Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Bengt Zöller, Lund University, Sweden
- Second opponent: Senior consultant Nina Haagenrud Schultz, Oslo University Hospital,
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Anne Kristin Møller Fell, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor emeritus Stein Erik Utvåg, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Professor Knut Stavem, University of Oslo
Summary
This doctoral thesis is situated within the fields of clinical medicine and epidemiology, with a particular focus on thrombosis and cardiovascular complications associated with COVID-19. Early in the pandemic, COVID-19 was reported to be associated with a high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and cardiac complications, raising concerns that standard thromboprophylaxis might be insufficient.
The main objectives of this thesis were to investigate the incidence of VTE during and after hospitalization for COVID-19, the incidence of VTE among non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, to identify risk factors for VTE, and to assess the occurrence and risk of cardiac complications associated with COVID-19.
The thesis is based on observational studies using clinical and registry-based data from the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 were followed during hospitalization and after discharge, as well as in outpatient settings. Standard diagnostic criteria were applied to identify VTE and cardiac events, and incidence rates were estimated across different patient groups.
The results demonstrated a lower incidence of VTE and cardiac complications than previously reported in early international studies. These findings suggest that the risk of thrombotic and cardiac events in Covid-19 patients may have been overestimated in some early reports. Differences in patient populations, disease severity, and study design are likely contributors to the observed variation in reported incidence rates.
As the studies were conducted before the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, the findings primarily reflect the risk profile of patients in the early phase of the pandemic. Nevertheless, the results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of thrombotic and cardiac risks associated with COVID-19.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.