News archive

A new thesis from Karolinska Institutet shows the significant societal economic burdens posed by two chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases; eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and microscopic colitis (MC). Both diseases cause long-term inflammation in the digestive system and can lead to additional health problems.

The Global Child Health and Sustainable Development Goals research group recently hosted a delegation of prominent guests from Shanghai, China, to exchange insights on health economics and childcare systems. Their visit aimed to deepen the understanding of the Swedish healthcare system, particularly in the context of children’s health.

The cost of whole-genome sequencing is approaching that of the traditional genetic tests currently used for patients diagnosed with acute leukemia, according to a new study published in the Journal of Medical Economics. With costs falling and whole-genome sequencing adding new information that can improve treatment decisions, researchers see a future in which whole-genome sequencing becomes the standard for acute leukemias.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital have together with health economists at Linköping University analyzed costs for various methods to diagnose genetic causes of intellectual disability. The study, published in Scientific Reports, shows that the costs when using whole genome sequencing as a first-line diagnostic test were lower compared to chromosomal microarray analysis.

Various health care interventions can, to put it in simplified terms, yield different amounts of health per invested Swedish krona. But how can subjective experiences, such as quality of life, be brought into these calculations? Researchers at Karolinska Institutet find ways to make health economic decisions.

How is health equity even calculated? Researchers Emelie Agardh and Matteo Bottai at Karolinska Institutet are looking for new methodological paths, among other things inspired by the game Master mind.

We know that lifestyle affects health. But even factors that you cannot control have an influence. Here are six examples.

Have a car. Don’t be poor. Don’t have a stressful job. Age, gender and socioeconomics are some of the factors that affect your risk of developing an illness and of dying prematurely. Sweden has set the goal of levelling out influenceable health gaps within one generation. But is this goal realistic? And why is it so difficult to achieve? Read an article series about health inequities from the Swedish magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap.

Researchers from LIME have recently published two reports for Region Stockholm in which they investigate the use of telemedicine in primary healthcare during first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents is associated with impaired education and worse general health later in life. Access to specialist treatment is often limited. According to a study from Centre for Psychiatry Research at Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm, internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be as effective as conventional CBT. The study, published in the prestigious journal JAMA, can help make treatment for OCD more widely accessible.

When Nobel prize winner Michael Kremer initially looked at the data of his now famous 1990s Kenya school study, he felt shocked and disappointed. The data showed that more textbooks did nothing to improve educational outcomes, contrary to what most researchers believed. But rather than succumbing to disillusionment, Kremer dug deeper into Kenya’s schooling system to uncover what measures truly did make an impact and found his answer: targeted help for weak students.