Elias Myrstad Brodwall

• Brodwall, Elias Myrstad; Selvakumar, Joel Pradeepkumar; Havdal, Lise Beier; Sommen, Silke Lauren; Lund-Berven, Lise & Cvejic, Erin [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Correlates of fatigue in SARS-CoV-2-positive and -negative adolescents and young adults: Repeated cross-sectional analyses from a prospective cohort study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. ISSN 0022-3999. 209. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2026.112885. Full text in Research Archive
• Selvakumar, Joel Pradeepkumar; Havdal, Lise Beier; Brodwall, Elias Myrstad; Sommen, Silke Lauren; Lund-Berven, Lise & Stiansen-Sonerud, Tonje [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2025). Risk factors for fatigue severity in the post-COVID-19 condition: A prospective controlled cohort study of nonhospitalised adolescents and young adults. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Health (BBI - Health). 44. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2025.100967. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Long COVID is a global health concern, leading to persistent symptoms and disability long after the acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in most age groups. The condition can manifest even following mild COVID-19, and in young people, it may have serious adverse consequences for educational attainment and transition to adulthood. Fatigue is the most prevalent symptom, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this prospective study of 404 SARS-CoV-2-positive and 105 SARS-CoV-2 negative, non-hospitalised youth (ages 12–25, female 62%), we investigated which factors in the early convalescent stage (<28 days since test) were associated with the severity of persistent fatigue at 6 months after infection. Participants completed questionnaires regarding clinical symptoms, social factors and psychological traits, and were subject to clinical and functional testing and biomarker analyses. Variables with significant (p < 0.2) associations to the outcome in simple linear regression were chosen for multivariable modelling, together with potential confounders. In the final multivariable model, SARS-CoV-2-positivity was a minor risk factor for fatigue severity at six months. Baseline severity of symptoms was the main risk factor and correlated with psychosocial factors such as loneliness and neuroticism, rather than biomarkers. Our results suggest that factors not related to infection are major risk factors for persistent fatigue in this age group.

• Brodwall, Elias Myrstad; Selvakumar, Joel Pradeepkumar; Havdal, Lise Beier; Sommen, Silke Lauren; Lund-Berven, Lise & Cvejic, Erin [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2025). Predictors of fatigue progression in long COVID among young people. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Health (BBI - Health). 45. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2025.100982. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Long COVID, or post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), has emerged as a significant health concern, with fatigue being the most prevalent persistent symptom among young people. However, research on predictors of fatigue progression in young populations is limited. This study aimed to investigate factors during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection that could predict fatigue progression between six and 12 months post-infection in a cohort of young people with chronic fatigue following COVID-19. Data from the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 in Adolescents (LoTECA) project were analyzed. A total of 93 participants (mean age 18.5 years, 84 % female) with chronic fatigue at six months, completed the 12-month follow-up. Multivariate analyses identified non-European ethnicity, higher interferon gamma (IFN-γ) levels, and lower RR-interval (higher resting heart rate) during acute infection as significant predictors of fatigue progression from six to 12 months. These three factors explained 21 % of the variance in the fatigue score, highlighting the importance of ethnicity, immune response, and autonomic function in the trajectory of long COVID fatigue. Early identification and targeted interventions, particularly for ethnic minorities and those with specific immune or autonomic markers during acute infection, may be helpful in reducing long-term fatigue. Further research is needed to explore treatment strategies for affected young populations.

• Alme, Tomas Nordheim; Andreasson, Anna; Asprusten, Tarjei Tørre; Bakken, Anne Karen; Beadsworth, Michael BJ & Boye, Birgitte [Show all 51 contributors for this article] (2023). Chronic fatigue syndromes: real illnesses that people can recover from. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. ISSN 0281-3432. 41(4), p. 372–376. doi: 10.1080/02813432.2023.2235609. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  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 brain's 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.

• Selvakumar, Joel Pradeepkumar; Havdal, Lise Beier; Drevvatne, Martin Solstrand; Brodwall, Elias Myrstad; Lund-Berven, Lise & Stiansen-Sonerud, Tonje [Show all 19 contributors for this article] (2023). Prevalence and Characteristics Associated With Post-COVID-19 Condition Among Nonhospitalized Adolescents and Young Adults. JAMA Network Open. 6(3). doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.5763. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Importance The prevalence and baseline risk factors of post–COVID-19 condition (PCC) remain unresolved among the large number of young people who experienced mild COVID-19. Objectives To determine the point prevalence of PCC 6 months after the acute infection, to determine the risk of development of PCC adjusted for possible confounders, and to explore a broad range of potential risk factors. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study included nonhospitalized individuals from 2 counties in Norway between ages 12 and 25 years who underwent reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing. At the early convalescent stage and at 6-month follow-up, participants underwent a clinical examination; pulmonary, cardiac, and cognitive functional testing; immunological and organ injury biomarker analyses; and completion of a questionnaire. Participants were classified according to the World Health Organization case definition of PCC at follow-up. Association analyses of 78 potential risk factors were performed. Exposures SARS-CoV-2 infection. Main Outcomes and Measures The point prevalence of PCC 6 months after RT-PCR testing in the SARS-CoV-2–positive and SARS-CoV-2–negative groups, and the risk difference with corresponding 95% CIs. Results A total of 404 individuals testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 105 individuals testing negative were enrolled (194 male [38.1%]; 102 non-European [20.0%] ethnicity). A total of 22 of the SARS-CoV-2–positive and 4 of the SARS-CoV-2–negative individuals were lost to follow-up, and 16 SARS-CoV-2–negative individuals were excluded due to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the observational period. Hence, 382 SARS-CoV-2–positive participants (mean [SD] age, 18.0 [3.7] years; 152 male [39.8%]) and 85 SARS-CoV-2–negative participants (mean [SD] age, 17.7 [3.2] years; 31 male [36.5%]) could be evaluated. The point prevalence of PCC at 6 months was 48.5% in the SARS-CoV-2–positive group and 47.1% in the control group (risk difference, 1.5%; 95% CI, −10.2% to 13.1%). SARS-CoV-2 positivity was not associated with the development of PCC (relative risk [RR], 1.06; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.37; final multivariable model utilizing modified Poisson regression). The main risk factor for PCC was symptom severity at baseline (RR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.27-1.56). Low physical activity (RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.92-1.00) and loneliness (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.02) were also associated, while biological markers were not. Symptom severity correlated with personality traits. Conclusions and Relevance The persistent symptoms and disability that characterize PCC are associated with factors other than SARS-CoV-2 infection, including psychosocial factors. This finding raises questions about the utility of the World Health Organization case definition and has implications for the planning of health care services as well as for further research on PCC.

• Brodwall, Elias Myrstad; Pedersen, Maria; Asprusten, Tarjei Tørre & Wyller, Vegard Bruun Bratholm (2020). Pain in adolescent chronic fatigue following Epstein-Barr virus infection. Scandinavian Journal of Pain. ISSN 1877-8860. doi: 10.1515/sjpain-2020-0031. Full text in Research Archive

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• Reme, Silje Endresen; Landmark, Live; Asprusten, Tarjei Tørre; Suvatne, Christer; Herner, Linn Breen & Drivenes, Elin [Show all 63 contributors for this article] (2026). Gi pasientene livet tilbake. Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening (Tidsskriftet). ISSN 0029-2001. 146. doi: 10.4045/tidsskr.26.0480. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Vi vet nok til å kunne hjelpe langt flere pasienter med langvarige symptomer. Likevel holder vi tilbake håpet, av frykt for å skuffe. Det kan koste pasientene store deler av livet. Denne kronikken er et faglig opprop fra 63 klinikere, forskere og fagpersoner fra hele landet. Vi har klinisk og forskningsmessig erfaring med vedvarende fysiske symptomer, som smerter, utmattelse, «hjernetåke», svimmelhet og mageplager og har samlet oss om et felles budskap: Ny kunnskap om hvordan slike symptomer oppstår og opprettholdes gir grunn til langt større håp om bedring enn mange pasienter får formidlet i dag.

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