep problems provides long-term improvement An online treatment programme for insomnia works well, with its beneficial effects persisting as long as 18 months after treatment, a new study shows.
Your sick leave infects your colleagues, too Norway requires a general practitioner to certify an employee’s sick leave if he or she will be absent from work for more than three days. A Norwegian study that looked at 22,000 employees and their 114,000 colleagues found that if a GP certifies 5 days of sick leave for an employee, that employee’s closest colleagues will also have more sick days.
Chronic fatigue syndrome: Promising four-day treatment A Norwegian study of an intensive coping course for people with chronic fatigue syndrome showed some promise, but both researchers and scientists involved in the study say it has clear limitations.
Diabetes patients may benefit from sharing health data A new system that transfers health data from apps, smart insulin pens and sensors to health personnel may help diabetes patients receive more specific feedback and improved follow up.
Today’s 50-somethings may live until they are 90 If you are around age 50 today, you can expect to live a good deal longer than your parents did. Today's 40-year-olds, 30-year-olds and 20-year-olds will live even longer.
Young people with past behavioural problems get high more Significantly more teenagers use alcohol and drugs if they’ve had behavioural problems as children, reports a recent study.
May have found a cure for Alzheimer`s Researchers at the University of Oslo (UiO) could be close to a breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Your risk of a deadly cancer is linked to your blood type People with different blood types have different risks of developing pancreatic cancer, Norwegian research shows.
Cooking fumes can create respiratory problems for chefs Cooks live less long on average than people in most other occupational groups. Changes in their working environment could result in better health for many.
Women and men do not have different attitudes to sickness absence The myth has been dispelled: New research shows that there are no gender differences in attitudes and norms regarding sickness absence.
Mobile health tools should be studied using new methods By analysing how patients use mobile health technology it is possible to understand the health affects of the apps and those who they affect. Researchers believe that traditional research methods are not suitable.
Simulating your cancer treatment on a computer In ten years, computers will be able to propose the most suitable cancer treatment for you. The idea is to simulate how all possible combinations of existing cancer treatments will work on your particular tumour.
Brain Cancer: Vibrating the brain to find resistant tumours The current treatment for brain cancer has almost no effect for some people with the disease. Norwegian researchers are now experimenting by using vibrations to find these patients.
High levels of vitamin B12 can increase lung cancer risk High levels of B12 in the blood are linked to 15 per cent increased risk of lung cancer, according to a major international study. That’s one more reason to stop buying supplements and eat a healthy, varied diet, researchers say.
Is any part of our body cancer proof? Who has ever heard of heart or spleen cancer? And what about the appendix?
How well does physiotherapy work? A new database can provide answers There is very little systematic research on how patients respond to physiotherapy. A new Norwegian database should provide insights into how well treatments work for patients.
ADHD diagnosis not a good fit for daydreamers Many children today are misdiagnosed with ADHD, say scientists in Norway.
Norway struggles to help self-harming patients A new study of patients with severe self-harming behaviour shows that poor collaboration within the Norwegian Health System itself is associated with major problems in patient care.
Boys born to smoking fathers have reduced sperm count A small Swedish study suggests that it may be harmful to the foetus if fathers-to-be smoke.
A single personality trait is the foundation for almost all mental illness: study A range of various mental illnesses, such as depression, substance abuse, and psychosis, are linked to the same personality trait, research suggests.
HIV type 2 is more serious than previously believed HIV-2 was considered to be a milder variant of HIV, but a new Swedish study shows that it can still develop to AIDS if left untreated.
Strength training helps the over 70s bulk up A Swedish study suggests it’s probably never too late to increase muscle mass.
Lifestyle affects cancer risk, but the biggest risk is getting old Old age is not for the weak of heart: Nine out of ten cases of cancer occur after we reach the age of 50, new numbers from the Norwegian Cancer Registry show.
Baby's gut bacteria might predict obesity A study of Norwegian children suggests that intestinal bacteria composition at age two correlates closely with weight gain later in childhood.
More people suffer from heart attacks in bad weather: study But scientists do not know if bad weather on its own is the culprit. We might simply engage in activities that result in more heart attacks, such as shovelling snow.
Acne bacteria survive by feasting on their hosts Acne causing bacteria feed on a type of carbohydrate in the body, called N-glycans. It could help explain why acne can be so resistant to treatment.
Scientists identify genes associated with Tourette syndrome Heredity is the main cause of Tourette's, but researchers think that infections and stress may also play a role.
3D mammography can detect more tumours than conventional techniques Digital Breast Tomosynthesis produces a three-dimensional image of the breast and can detect 34 per cent more tumours, shows new study.
PTSD patients show more signs of inflammation after psychotherapy People with post-traumatic stress disorder often have signs of inflammation in the body. But even though psychotherapy reduced their stress level, the inflammation became worse, shows new study.
Children who stutter should get help as early as possible One in ten pre-school children has a stutter. The sooner they get help, the more likely they are to overcome it.
ID checks and stronger parental controls may be driving down teenage drinking habits Young people in the Nordics are drinking less than they did a few decades ago. Finnish researchers think that this may be due to better controls — both by parents and by those who sell and serve alcohol.
People inflict the most complicated forms of trauma Victims of a terrifying event perpetrated by another person are more likely to suffer from chronic pain than those who suffer a car accident, fire, or natural disaster, where no perpetrator was involved.
Treating heartburn can reduce the risk of developing oesophageal cancer A major Nordic study now confirms that that treating acid reflux and heartburn has benefits beyond relieving these particular conditions.
Not so hygge: Cosy lighting prevents elderly people reading in winter A Norwegian study shows that the homes of 75 year olds are too dark for comfortable reading, despite their living rooms containing on average fifteen different lights.
More children in Europe have started smoking More young people under the age of 15 are taking up smoking, bucking the trend among adults and those over 15 where the number of new smokers has gradually declined since the 1990's.
Breakthrough: How the brain keeps track of time Norwegian scientists Edvard and May-Britt Moser were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their studies on sense of direction. Now they have found the brain cells that place our memories in the right order.
What are the links between exhaust fumes and heart disease? Several major studies around the globe show that people living in areas with air pollution are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. Norwegian researchers have examined potential causes.
Should colon cancer screening start at age 45 or 55? In May of this year, the American Cancer Society updated its screening guidelines for colorectal cancer, recommending that testing begin at age 45, which is five years earlier than currently is the practice. Two Norwegian doctors think this is a bad idea.
Is ultra-processed food making us fat and sick? A number of researchers argue that extremely processed foods are the reason behind rising rates of obesity, diabetes and other metabolic diseases. But others aren’t so certain.
Norwegian elders tops in masturbation More than 90 per cent of Norwegian men between the ages of 60 and 75 are sexually active, as are almost 75 per cent of Norwegian women.
Half of young people recover from schizophrenia Prospects are not as hopeless as previously thought, according to the researcher behind the study.
