ArticleBMJ open2022
Association between infections and functional somatic disorders: a cross-sectional population-based cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Recent research in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an evidence map.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Inflammatory Markers in Children and Adolescents with Functional Somatic Disorders: A Systematic Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesIt has been suggested that infections can trigger functional somatic disorders (FSD). However, current evidence is limited by inconsistent findings in smaller studies conducted in clinical settings within selected populations and short follow-up times. We aimed to test the hypothesis that former infections are associated with FSD using data from nationwide registries and a large population-based cohort study, the Danish Study of Functional Disorders study.
designFSD cases were identified in a cross-sectional population-based cohort and linked retrospectively to former hospital contacts with infections identified in the Danish National Patient Registry. The associations between FSD and former infections within 17 years were analysed using logistic regressions to calculate ORs and 95% CIs adjusted for age, sex and subjective social status.
settingA population-based cohort in Denmark examined between 2011 and 2015.
participantsA total of 9656 men and women aged 18-76 years.
main outcome measuresFSD measured by various delimitations, including bodily distress syndrome (BDS), irritable bowel (IB), chronic fatigue (CF), chronic widespread pain (CWP), and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS).
resultsOverall, infections were associated with increased risk of all delimitations of FSD. The associations were more pronounced for multisystemic FSD. The number of prior infections increased the risk in a dose-response manner (p<0.0001). Bacterial but not viral infections were significantly associated with BDS (OR 1.69 (95% CI 1.46 to 1.96)), IB (OR 1.41 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.88)), CWP (OR 1.47 (95% CI 1.13 to 1.90)) and CF (OR 1.62 (95% CI 1.34 to 1.96)), but not MCS.
conclusionFormer infections leading to hospital contacts were associated with a higher risk of having FSD. These associations were more pronounced for bacterial than viral infections, and more infections increased the risk in a dose-response manner. These results tend to support the idea that severe infections could play a role in FSD.
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