Group Eriksson
Developmental Origins of Health and DiseaseThe concept of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) has provided new insights into the early origins of health and disease from a life course perspective. According to the DOHaD hypothesis non-optimal early life conditions are associated with an increased risk for several non-communicable diseases.
The Helsinki Birth Cohort Study
The Helsinki Birth Cohort Study (HBCS) has primarily been focusing on the importance of factors active in early life and their effect on later health in two study cohorts including 20,431 people born 1924-44. Our main study cohort consists of 13345 people born 1934-44 in Helsinki. The cohort is a longitudinal study cohort with data throughout the life span including prenatal life, early childhood and later life. Besides extensive epidemiological data over 2000 subjects have been randomly selected for a clinical part. The subjects have been followed up clinically for over two decades with extensive phenotypic data available including metabolic data, dietary information as well as other lifestyle data. Psychological factors including personality, depression and anxiety has been focused upon. A GWAS has been performed on the HBCS. One primary aim of HBCS is to assess how growth and environmental factors acting during early life are related to health in adult life. Besides taking into account early life factors, socioeconomic and adult lifestyle factors are also considered, as well as genetic factors. In other words, health and disease are focused upon from a life course perspective. Our particular focus has been to study the early life origins of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, cognitive function, psychological and behavioral outcomes as well as aging-related processes. As the study cohort is aging our more recent focus has been on healthy aging and healthy longevity from a life course perspective.
To summarise, we have shown that early growth patterns are associated with several health outcomes including coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes as well as mental health outcomes. The long-term health impact of maternal adiposity during pregnancy has also been studied. We have been assessing potential underlying factors explaining the described associations and these include genetic and epigenetic factors. Several non-communicable diseases have their origins in early life therefore optimizing the health of women of reproductive age will have positive consequences for their offspring. One overview of findings in HBCS over the past 20 years has been published in Annals of Medicine 2016 Sep;48(6):456-467. There are over 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications based on findings from HBCS and the study is still ongoing. Our findings have attracted great global interest from agencies including WHO and NIH and been including in several recommendations.
Morbidity in Finnish Caregivers
A recently initiated project Morbidity in Finnish Caregivers, led by Senior Researcher Tuija Mikkola, studies somatic and psychiatric morbidity in family caregivers. The project utilizes data from several national registers to examine whether family caregivers have an elevated risk for developing physical and mental illnesses. The data comprises all officially recognized family caregivers in Finland, that is more than 40 000 family caregivers, and over 80 000 controls.
The LoWe spring study
Our focus in the LoWe spring study (Long-term consequences of gestational glucose intolerance on Women’s and offspring’s health) is to study the associations between gestational glucose intolerance and women’s and their offspring’s later health.
The more specific aims of this study are to investigate 1) if there are differences between women with and without gestational diabetes in pre-gestational health and health later on in life, 2) what is the importance of fasting and post challenge glucose concentrations during a standard oral glucose tolerance test on prediction of type 2 diabetes, and 3) are there differences between the offspring of women with and without gestational diabetes in relation to birth complications or later health.
The study cohort consists of all women from the city of Vantaa, Finland, who delivered between 1-January-2009 and 31-December-2015 and the offspring of these pregnancies. In total, there are over 30 000 study participants. The long-term follow-up will end 31-December-2031 when the youngest offspring turn 16 years of age.
DeMoD
Maternal type 1 diabetes (T1D) increases the risk for pregnancy and birth complications and offspring risk for adverse health outcomes. In pregnancies complicated with T1D, high erythropoietin concentrations in amniotic fluid and fetal plasma reflecting fetal oxygen deficiency may explain adverse health outcomes among the offspring. In 2017, we initiated the study: Developmental origins of adult health in offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes (DeMoD).
Our aim is to investigate:
1. Whether high erythropoietin concentrations in amniotic fluid and fetal plasma among the offspring of women with T1D are associated with offspring health 18-23 years later. The study cohort consists of the offspring born to women with T1D and with measured erythropoietin concentration (n=273) and their matched controls (n=273). The study subjects will be studied clinically (physical examination, health questionnaires, blood and urinary samples, ECG, pulse wave velocity, measurements of advanced glycation end products, actigraphy, and cognitive tests).
2. Whether there are differences in health outcomes, based on national healthcare registry data, between the offspring of women with T1D (n=1762) compared with matched offspring of women without T1D (n=8810) during a 16-year follow-up.
The HBCS Study
Senior Scientists
Mikaela von Bonsdorff, associate professor, PhD
Hannu Kautiainen, biostatistician
Merja Laine, associate professor, DMSc
Tuija Mikkola, associate professor, administrative leader
Minna Salonen, PhD
Niko Wasenius, associate professor, PhD
Post-Doctoral Scientists
Markus Haapanen, MD, DMSc
Graduate Students
Jannica Selenius, MD
Max Åström, MD
Hanna Paulsen, OD
Jenni Ikonen, MD
Simo Rehunen, MD
Samuli Palmu, MD
Staff
Sigrid Rostén, data manager
Eriksson JG, Forsen T, Tuomilehto J, Winter PD, Osmond C, Barker DJ. Catch-up growth in childhood and death form coronary heart disease: longitudinal study. BMJ 1999;318:427-31
Eriksson JG, Forsén T, Tuomilehto J, Osmond C, Barker DJP. Early growth and coronary heart disease in later life: longitudinal study. BMJ 2001;322:949-53
Eriksson JG, Ylihärsilä H, Forsén T, Osmond C, Barker DJ. Exercise protects against glucose intolerance in individuals with a small body size at birth. Prev Med. 2004 Jul;39(1):164-7
Barker DJP, Osmond C, Forsen TJ, Kajantie E, Eriksson JG. Trajectories of growth among children who later have coronary event. New Engl J Med 2005; 353: 1802-9
Eriksson JG, Osmond C, Kajantie E, Forsén TJ, Barker DJ. Patterns of growth among children who later develop type 2 diabetes or its risk factors. Diabetologia. 2006 Dec;49(12):2853-8
Alastalo H, Raikkonen K, Pesonen AK, Osmond C, Barker DJ, Kajantie E, Heinonen K, Forsen TJ, Eriksson JG. Cardiovascular health of Finnish war evacuees 60 years later. Ann Med. 2009;41(1):66-72
Eriksson JG, Kajantie E, Osmond C, Thornburg K, Barker DJ. Boys live dangerously in the womb. Am J Hum Biol. 2010 May-Jun;22(3):330-5
Perälä MM, Moltchanova E, Kaartinen NE, Männistö S, Kajantie E, Osmond C, Barker DJ, Valsta LM, Eriksson JG. The association between salt intake and adult systolic blood pressure is modified by birth weight. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Feb;93(2):422-6
Eriksson JG, Kajantie E, Lampl M, Osmond C, Barker DJ. Markers of biological fitness as predictors of all-cause mortality. Ann Med. 2013 Mar;45(2):156-61
Alastalo H, Räikkönen K, Pesonen AK, Osmond C, Barker DJ, Heinonen K, Kajantie E, Eriksson JG. Early life stress and blood pressure levels in late adulthood. J Hum Hypertens. 2013 Feb;27(2):90-4
Eriksson JG, Sandboge S, Salonen MK, Kajantie E, Osmond C. Long-term consequences of maternal overweight in pregnancy on offspring later health: Findings from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Ann Med. 2014 Sep;46(6):434-8
Khulan B, Manning JR, Dunbar DR, Seckl JR, Raikkonen K, Eriksson JG, Drake AJ. Epigenomic profiling of men exposed to early-life stress reveals DNA methylation differences in association with current mental state. Transl Psychiatry. 2014 Sep 23;4:e448
Locke AE et al. Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology. Nature. 2015 Feb 12;518(7538):197-206
Surakka I et al. The impact of low-frequency and rare variants on lipid levels. Nat Genet. 2015 Jun;47(6):589-97
Guzzardi MA, Iozzo P, Salonen M, Kajantie E, Eriksson JG. Rate of telomere shortening and metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors: a longitudinal study in the 1934-44 Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Ann Med. 2015;47(6):499-505
Eriksson JG. Developmental Origins of Health and Disease - from a small body size at birth to epigenetics. Ann Med. 2016 Sep;48(6):456-467
Gormley P et al. Meta-analysis of 375,000 individuals identifies 38 susceptibility loci for migraine. Nat Genet. 2016 Aug;48(8):856-66
Horikoshi M et al. Genome-wide associations for birth weight and correlations with adult disease. Nature. 2016 Oct 13;538(7624):248-252
Würtz P et al. Metabolic signatures of birthweight in 18 288 adolescents and adults. Int J Epidemiol. 2016 Oct;45(5):1539-1550
Eriksson JG, Guzzardi MA, Iozzo P, Kajantie E, Kautiainen H, Salonen MK. Higher serum phenylalanine concentration is associated with more rapid telomere shortening in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Jan;105(1):144-150
Macé A et al. CNV-association meta-analysis in 191,161 European adults reveals new loci associated with anthropometric traits. Nat Commun. 2017 Sep 29;8(1):744
Eriksson JG, Salonen MK, Kajantie E, Osmond C. Prenatal Growth and CKD in Older Adults: Longitudinal Findings From the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study, 1924-1944. Am J Kidney Dis. 2018 Jan;71(1):20-26
von Bonsdorff MB, von Bonsdorff ME, Haanpää M, Salonen M, Mikkola TM, Kautiainen H, Eriksson JG. Work-loss years among people diagnosed with diabetes: a reappraisal from a life course perspective. Acta Diabetol. 2018 May;55(5):485-491
Westberg AP, Salonen MK, von Bonsdorff M, Osmond C, Kajantie E, Eriksson JG. Maternal adiposity in pregnancy and offspring asthma in adulthood. Eur Respir J. 2018 Aug 30;52(2):1801152
Mikkola TM, von Bonsdorff MB, Salonen MK, Kautiainen H, Ala-Mursula L, Solovieva S, Viikari-Juntura E, Eriksson JG. Physical heaviness of work and sitting at work as predictors of mortality: a 26-year follow-up of the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. BMJ Open. 2019 May 16;9(5):e026280
Zannas AS, Jia M, Hafner K, Baumert J, Wiechmann T, Pape JC, Arloth J, Ködel M, Martinelli S, Roitman M, Röh S, Haehle A, Emeny RT, Iurato S, Carrillo-Roa T, Lahti J, Räikkönen K, Eriksson JG, Drake AJ, Waldenberger M, Wahl S, Kunze S, Lucae S, Bradley B, Gieger C, Hausch F, Smith AK, Ressler KJ, Müller-Myhsok B, Ladwig KH, Rein T, Gassen NC, Binder EB. Epigenetic upregulation of FKBP5 by aging and stress contributes to NF-κB-driven inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Jun 4;116(23):11370-11379
Locke AE, Steinberg KM, Chiang CWK, Service SK, Havulinna AS, Stell L, Pirinen M, Abel HJ, Chiang CC, Fulton RS, Jackson AU, Kang CJ, Kanchi KL, Koboldt DC, Larson DE, Nelson J, Nicholas TJ, Pietilä A, Ramensky V, Ray D, Scott LJ, Stringham HM, Vangipurapu J, Welch R, Yajnik P, Yin X, Eriksson JG, Ala-Korpela M, Järvelin MR, Männikkö M, Laivuori H; FinnGen Project, Dutcher SK, Stitziel NO, Wilson RK, Hall IM, Sabatti C, Palotie A, Salomaa V, Laakso M, Ripatti S, Boehnke M, Freimer NB. Exome sequencing of Finnish isolates enhances rare-variant association power. Nature. 2019 Aug;572(7769):323-328
Clark DW et al. Associations of autozygosity with a broad range of human phenotypes. Nat Commun. 2019 Oct 31;10(1):4957
Bjerregaard LG, Wasenius N, Nedelec R, Gjærde LK, Ängquist L, Herzig KH, Jensen GB, Mortensen EL, Osler M, Overvad K, Skaaby T, Tjønneland A, Sørensen TIA, Järvelin MR, Eriksson JG, Sebert S, Baker JL. Possible Modifiers of the Association Between Change in Weight Status From Child Through Adult Ages and Later Risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2020 May;43(5):1000-1007
Samfundet Folkhälsan
Academy of Finland
European Commission
Finska Läkaresällskapet (“Medical Society of Finland”)
Medicinska Understödsföreningen Liv och Hälsa (“Life and Health Medical Fund”)
Gyllenberg Foundation
Juho Vaino Foundation
The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland
Sture Andersson, Finland, Professor
Katri Räikkönen, Finland, Professor
Päivi Korhonen, Finland, Professor
Eero Kajantie, Finland, Professor
Aarno Palotie, Finland, Professor
Jari Lahti, Finland, Professor
Timo Strandberg, Finland, Professor
Pertti Tienari, Finland, Professor
Leif Groop, Finland, Professor
Peter Nilsson, Sweden, Professor
Thorkild Sörensen, Denmark, Professor
Gabriella Conti, UK, Professor
Clive Osmond, UK, Professor
Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, UK, Professor
Cyrus Cooper, UK, Professor
Keith Godfrey, UK, Professor
Tessa Roseboom, the Netherlands, Professor
Vincent Jaddoe, the Netherlands, Professor
Patricia Iozzo, Italy, Professor
Kent Thornburg, USA, Professor
Peter Gluckman, New Zealand, Professor
Mary Wlodeck, Australia, Professor
Michael Meaney, Canada, Professor
Patricia Silveira, Canada, Professor
Morbidity in Finnish Caregivers
Senior Researchers
Tuija Mikkola, PhD
Mikkola, T. M., Kautiainen, H., Mänty, M., von Bonsdorff, M. B., Kröger, T., & Eriksson, J. G. (2020). Age-dependency in mortality of family caregivers: a nationwide register-based study. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. DOI: 10.1007/s40520-020-01728-4
Mikkola, T. M., Kautiainen, H., Mänty, M., von Bonsdorff, M. B., Koponen, H., Kröger, T., & Eriksson, J. G. (2021). Use of antidepressants among Finnish family caregivers: a nationwide register-based study. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-021-02049-1
Samfundet Folkhälsan
Medicinska Understödsföreningen Liv och Hälsa
Signe och Ane Gyllenberg stiftelse
Mikaela von Bonsdorff, assistant professor, University of Jyväskylä and Folkhälsan Research Center,
Teppo Kröger, professor, University of Jyväskylä
Minna Mänty, associate professor, City of Vantaa and University of Helsinki
Hannu Koponen, professor, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital
The LoWe spring study
Rönö K, Masalin S, Kautiainen H, Gissler M, Eriksson JG, Laine MK. The impact of educational attainment on the occurrence of gestational diabetes mellitus in two successive pregnancies of Finnish primiparous women: a population-based cohort study. Acta Diabetologica 2020, doi: 10.1007/s00592-020-01517-5
Laine MK, Kautiainen H, Gissler M, Pennanen P, Eriksson JG. Impact of sunshine on the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2020, doi 10.1080/22423982.2019.1703882
Fältmarch S, Perttilä I, Tuomi U, Kautiainen H, Gissler M, Pennanen P, Eriksson JG, Laine MK. Use of opioids during pregnancy and effects on pregnancy outcomes. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2019;28:1239-1245
Masalin S, Laine MK, Kautiainen H, Gissler M, Raina M, Pennanen P, Eriksson JG. Impact of maternal height and gestational diabetes mellitus on offspring birthweight. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2019;148:110-118
Masalin S, Rönö K, Kautiainen H, Gissler M, Eriksson JG, Laine MK. Body surface area at birth and later risk for gestational diabetes mellitus among primiparous women. Acta Diabetol 2019;56:397-404
Laine MK, Masalin S, Rönö K, Kautiainen H, Gissler M, Pennanen P, Eriksson JG. Risk of preterm birth in primiparous women with exposure to antidepressant medication before pregnancy and/or during pregnancy – impact of body mass index. Ann Med 2019;51:51-57
Rönö K, Masalin S, Kautiainen H, Gissler M, Raina M, Eriksson JG, Laine MK. Impact of maternal income on the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in primiparous women. Diabet Med 2019;36:214-220
Laine MK, Kautiainen H, Gissler M, Raina M, Aahos I, Järvinen K, Eriksson JG. Short primiparous women are at increased risk for gestational diabetes mellitus. Public Health 2018;156:101-108
Laine MK, Kautiainen H, Gissler M, Raina M, Aahos I, Järvinen K, Pennanen P, Eriksson JG. Gestational diabetes in primiparous women – impact of age and adiposity: a register-based cohort study.
Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2018;97:187-194
The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finland
Research Foundation for Primary Health Care, Finland
Finska Läkaresällskapet
Johan Eriksson
Merja Laine
Hannu Kautiainen
Senja Masalin
Mika Gissler
Pirjo Pennanen
Marko Raina
Kristiina Rönö
Iiro Perttilä
Ulla Tuomi
Satu-Maarit Björkstedt
Ilkka Aahos
Kajsa Järvinen
DeMod
Kari Teramo
Johan Eriksson
Merja Laine
Miira Klemetti
Hannu Kautiainen
Cedric Korpijaakko
The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finland
Finska Läkaresällskapet
