TY - JOUR
T1 - Childhood infectious diseases and risk of leukaemia in an adult population
AU - Parodi, Stefano
AU - Crosignani, Paolo
AU - Miligi, Lucia
AU - Nanni, Oriana
AU - Ramazzotti, Valerio
AU - Rodella, Stefania
AU - Costantini, Adele Seniori
AU - Tumino, Rosario
AU - Vindigni, Carla
AU - Vineis, Paolo
AU - Stagnaro, Emanuele
PY - 2013/10/15
Y1 - 2013/10/15
N2 - Our study is aimed at investigating the association between common childhood infectious diseases (measles, chickenpox, rubella, mumps and pertussis) and the risk of developing leukaemia in an adult population. A reanalysis of a large population-based case-control study was carried out. Original data included 1,771 controls and 649 leukaemia cases from 11 Italian areas. To contain recall bias, the analysis was restricted to subjects directly interviewed and with a good quality interview (1,165 controls and 312 cases). Odds ratios (ORs) and their related 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated by unconditional polychotomous logistic regression model adjusting for age, gender and occupational and lifestyle exposures. A protective effect of at least one infection (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.45-0.97), measles (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.39-0.82) and pertussis (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.45-0.98) was observed for chronic lymphoid leukaemia (CLL). The number of infections was strongly inversely associated with the risk of CLL (p = 0.002, test for trend). With regard to the other types of leukaemia, only a protective effect of pertussis was observed for AML (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.32-0.87). Our results pointed out a protective role of childhood infectious diseases on the risk of CLL in adults. Although a specific antioncogenic effect of some infectious disease, especially measles, cannot be ruled out, the observed decrease of risk with increasing number of infections suggests that a more general "hygiene hypothesis" could be the most likely explanation of the detected association. The protective role of pertussis remains to be elucidated. What's new? We know that the retrovirus HTLV-1 is associated with adult leukemia, but little is known about the impact of other infections. For example, do childhood infections affect the risk of developing leukemia in adulthood? To begin to address this question, the authors analyzed a large multi-centre, case-control study, and found that childhood infections may actually lower the risk of developing chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) as an adult. This risk also decreased further as the number of infections increased.
AB - Our study is aimed at investigating the association between common childhood infectious diseases (measles, chickenpox, rubella, mumps and pertussis) and the risk of developing leukaemia in an adult population. A reanalysis of a large population-based case-control study was carried out. Original data included 1,771 controls and 649 leukaemia cases from 11 Italian areas. To contain recall bias, the analysis was restricted to subjects directly interviewed and with a good quality interview (1,165 controls and 312 cases). Odds ratios (ORs) and their related 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated by unconditional polychotomous logistic regression model adjusting for age, gender and occupational and lifestyle exposures. A protective effect of at least one infection (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.45-0.97), measles (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.39-0.82) and pertussis (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.45-0.98) was observed for chronic lymphoid leukaemia (CLL). The number of infections was strongly inversely associated with the risk of CLL (p = 0.002, test for trend). With regard to the other types of leukaemia, only a protective effect of pertussis was observed for AML (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.32-0.87). Our results pointed out a protective role of childhood infectious diseases on the risk of CLL in adults. Although a specific antioncogenic effect of some infectious disease, especially measles, cannot be ruled out, the observed decrease of risk with increasing number of infections suggests that a more general "hygiene hypothesis" could be the most likely explanation of the detected association. The protective role of pertussis remains to be elucidated. What's new? We know that the retrovirus HTLV-1 is associated with adult leukemia, but little is known about the impact of other infections. For example, do childhood infections affect the risk of developing leukemia in adulthood? To begin to address this question, the authors analyzed a large multi-centre, case-control study, and found that childhood infections may actually lower the risk of developing chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) as an adult. This risk also decreased further as the number of infections increased.
KW - case-control study
KW - infectious diseases
KW - leukaemia
KW - measles
KW - pertussis
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U2 - 10.1002/ijc.28205
DO - 10.1002/ijc.28205
M3 - Article
C2 - 23575988
AN - SCOPUS:84881542775
VL - 133
SP - 1892
EP - 1899
JO - International Journal of Cancer
JF - International Journal of Cancer
SN - 0020-7136
IS - 8
ER -