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Photo of Carl Johan Östgren

Carl Johan Östgren

Professor

My wish is to find better risk markers for cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes than is available today. Another aim with my research is to better be able to individualize treatment to counter complications from diabetes.

Improved tools for assessing cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes and in the general population

My research is primarily confined to two studies; Cardiovascular Risk factors in type 2 Diabetes - a Prospective cohort in primary care (CARDIPP) and the Swedish Cardiopulmonary Study (SCAPIS) where I have the role of principal investigator (PI) at Linköping University. In the CARDIPP cohort study the collection of data is completed and in SCAPIS the data collection is currently starting.

About me

Other assignments

I am Medical Editor with the Journal of the Swedish Medical Association where I represent General Practice


Publications

2026

Elias Bjornson, Goran Bergstrom, Jonas Brinck, David Erlinge, Carl Johan Östgren, Stefan Soderberg, Tomas Jernberg, Jan Boren, Emil Hagstrom (2026) Association of Lipoprotein(a) With Coronary Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Events Findings From the SCAPIS Cohort JACC Cardiovascular Imaging, Vol. 19, p. 1110-1119 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmg.2026.05.020
Maria Randjelovic, Magnus Wijkman, Karin Festin, Lisa Kastbom, David Kylhammar, Fredrik H Nyström, Carl Johan Östgren (2026) Blood pressure phenotypes and hypertension-associated cardiac damage Journal of Hypertension, Vol. 44, p. 1822-1829 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000004406
Max Olsson, Rafsan Ahmed, Joakim Ekstrand, Anders Blomberg, Tomas Jernberg, Mats Borjesson, Rachael A. Evans, Andrei Malinovschi, Jacob Sandberg, Magnus Skold, Per Wollmer, Carl Johan Östgren, Gunnar Engstrom, Anders J. Bjorkelund, Magnus Ekstrom (2026) Using AI to determine optimal cost-effective diagnostic pathways for chronic breathlessness npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, Vol. 36, Article 57 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41533-026-00548-9
Hampus Eriksson, Ángel Herraiz-Adillo, Patrik Wennberg, Bledar Daka, Irene Esteban-Cornejo, Cecilia Lenander, Daniel Berglind, Ulrika Müssener, Fang Fang, Carl Johan Östgren, Karin Rådholm, Pontus Henriksson, Viktor H. Ahlqvist (2026) Adolescent intelligence and imaging-detected atherosclerosis in middle age: a population study of Swedish men BMC Medicine, Vol. 24, Article 437 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-05140-z
Lina Hult, Kristofer Hedman, Carl Johan Östgren, Jonas Johnson, Fredrik H Nyström, Peter Blomstrand, Jan Engvall, David Kylhammar (2026) Left ventricular mechanical dispersion in a middle-aged population: associations with subclinical cardiac remodelling and cardiovascular risk Open heart, Vol. 13, Article e004114 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2026-004114

Research

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Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Type 2-diabetes - CARDIPP

The aim is to identify risk markers for cardiovascular disease to facilitate early and individually adjusted interventions in middle-aged men and women with Type 2-diabetes.
CT scanner at SCAPIS

SCAPIS - The Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study

SCAPIS combines the use of new imaging technologies, advances in large-scale 'comics' and epidemiological analyses to extensively characterize a Swedish cohort of 30 000 men and women aged between 50 and 64 years.

Coworkers

Photo of Fredrik Nyström

Fredrik Nyström

Professor

Photo of Tomas Strömberg

Tomas Strömberg

Professor

Photo of Anders Persson

Anders Persson

Director, Professor

Photo of Eva Swahn

Eva Swahn

Adjunct Professor

Photo of Jan Engvall

Jan Engvall

Visiting Professor

Photo of Tomas Faresjö

Tomas Faresjö

Professor Emeritus

Organisation

Illustration of the letters HMV

Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences (HMV)

The research areas at HMV include experimental basic research to clinical, social and public health research. We conduct high-quality education in the sought-after care professions.
A physiotherapist in a blue shirt is standing to the left of a woman in a pink shirt doing an exercise. You can not see their faces.

Division of Prevention, Rehabilitation and Community Medicine (PRNV)

We are an interdisciplinary division that consists of three units: Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Clinical Medicine.
Five people in a laboratory.

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (MEDFAK)

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences conducts research and education within medicine, healthcare and public health.

News

Physician measures a young man's blood pressure.

High blood pressure in adolescence a silent risk

A blood pressure as low as 120/80 mm Hg in adolescence is linked to a higher risk of atherosclerosis in middle age. These findings indicate that high blood pressure early in life plays an important role in the development of coronary artery disease.
young man taking a break from running.

Physical fitness in adolescence linked to less atherosclerosis later

Men who were physically fit when they were young had a lower risk of atherosclerosis almost 40 years later. These findings suggest that atherosclerosis is one of the mechanisms behind the link between physical fitness and cardiovascular disease.
Ultra sound of blood vessels

Stop the heart attack before it occurs

By way of a large national population study, researchers are looking for increasingly better ways of determining which individuals run the greatest risk of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.